Universities A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education. The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, roughly meaning "community of in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by Royal Charter In medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled, Papal Bull A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it, Act of Parliament An act of Parliament is a statute (commonly called a law) enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament or an instrument of government under the Education Reform Act 1988 The Education Reform Act of 1988 is widely regarded as the most important single piece of education legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the 'Butler' Education Act 1944. It also forms the basis for the United States' No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; in any case generally with the approval of the Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to, and only such recognised bodies can award degrees of any kind. Undergraduate Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree , hence in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is known as undergraduate, while students of higher applications to almost all UK universities are managed by UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Most universities in the country may be classified into 6 main categories:
- Ancient universities Ancient university is a term used to describe seven medieval and renaissance universities of England, Scotland and Ireland that have continued to exist. Six of those universities are currently located in the United Kingdom and one in Republic of Ireland. The ancient universities in the British Isles are amongst the oldest extant universities in - the seven universities founded between the 12th and 16th centuries.
- The University of London Based primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes. As such, the University of London is the largest university in the UK by number of full-time students, with 135,090 campus-based students and over 45,000, The University of Wales The University of Wales is a confederal university founded in 1893. It has accredited institutions throughout Wales, ranging from nineteenth-century establishments like Aberystwyth and Bangor to post-1992 universities like Newport and institutes of higher education such as UWIC and Glyndŵr University (NEWI). Indeed, the only institution in Wales, University of Wales, Lampeter and Durham University The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837. It was one of the first universities to open in England for more than 600 years, and is England's third oldest educational institute after Oxford and Cambridge - which were chartered in the 19th century.
- Red Brick universities Red Brick is an informal term used to refer to six particular British universities founded in the major industrial cities of England, all of which achieved university status before World War I and were initially established as civic science and/or engineering colleges. Whilst the term was originally coined as these institutions were new and thus - the six large civic universities chartered at the turn of the 20th century before World War I World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 15 million people were.
- Plate Glass universities - the universities chartered in the 1960s (formerly described as the 'new universities').
- The Open University The Open University is a distance learning university founded and funded by the UK Government. It is notable for having an open entry policy, i.e. students' previous academic achievements are not taken into account for entry to most undergraduate courses. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom, but many of - Britain's 'open to all' distance learning Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy, technology, and instructional system designs that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically "on site" in a traditional classroom or campus. It has been described as "a process to create and provide access to learning University (est. 1968).
- New Universities The term New University has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new university movements in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick" universities. It would later come to be used to refer to any of the - the Post-1992 universities The term New University has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new university movements in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other 'Red Bricks'. It would later come to be used to refer to any of the universities founded in formed from polytechnics Polytechnics were tertiary education teaching institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The comparable institutions in Scotland were collectively referred to as Central Institutions. Like other polytechnics, their aim was to teach both academic and vocational subjects. Their focus was applied education for work and their roots or colleges of Higher Education.
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Admission
The universities share an undergraduate admission system which is operated by UCAS. Applications, which may be made on-line, must be made by 15 October of the previous year for Oxford The University of Oxford , located in the English city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back as the 11th century. The University grew and Cambridge The University of Cambridge is the second oldest university in England and the fourth oldest in Europe. In post-nominals the university's name is abbreviated as Cantab, a shortened form of Cantabrigiensis (an adjective derived from Cantabrigia, the Latinised form of Cambridge) (and medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses) and by 15 January of the following year for admissions to other UK universities.
Many universities now operate the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme is used by many universities in the United Kingdom to monitor, record and reward passage through a modular degree course and to facilitate movement between courses and institutions. Typically a university course of 10 to 20 2-hour sessions would, on successful completion, be worth between 10 and 20 CATS (CATS) and all universities in Scotland use the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) enabling easier transfer between courses and institutions.
Funding
The vast majority of British universities are state financed, with only one private university (the University of Buckingham) where the government does not subsidise the tuition fees. As universities in the UK are generally public institutions, there is less of a corporate influence, with the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick receiving much smaller endowments than many of the larger universities in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language.
