§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many Commonwealth students are studying in the United Kingdom; and which countries have received financial help from his Department in relation to them. [100767]
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§ Mr. WicksThe number of Commonwealth students studying in the UK in the 1997–98 academic year, the latest for which figures are available, were:
Higher education Further education Full-time 44,900 2,100 Part-time 11,100 2,100 Total 56,000 4,200 This Department offers scholarships through the Montserrat Emergency Award Scheme, established in 1998–99, to students from Montserrat wishing to study in higher education in the UK who left Montserrat as a direct result of the volcanic activity.
There are also two schemes open solely to applicants from the Commonwealth; the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, funded jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Shared Scholarship Scheme, funded by the DfID. Commonwealth students may also apply for Government funded scholarships which are open to all international students, including the British Chevening Scholarships Scheme, funded by the FCO and the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme, funded by this Department.