Students have broadly welcomed moves to give the Welsh Assembly more control of tuition fees in Wales.

UK Education Secretary Charles Clarke is in negotiation with Welsh Education Minister Jane Davidson and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain about transferring powers from Westminster to Cardiff Bay.

Emma Follett fears her younger brother will pay more

It means the Welsh Assembly Government could have the power to scrap university tuition fees if it chose to, just as the UK Government is looking at introducing �3,000 per year top-up fees for institutions in England.

But the prospect of Welsh students having more financial help at university than their English counterparts has not been welcomed entirely.

Emma Follett, 20, a second-year journalism student at Cardiff University, from Farnham, Surrey, said she felt a slight feeling of discrimination about the amount of help available to students from Wales.

"When you are living with two Welsh students and they get a grant and you don't, that's worth �1,000 to them, they seem to be living quite nicely.

Rachel Gazey approves of Assembly control

"By the time my brother goes to university, he's 14, my parents will have to pay a fortune," said Emma, who pays tuition fees of �1,000 annually.

Her friend, Rachel Gazey, 19, a second-year psychology student from Leicester, said students should not lose out on financial help simply because of how much their parents earn.

"It should be about how much they are willing to contribute rather than how they earn," she said.

"I suppose it is better if the assembly has more power over education rather than Westminster organising the whole thing.

Emma receives a full student loan of �4,000 a year but believes this allows her concentrate on her studies rather than have to take on a part-time job to make ends meet.

Abbas Khushnood is studying business

Abbas Khushnood is a 28-year-old from India taking a one-year master in business course at Cardiff.

He said that as an overseas student, he is used to the idea of people from one area having to pay more for their education than others.

He is in favour of the assembly having more control of tuition fees at Welsh universities.

"It is helping to protect the local community, it's a good thing," he said.

"If you have more educated people, it's easier dealing with people on a day-to-day basis.

"In the UK, a lot of people drop out of school - if you are getting an incentive to stay on and go to university, it might reduce the drop-out rate."

Second-year medical student Andy Carr, 21, from Bridgend, who must pay full tuition fees, is pleased the assembly will be able to exercise more control over the higher education sector.

Medical student Andy Carr pays full fees

"I did not think the assembly was a good idea at the time of the referendum, but it has proved itself now.

"I'm happy with the grants system as it is at the moment, if the assembly can keep it the same I'll be happy."

He said he would be happy to pay more as a taxpayer to support a financial support system for students in Wales that could be more generous than elsewhere.

"We need students," he said, adding he believes some degree courses were not as useful for the economy as others.

"There are a lot of degrees that are not economically viable."