Student leaders fear the government is preparing them for bad news on student support.
Senior officials at the National Union of Students are increasingly pessimistic about the outcome of the government's cross-departmental review of student support.
The review, ordered by prime minister Tony Blair at last year's Labour Party conference, was originally described as a short internal government review of existing information on student support. Mr Blair said student support had been one of the major issues on the doorstep during the 2001 general election campaign.
The results of the review were due "in the new year", which students and the higher education sector took to mean before spring. The latest from the government is that the results will be published about the same time as the results of the government spending review, due in June or July.
NUS president Owain James said: "In calling for the review, the prime minister recognised that something was wrong, and he made a commitment to... revisiting the balance of contributions between individual students (through tuition fees and loans) and the state (through tuition support and maintenance grants).
"Honouring this promise... is key to finding a solution. But the longer the review goes on, the more pessimistic I am about this. I do not believe a solution can be found without reversing some of the cuts in student support made over the past few years."
Many in the higher education sector believe that the delay can be explained by the fact that the review is being carried out by the Department for Education and Skills, the Treasury, the prime minister's office and the Cabinet Office's performance and innovation unit.
Each has its own views on student contributions versus state support and the impact that any changes may have on voters and the public purse.
Barry Sheerman, chairman of the education and skills select committee, said: "One does get the feeling that the government is trapped like a rabbit in the headlights of a car.
"If that is not the situation across the DFES, Treasury, No. 10 and the PIU, then they should tell us. I think by delaying (the report) people are now expecting a more substantial reform of the system."
Mr Sheerman confirmed that higher education minister Margaret Hodge is due to give evidence to the committee on Monday as part of its continuing inquiry into student support.