Mr. FearnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding is available from his Department for overseas students studying in the United Kingdom. [136042]
§ Mr. WicksWe offer scholarships through the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme (ORSAS) for full-time overseas postgraduate students registered as research students at British universities. For this financial year, we are providing £12.5 million. We also fund the Montserrat Emergency Award Scheme, which in the current financial year, is providing £1.6 million towards 195 Montserrat students' higher education tuition fees and living expenses.
There are also other Government schemes to support overseas students: the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, funded jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development which will receive £12 million this financial year; the Shared Scholarship Scheme, funded by DFID which will receive £2 million this financial year; and the British Chevening Scholarship Scheme, where FCO is providing £30 million this financial year.