Bermuda's petition to become a full member of the University of the West Indies has been unanimously accepted.

It means students from Bermuda will now get subsidised rates, while Government contributes to the revenues of UWI.

According to the West Indian Newspaper, Bermuda now needs to put legislative measures in place to honour its obligation before the start of the 2009/10 academic year.

Education Minister El James is quoted: "Bermuda welcomes the opportunity to take a more active role in support of the University of the West Indies. "Our students will now have more educational options than ever before, and this partnership can only have positive outcomes for everyone involved."

The Minister said he was impressed with the Cave Hill Campus. "Having ready access to three physical campuses as well as the Open Campus will enable Bermudians to have access to education in ways that have never before been available," he said.