applications for financial assistance as the April 30 deadline approaches.

By the end of yesterday, the Ministry had received about 260 applications for Government scholarships, Further Education Awards, interest-free student loans and UK Fee Differentials.

But Education Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons said more than 500 application forms were collected from the Ministry.

And he reminded the public that applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Last year Government paid out $1.3 million to 233 students or about half of those who applied for financial help.

With $1.4 million in this year's education budget allocated for assisting Bermudians studying abroad, Mr. Simons said more than 300 students are expected to receive some form of assistance.

But he stressed that the Education Department's Scholarships and Awards Committee will place emphasis on the applicant's financial need.

"We've seen people with excessively high income applying for assistance,'' Mr. Simons said. "But emphasis will be on those in need.'' The Ministry introduced key changes to its broad policy of financial assistance since coming under heavy criticism from parents who, last year, claimed that their taxpayers dollars were being misspent and their children cheated, particularly in the midst of recession.

In addition to examining applicants' financial status more closely, the Ministry has also revised its financial application forms and: clarified that a dependent student is one who lives at home with parents, is under 25, and not married; noted that it will award interest-free loans instead of Further Education Awards to post graduate students since many of them already received FEAs during their undergraduate years and "are soon to enter the work force where, in most cases, they will earning higher salaries because of their graduate degrees'' and; computerised its records of students receiving financial assistance.

Mr. Simons said the announcement of successful applicants should be made by early August.