Postgraduate Bursaries (FOI)

​Request

I am following up on a recent FOI regarding postgraduate bursaries:

Bursaries for masters and postgraduate studies (FOI)

A

Since the scheme has been running, please kindly provide statistics for each year regarding:

• the volume of applications to the scheme received per year
• the amount of shortlisted applicants per year
• the amount of students who are successful in their application per year
• the amount paid out by the bursary fund per year

B

Please provide the date that the bursary fund was set up.

C

Since then, please provide a breakdown of the types of degrees / postgraduate qualifications that were funded. If there is an individual identification issue with providing the specific degree titles, please break it down by categories such as sciences, humanities, arts, and so on.

D

If the States hold any information relating to the amount of Jersey students studying for postgraduate degrees / qualifications either on or off Island each year, please kindly provide the numbers per year of these dating as far back as records make possible.

Response

A

Please note that the Education Department is unable to provide information relating to the above for the years preceding 2009. The Education Department has determined that this information is exempt under Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011, as it is estimated that it will take in excess of 12.5 hours to collect the information.

B

The Jersey Bursary scheme began in 2000.

C

Due to the small numbers involved, publication of the information requested about students’ course choices would breach the privacy of the individuals. The information is therefore exempt under Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

However, presented below is a list of the subject categories covered by those awarded the Jersey Bursary since the 2009 / 2010 academic year:

D

The Education Department are only able to provide information relating to the number of individuals studying postgraduate degrees / qualifications if they have applied successfully for the Jersey Bursary. For individuals studying postgraduate qualifications without a Jersey Bursary the requested information is not held. Therefore the data that can be presented can be found in response part A.

Exemptions applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed any fee of an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of Article 15.

Article 25 - Personal Information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection