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Higher education in Great Britain

The percentage of young people entering universities in Britain is lower than in the United States, where more than half attend. In Britain the proportion was one in three in 1996.

Nowadays the higher education in UK is not free. For a resident of the country the fee for a year of study is 2000 pounds, while for a foreign student this fee is much higher. A foreign student has to pay 16 thousand pounds a year.

So after finishing secondary school you can apply to a university. At the age of 16 students are tested in various subjects to earn a General Certificate of Secondary Education. If they wish to go on to higher education at a university, they take Advanced Level examinations, commonly known as “A” Levels. Good A-level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. However, good exam passes are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews.

British universities are comparatively small, the approximate number of students studying there is about 7–8 thousand students. A university usually consists of colleges. The departments of the colleges are organized into faculties. The academic year in Britain’s universities is divided into 3 terms. In the university students have a series of lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratory classes. Lectures are given to large groups of students while seminars are much smaller than lectures. Lectures and seminars are all one hour in length, laboratory classes last 2 or 3 hours. After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Later he may continue to take Master’s Degree (I year of study) and then a Doctor’s Degree (from 2 to 5 years). It goes without saying that research is an important feature of university work.

Britain has more than 90 universities. The oldest and best–known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Birmingham. English universities differ from each other in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, way of student life.

The foremost universities are the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, both founded in the Middle Ages. Another type of university is the so-called redbrick variety – old and solid schools built in the 19th century when bricks were the standard building material. The large number of ultramodern universities that appeared in the last half of the 20th century are often called cement block and plate glass universities.

Students interested in advanced education can also attend polytechnics, which are schools dedicated to the sciences and applied technology. They offer the so-called sandwich courses (for people who work). An education act in 1992 changed the status of these colleges to universities.

Higher education can also be obtained through the Open University, founded in 1969, which offers extension courses taught through correspondence, television and radio programs, and videocassettes. It also sponsors local study centers and residential summer schools. The purpose of the Open University is to reach people who may not ordinarily be qualified for university study.

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