What financial support is available for students in priority subject areas?

A grant for priority subjects provided by the Welsh Government reflects the subject areas where there is currently the greatest shortage of teachers in Wales.
£15,000 is available for students studying a Secondary PGCE programme (a Postgraduate Certificate in Education) leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for these subjects:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Design and Technology
  • Information Technology
  • Mathematics
  • Modern Foreign Languages
  • Physics
  • Welsh

For further information click here

Who is eligible for the grant?
The Initial Teacher Education (ITE) provider will let you know if you qualify for the grant and provide you with the necessary information to claim it.

To be eligible for an ITE priority subject grant, a person must:
  • hold a degree qualification of 2.2 or higher
  • be studying a full-time or part-time eligible programme
  • not already be a qualified teacher when starting the course
  • not be employed to teach in a school or other establishment as a teacher
  • not be a participant in training organised under an employment-based teacher training scheme including the Salaried PGCE (The Open University)
  • not be taking part in a further education course of any kind

When are the payments made?

Full-time students
The grant is paid in three instalments.

  • £6,000 in January after completing the first term of the PGCE
  • £6,000 in July/August following successful completion of the PGCE course and receiving QTS status
  • £3,000 after successfully completing the Induction Period in Wales

Part-time students
The grant is paid in four instalments.

  • £3,000 in January after completing the first term of the PGCE
  • £3,000 in January after completing one full year and a term of the PGCE course
  • £6,000 in July/August following successful completion of the PGCE course and receiving QTS status
  • £3,000 after successfully completing the Induction Period in Wales