English undergraduate students The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb studēre, meaning "to direct one's zeal at"; hence a student could be described as "one who directs zeal at a subject". In its widest use, student is used for anyone who is learning (and students from other EU The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the foundations of the European Communities. With over 500 million citizens, the EU combined generated an estimated 28% share (US$ 16.5 countries) have to pay university fees up to a maximum of £3,225 capped (for 2009/10). A state-provided loan is available which may only be used for tuition fee costs. Welsh undergraduate students The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb studēre, meaning "to direct one's zeal at"; hence a student could be described as "one who directs zeal at a subject". In its widest use, student is used for anyone who is learning studying in a Welsh University have to pay a maximum university fee of £1,200. However, if they choose to study outside of Wales they are subject to the same fees as students from that country. i.e. if a Welsh student studies in England they pay £3,125. Scottish and EU students studying in Scotland have their fees paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. Students are also entitled to apply for state-provided loans to pay for living costs, a portion of which is also means-tested. A new grant is also available, which is means-tested and offers up to £2,700 a year. As part of the deal allowing universities to charge higher tuition fees, all universities are required to offer bursaries to those in receipt of the full government grant. Different funding arrangements are in place for students on NHS being eligible for a non-means tested bursary, while healthcare students on degree level courses are eligible for a means tested bursary, and are not eligible for the full student loan as a result of their bursary entitlement.
Students in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of are also eligible for a means-tested grant, and many universities provide bursaries to poorer students. Non-EU students are not subsidised by the state and so have to pay much higher fees.
In principle, all postgraduate Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of tertiary or higher education. In North America, this level is generally referred to as graduate school students are liable for fees, though a variety of scholarship and assistantship schemes exist which may provide support. The main sources of funding for postgraduate students are research councils such as the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council Established in April 2005 as successor to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the Arts and Humanities Research Council is a British Research Council and non-departmental public body that provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law,) and ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council The Economic and Social Research Council is one of the seven Research Councils in the United Kingdom. It is state-funded (via the Department of Trade and Industry's Office of Science and Innovation), and provides funding and support for research and training work in social and economic issues). Postgraduate students from the UK or EU The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the foundations of the European Communities. With over 500 million citizens, the EU combined generated an estimated 28% share (US$ 16.5 who spend less than 16 hours per week on course mandated lectures or seminars are also eligible to claim unemployment benefit Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system. Depending on the jurisdiction and the status of the person, those sums may be meager, covering only basic needs , or may compensate the lost pay somewhat proportionally to and housing benefit Housing Benefit is a means tested social security benefit in the UK that is intended to help meet Housing costs for rented accommodation. The Primary legislation governing Housing Benefit is The Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 . Operationally, the governing Regulations are statutory instruments arising from that Act. It is, provided that they can prove they are available to work 40 hours per week. This is irrespective of whether they are enrolled as studying full-time or part-time. However, typically this is not a common source of funding except for students in the 'writing up' stage of a PhD, where they have completed their main period of registration and are finishing off their thesis.
Funding history
In the years following the end of World War II Albania · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Brazil · Bulgaria · Burma · Cambodia · Canada · Ceylon (Sri Lanka) · Channel Islands · China · Czechoslovakia · Denmark · Dutch East Indies · Egypt · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Greenland · Hong Kong · Hungary · Iceland · local education authorities A Local Education Authority was the part of a local council, or local authority (LA), in England and Wales that was responsible for education within that council's jurisdiction. The phrase is now obsolete in official use, but is still frequently used informally to refer to the Education Department of the relevant local authority, which has now (LEAs) paid student fees and provided non-mature students with a maintenance grant. Under the Education Act 1962 a national Mandatory Award of student maintenance grant was established, payable by the LEAs to students on most full-time courses.
