Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s education spokesperson, said the increase would “burden students with even greater debt”.
Tom Giffard, the Welsh Conservative’s education spokesperson said the hike “does little to encourage students to pursue higher education” amid a drop in enrolments.
“If Wales cannot provide comparable opportunities to those across the border in England, we risk a substantial brain drain,” he said.
A spokesperson for Universities Wales said it welcomed the announcement “of additional support, which comes at a critical time for Welsh universities”.
“Our universities play a fundamental role in communities across Wales: generating jobs, transforming lives, supporting public services, and delivering world-leading research and innovation,” they said.
Gareth Lloyd from UCU Cymru said they welcome the additional in-year funding for universities and colleges as they are “suffering from an increased workload.”
In a statement, he added: “We need to acknowledge that the crisis in our universities can only be resolved through a new system of UK funding which equitably spreads the cost of higher education between all its beneficiaries.”
