The Department of Education says there was a good response to a recent public consultation on the financial assistance it provides for students in higher education.

The number of students supported in further and higher education in the United Kingdom and beyond, under the Student Awards Regulations, is currently 1,330.

The departmen's budget for student awards in 2009/10 is ?11.5 million, of which ?1.4 million is the estimated cost of postgraduate support.

The consultation paper offered five proposals for comment on the provision for postgraduate awards and a further four regarding support for undergraduate awards.

When the consultation period closed on Friday, 160 responses had been received from a wide variety of sources including students at school, undergraduate and postgraduate level, parents, teachers and other individuals and organisations.

Director of education John Cain says: "There are many interesting observations and suggestions and we will now be taking time to review them closely and take them into consideration in the formulation of the draft Student Awards Regulations, which will be considered by the department."

Mr Cain is thanking everybody who took the time to make submissions, and says Education Minister Anne Craine will present the regulations to Tynwald in April for approval.