As the university population rose during the 1980s the sums paid to universities became linked to their performance and efficiency, and by the mid 1990s funding per student had dropped by 40% since the mid-1970s, while numbers of full-time students had reached around 200,000 (around a third of the age group), up from around 130,000[citation needed] .
Following an investigation into the future of universities, the July 1997 report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education,[1] chaired by the then Sir Ronald Dearing recommended the ending of universal free higher education, and that students should pay £1,000 towards the cost of their tuition fees, which would be recovered in the form of a graduate tax.
At the time of the Dearing report, fees were still paid by the government, student grants of up to £1,755 (£2,160 in London) were linked to family income, and a subsidised student loan of £1,685 (£2,085 in London) was available. Instead of following Dearing's suggestions, the grant was replaced by the present loan scheme, introduced for students starting in 1998. There was a transition year when about half the previous means-tested grant was available, although the new £1000 tuition fee still had to be paid. From 1999, the grant was abolished altogether.
The abolition of tuition fees was a major issue in the 1999 Scottish parliament elections, and subsequently was part of the agreement that led to the Labour The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, and is regarded as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales since 1920. Labour first surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s. It formed minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and from 1929 until 1931 and took/Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a centre to centre-left social liberal political party in the United Kingdom. The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. The two parties had formed the electoral SDP–Liberal Alliance for seven years before then. The current leader of the coalition that governed Scotland from 1999 to 2003.
From the academic year A year is the amount of time it takes the Earth to make one revolution around the Sun. By extension, this can be applied to any planet: for example, a "Martian year" is the time in which Mars completes its own orbit 2006/7, a new system of fees was introduced in England. These variable tuition fees Top-up fees are a new way of charging tuition to undergraduate and PGCE students who study at universities in England and Wales from the 2006-2007 academic year onwards. Students who started degree courses before this year continue to pay the old fees of up to £3000 per year are paid up-front as previously, but new student loans are available that may only be used to pay for tuition fees, and must be repaid upon graduation, in addition to the existing loan. In fact, there is very little variation in the fees charged by universities — nearly all charge the maximum fee on all courses. Instead, the differences appear in the nature and value of various 'access' bursaries that are on offer.
Reputations
Main article: League Tables of British Universities League tables of British universities have been published annually, by The Times, The Independent and several other organizations, since October 1992. These league tables have become increasingly popular over the last few years regarding the public's perception of the best universitiesBritish universities tend to have a strong reputation internationally for two reasons: history and research output. Britain's role in the industrial and scientific revolutions, combined with its imperial history and the sheer longevity of its Ancient Universities Ancient university is a term used to describe seven medieval and renaissance universities of England, Scotland and Ireland that have continued to exist. Six of those universities are currently located in the United Kingdom and one in Republic of Ireland. The ancient universities in the British Isles are amongst the oldest extant universities in, are significant factors as to why these institutions are world renowned. The University of Cambridge, for example, has produced 83 Nobel Laureates to date - more than any other university in the world.[2] The reputation of British institutions is maintained today by their continuous stream of world-class research output. The larger research-intensive civic universities Red Brick is an informal term used to refer to six particular British universities founded in the major industrial cities of England, all of which achieved university status before World War I and were initially established as civic science and/or engineering colleges. Whilst the term was originally coined as these institutions were new and thus are members of the Russell Group The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies. It is sometimes referred to as the British equivalent of the Ivy League of the, which receives two-thirds of all research funding in the UK.
