Budget constraints halt tuition fee threshold rise

Calls to increase disability support and the lower income thresholds for tuition fees help for Manx students have not been accepted by ministers.

Last month the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) made 13 recommendations to reform the government's Student Awards Scheme.

In response, the Council of Ministers accepted the majority of proposals, but did not make commitments to increasing lower thresholds of support.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: "Certain recommendations require amendments to ensure that they align with our existing objectives, timescales and budgetary constraints."

In March, the PAC said while the grants had been increased in line with inflation, the income levels to qualify for the full funding had not.

The lower end of the income threshold is currently £21,547, a figure the PAC recommended should be "uplifted to at least £30,388", with the thresholds adjusted each year in line with inflation.

But the response from the Council of Ministers amended two recommendations that would commit the government to increasing baselines. Instead there is a recommendation to consider the change.

The ministerial report said there needed to be "caution regarding the department's current funding constraints... and must be mindful of its financial limitations".

It said: "Any adjustment to maintenance grant thresholds will need to be made within the department's current budget and possibly at the cost of other areas.

"It is imperative that the department strike a balance between this initiative and our other financial commitments."

Among other recommendations, the PAC had also called for higher levels of financial support for those with a disability, to at least £2,600 for the annual allowance.

But ministers amended this recommendation to review and analyse the feasibility of an increase, rather than accept.

The report said: "These need to be considered within the context of the department's current budget."

But a number of other recommendations were accepted.

Ministers agreed to review the awards scheme to make sure its policies were aligned with the "educational aims in the Island Plan".

They also agreed to consider alternative options for eligibility criteria to access support.

Currently, a person currently must have 80 UCAS points to qualify, but ministers accepted calls to include other qualifications to address skills shortages on the island.

They "acknowledged that academic achievement is not the only indicator of a student's potential for success" and said it would look to consider other relevant experience and qualifications.

Elsewhere, the PAC called for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture to submit a report to Tynwald with an implementation plan by May 2025.

But ministers amended this to be debated in May 2026.

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