Universities will have to fund bursaries for poorer students from a £300 million annual levy imposed by ministers on their income from top-up tuition fees.

Ministers hope that the plan for "redistributing" income will minimise the prospect of a revolt by Labour MPs and a potential Commons defeat on its higher education reforms.

It has also emerged that US-style aptitude tests could be used by universities to help select students in cases where A Level results fail to show which students are best.