Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande on Friday issued a strong warning to lazy students, saying that it cost government a fortune if students took too long to complete their degrees.

"We are very concerned about lazy students. Our institutions have students who study permanently. It cost government a lot of money for you to be here," said Nzimande addressing pupils at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville Campus.

He called on students to work hard, saying that government would not tolerate students who did not take their studies seriously.

Nzimande said the issue of lazy students would be extensively discussed when the department convened the higher education summit early next year.

The issue of fee disparities and increased financial support for poor students would also be discussed during the summit.

"We want to discuss the issue of fees and funding because we are concerned why there are huge fee disparities. I don?t understand for instance why a law degree would be more expensive in other universities," he said.

Government was reviewing the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to ensure that more needy students were assisted financially, he said. The outcome of the review was expected to be made public before the end of December.

The summit would also deal with promoting solidarity among students of all races, and transformation.