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UK Universities

The United Kingdom has one of the most distinctive university system in the world; a system which has developed over 600 years.

By international standards UK universities are small. Most have fewer than 10,000 students. Those with more are divided into separate colleges. This means that UK universities can offer a high level of personal care.

Most of the 447,000 full and part-time students in UK universities study for degrees on courses which last three or four years.

Entry is competitive. Students apply from all over the country and from overseas through a central clearing house, UCCA, which passes applications to the universities where decisions are made and places offered.

Degree courses are mostly full-time but an increasing number of institutions offer part-time courses.

The usual admission age is about 18 but many people take a year off between school and university and now universities are encouraging more people to apply later on in life.

Continuing education courses, often short and job-related, are also growing in number. Each year about half a million students attend them.

UK universities are independent, self-governing institutions each established by a Royal Charter or Act of Parliament which authorizes the university to award its own degrees. This independence is jealously guarded but careful checks are made on standards to ensure that all UK degrees have equal status.

UK University degree courses may be available in affiliated colleges as well as in the university itself. In addition the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) has a Royal Charter under which it approves the award of degrees by polytechnics and colleges.

Words and expressions

Clearing house - an organization which collects, sorts and distributes information

UCCA - Universities Central Council on Admissions - центральный совет по сбору и распространению информации для зарубежных студентов, поступающих в университеты Англии

application - заявка

degree - степень

Degree course - курс обучения для получения степени бакалавра или магистра

take a year off - отдохнуть год после окончания школы перед поступлением в университет

Royal Charter - королевский указ

authorize - наделять правом

guard - зд. беречь

affiliated - объединенный в единое целое, входящий в состав

CNAA - Council for National Academic Awards - Совет по присуждению академических званий