雙語財經新聞 第40期:學費上漲 1/3學生將與大學無緣
Almost 230,000 students face missing out on university this year as the rush to escape higher tuition fees generates record demand for places. By Christmas, an unprecedented 344,000 candidates had completed university applications for the next academic year — more than ever before at such an early stage in the admissions process.
Students are desperate to secure university places in 2011 in order to beat a near tripling of course fees in 2012 that could lead to some being charged up to ￡9,000 a year.
爲了躲過2012年學費漲至目前三倍的窘況，英國學生拼力爭搶2011年的人學 資格。按照這一漲幅，部分學生每年的學費將漲至9000鎊。According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), demand among English students, who will be hit hardest by the rise in fees, is particularly high. Many students are believed to be abandoning their plans for a gap year1 to move straight into higher education. Therise in applications is also being stimulated by a sharp increase in the number of students who are reapplying after being rejected last year.
據英國大專院校招生委員會(Ucas)統計，那些受學費上漲打擊最大的英國學 生’他們的人學需求尤其大。據說’很多學生放棄了“空檔年，，的計劃’而準備直接接 受高等教育。此外，那些去年入學申請被拒、今年再度遞申請的學生大幅增加，也導 致了申請人學人數的激增。
If the current trend continues, it will result in about 705,500 people applying for university this year — up from the record of 688,310 last year. That will result in almost 226,500 applicants missing a place completely — about a third of those competing for the expected 479,000 vacancies.
如果目前的趨勢繼續下去，那今年將會有大約70.55萬人申請人學，這比去年 破紀錄的68.831萬人還要多。隨之而來的結果就是將有近22.65萬申請者遭拒，約佔 申請總數的1/3。預計今年會提供47.9萬個人學名額。The Coalition has already said that the number of university places available this September will be frozen at last year’s levels, with institutions fined for over-reGrulting. Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the University and College Union, said, “Rationing higher education, and making it more expensive, at a time when the rest of the world is investing in universities, will seriously risk our standing on the world stage.”
英國聯合政府已發出通知,今年9月份的招生數量將維持在去年同一水平，超 額招生的學校將受罰。英國高校聯合會祕書長薩利亨特說:“在世界其他的國家都 在加大高校投資時,我們卻在限制入學名額和提髙學費,這將嚴重威脅到我們在全 球的地位。”Last month, MPs backed plans to increase the cap on tuition fees in England from ￡3,290 to ￡9,000 from 2012. The National Union of Students warned that “many well-qualified applicants look set to have the door slammed in their faces2 again”.
上個月，英國議會通過了學費上漲計劃。從2012年起，英格蘭高等教育學費上 限將從3290英鎊提髙至9000英鎊。英國學生聯合會瞀告稱，“這種形勢下，很多優秀 的申請者看來又要被拒之門外了。”“The imposition of an arbitrary limit on the number of students will halt the aspiration of well-qualified students of all ages and restrict access to high-level skills at a time of growing unemployment, and when it is essential to invest in economic recovery,” said Aaron Porter, the NUS president.
英國學生聯合會主席亞倫?波特說強迫人們接受這種武斷的名額限制舉措’ 將會打破很多優秀學生的大學夢;身處在失業率不斷上升的時期，這麼做也使得他 們無法學習到高水平的技能，而現在正到了很有必要在經濟復甦上投資的時刻。”
