To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people expecting to start higher education in 2009 have registered for financial support with Student Finance England; and how many such students had registered by the same time last year. (270335)

Figures obtained from the Student Loans Company show that by 21 April 2009, 125,000 applications had been registered from people expecting to start higher education in academic year 2009/10. At the equivalent point last year the figure was 75,000: however the registration process opened earlier this year on 9 February, compared with 8 March last year.