Plaid Cymru has pledged to write off £6,000 of debts for graduates who stay in Wales for work or return home to the country.
Leanne Wood’s party believes that the Labour Government’s policy of covering up to £5,190 of Welsh students’ fees no matter where they go effectively subsidises English universities, and the Nationalists want to “ensure the Welsh economy can benefit” from the talents of Welsh graduates.
The current policy of subsidising fees for Welsh students across the UK appears set to continue should Labour be re-elected, although it has hinted at the possibility of means-testing grants.
Education spokesman Simon Thomas says “the current tuition fee policy means we give more money to universities outside of Wales than we do inside of Wales. This is unsustainable and Plaid Cymru believes that this is wrong.”