§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many British university students participated in international exchange programmes, where at least one term of a full academic year was spent at an institution abroad, in(a) 1995, (b) 1997, (c) 1999, (d) 2001 and (e) 2002; [103931]
(2) which British university had the highest percentage of students spending at least one term abroad at a foreign university institution as part of an exchange programme in the last year for which figures are available. [103928]
§ Margaret HodgeThe latest available information, showing the number of students who are on exchange programmes for the year as a whole, is given in the table. The data for 2001/02 show that the University of Lancaster had the highest proportion of full-time UK domiciled first degree students studying abroad as part of these programmes.
A number of measures have been taken recently to encourage more students on UK higher education courses to study abroad as part of their course. These include giving access to higher loans for all students who study abroad; simplifying the student support arrangements; offering funding incentives to higher education institutions with mobile students; and wider and better publicity for the Socrates-Erasmus and other programmes. 235W
Full-time UK domiciled first degree students on exchange programmes who were studying overseas for the whole of the academic year Students 1995–96 3,271 1997–98 3,703 1999–2000 5,464 2001–02 4,934 Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)