Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (Hansard, 13 June 1984)

§ Mr. Brooke

My right hon. Friend has completed a review of the future of the overseas research students award scheme (ORSAS). The review has involved consultations with the University Grants Committee (UGC), the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (CVCP), the Council of Local Education Authorities, the National Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education and the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics.

Open University Income
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
	£000	Per cent.	£000	Per cent.	£000	Per cent.	£000	Per cent.	£000	Per cent.
Registration and Summer School Fees	5,381		6,436		8,783		10,964		12,596
Continuing Education Fees	758		1,097		1,190		1,402		1,319
Total Fees^*	6,139	15	7,533	14	9,973	16	12,366	18	13,915	19
Research and Continuing Education Grants	624		1,122		1,344		1,359		2,320
Other	488		584		500		768		733
Total other†	1,112	2	1,706	3	1,844	3	2,127	3	3,053	4
DES Block Grant	34,271		45,069		50,091		53,321		54,986
DES Earmarked Grants	—		245		—		321		380

486W

There has been a steady growth in the number of applicants of high quality for ORSAS awards since it began in 1980–81. There are 1,560 award-holders in the current academic year, slightly exceeding the original target of 1,500 awards. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the scheme is serving a useful purpose and that it should continue. He is pleased that the UGC is prepared to continue to finance the scheme from the grant available to the universities, and that the CVCP are prepared to continue to administer the scheme.

The 1982 study "A Policy for Overseas Students" commissioned by the Overseas Students Trust recommended that the scheme be made more flexible, with the possibility of full tuition fees being met for a portion of the candidates, and that eligibility for awards be extended to overseas research students in polytechnics. These recommendations have been examined in consultation with the bodies I have mentioned, as has the possibility of extending the scheme to make awards available to students on taught postgraduate courses. My right hon. Friend is not able to make available additional resources for the extension or development of the scheme, but is prepared to consider representations from each sector of higher education for the operation from its own resources of any scheme which it considers appropriate. Those engaged in operating the scheme in the university sector are satisfied that it is possible to attract candidates of high calibre under present arrangements, and they would not wish to reduce the number of awards in order to increase the average value of each award. Nor would they wish to extend the scheme to taught postgraduate courses at the expense of funding research students. In the local authority sector of higher education, those concerned have said that they would not favour introducing an ORSAS-type scheme without additional resources. My right hon. Friend is content to accept these two sets of conclusions.