The perceived ranking of top British universities is also heavily influenced by the popularity in recent years of newspaper league tables League tables of British universities have been published annually, by The Times, The Independent and several other organizations, since October 1992. These league tables have become increasingly popular over the last few years regarding the public's perception of the best universities which rank universities by teaching and research.[citation needed]. Only 5 universities in Britain have never been ranked outside the top 10, with Oxford Oxford (pronounced /ˈɒksfərd/ ) is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre. For a distance, Cambridge The city of Cambridge (pronounced /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/ (KAYM-bridj)) is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about 50 miles (80 km) north-by-east of London. Cambridge is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the, the University of Warwick The University of Warwick is a British campus university located on the outskirts of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It was established in 1965 as part of a government initiative to expand access to higher education, and in 2000 Warwick Medical School was opened as part of an initiative to train more doctors in Britain. The University describes, Imperial College London Imperial College London is a British university in London specialising in science, engineering, medicine and business and the London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science, commonly referred to as the London School of Economics, The LSE or simply LSE, is a specialist constituent college of the University of London in London, England. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney Webb, Beatrice Webb and George Bernard Shaw, the School joined the federal having become constant features at the summit of national ranking tables.
Britain's top universities have fared well in international rankings, where four of them were in the world top ten according to the Times Higher Education Times Higher Education , formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), is a magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education in 2009, these being Cambridge The University of Cambridge is the second oldest university in England and the fourth oldest in Europe. In post-nominals the university's name is abbreviated as Cantab, a shortened form of Cantabrigiensis (an adjective derived from Cantabrigia, the Latinised form of Cambridge) (2nd), University College London (4th), Imperial College London and Oxford (joint 5th). These rankings appeared in the THES - QS World University Rankings, a widely acknowledged international ranking of universities.[3] A Chinese 'Academic Ranking of World Universities' also places Cambridge (4th place) and Oxford (10th place) in the World top ten in 2008, with University College London (22nd) and Imperial College London (27th) following in the top 30.[4]
Peculiarities
In England and Wales the majority of young full-time university students attend universities situated a long distance from their family homes; this is not true for universities in most European countries, such as Italy or Spain. For this reason most universities in the United Kingdom will provide (or at least help organise) rented accommodation for many of their students, particularly freshers (new entrants). At some universities accommodation may be provided for the full duration of the course. For this reason the lifestyle of university students in the United Kingdom can be quite different from those of other universities around the world where the majority of students live at home with their parents. The introduction of university fees paid by students from 2006 onwards has led many English and Welsh students to apply to institutions closer to their family's homes to reduce the additional costs of moving and living farther away.
The University of London and the University of Wales have since their inception been federal universities; they have a governing body with overall responsibility for the maintenance of standards at the constituent colleges. Recently, however, there has been considerable pressure from the larger colleges to become completely autonomous institutions. An example of this would be the secession of Imperial College London to become independent and autonomous from the federal University of London, or Cardiff University leaving the University of Wales. The University of Wales has responded to this by loosening its structures and taking on more of a confederal organisation.
The London School of Economics (which is part of the University of London) was founded with Articles of Association as it is actually a company registered with Companies House and has no Royal Charter or founding Act of Parliament. The University of Buckingham is the only private university in the UK.
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BUSA Team Racing Finals 12 Apr 06 BUSA team racing began in record style fitting in 128 races on the first day despite racing being abandoned for half an hour in the late afternoon while a
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Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:38:48 GM
Students from ethnic minorities are still under-represented at the UK's elite . universities. , research suggested today.
Q. Apart from that one is from USA and the other is from the UK ! I was just wondering since I have had a thought that I might go to America to study after 6th form college. Just want a change of scenery really =] Are there any differences? Like about money, courses, accommodation etc. And would the qualifications still be of equal standards when I moved back to England?
Asked by Skeletorn - Mon Jun 7 05:41:59 2010 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments
A. I agree with politically correct on the whole idea of that American schools don't focus solely on the specific subject you want to have as your major, but this isn't a bad thing necessarily. American Colleges and Universities take pride in the fact that they focus on a more broad liberal arts education. The point of this is to give students other necessary skills for the world of employment and skills for life;For instance, you would take a oral communication class to teach you speaking skills for one on one conversation, as well as speaking in front of large groups. You will take a writing class to teach you writing skills. You will take natural and physical science classes, social science classes, fine arts classes, and math classes.… [cont.]
Answered by unknown - Tue Jun 8 12:24:42 2010
