Maximum aggregate student numbers

This is the maximum number of home or EU award-holding students each institution is contracted to recruit. Overall student numbers supported by the teaching grant next year will be roughly the same as for 1996/97.

Total MASNs for 1997/98, covering higher education students at institutions funded by the council and the Teacher Training Agency, remain unchanged at 747,000. Like last year, institutions will be able to recruit up to 2 per cent above their MASN before incurring financial penalties.

The council is also allocating an additional 5,000 part-time student numbers in science and engineering and in April will allocate 2,000 more full-time undergraduate places after considering bids from institutions in these areas and for regional developments.