HL Deb 07 June 2004 vol 662 c10WA
Baroness Greengross

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have any policies or guidelines regarding upper age limits for a person starting a doctorate degree; and whether government funding arrangements for doctorate degrees have an impact on the financial status of higher education institutions which accept older doctorate students. [HL2907]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland

Policies for selecting doctoral students are for individual higher education institutions to decide. Doctoral students can apply, in competition, for support from the research councils or the Arts and Humanities Research Board: neither the councils nor the board sets an upper age limit for support.

Government funding to higher education institutions for the teaching of post-graduates and for research does not take account of the age of students.