Welsh students campaign against tuition hikes, 2010

In May of 2010, the United Kingdom held its general elections. One of the candidates, Nick Clegg, ran on a platform that included a promise to vote against any proposals to raise tuition fees for students. However, by October of the same year, Clegg changed his stance on the issue. The potential for a change in the cap on tuition fees from £3,290 to £9,000 was on the table. The government also announced substantial budget cuts, particularly for public services. The news of these issues resulted in an outcry of protest from the student population across the United Kingdom.

In Wales on November 24, 2010, 300 students marched on the city center of Cardiff in protest of the proposed tuition increases. Later that day, 50 students occupied a lecture theatre at Cardiff University. The protests were part of a simultaneous larger movement throughout the UK, although the events in Wales were notably marked with less violence.

The campaign in Wales was also significantly more successful - at least for the students who were residents of Wales. A few days after the protests began, the Wales government announced that the Welsh Assembly Government would pay for the increase in the fees of students who were born and raised in, resulting in those students effectively being exempt from the change. The Welsh Assembly Government also announced that the repayment threshold for student loans would increase from £15,000 to £21,000, allowing Welsh students to pay their debts off faster.

Unfortunately, this advantage did not apply to students studying in Wales who were not already residents, and the proposed tuition increases would result in them paying nearly £6000 more for the same education that their Welsh peers received. As such, many of the Welsh students continued to campaign against the tuition increases, joining the more widespread but less successful movement occurring throughout the rest of the United Kingdom.