The Government says it will keep funding Christchurch tertiary institutions for students who leave for other parts of the country.
And it wants those who do leave to retain their links to their Christchurch institution.
The Government says that by keeping on paying the institutions, even though they are closed, it is trying to maintain their viability.
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says the students in question need time to consider their futures before changing permanently to another university or polytechnic.
And he says none of the institutions elsewhere that have enrolled Christchurch students have asked for extra government funding.