英大学申请人数大幅下降 多所名牌高校或降线招生

Universities will be forced to compete harder than ever to fill empty places after the release of A-Level results this week, as experts report that a dip in UK university applications means a “great year for students”.

等本周高考成绩公布后，英国大学将不得不为了填补生源空缺而展开前所未有的竞争，专家报告称，英国大学申请人数下降意味着今年“对学生来说是个好年头”。

Some Russell Group universities will lower their entry requirements in a bid to enlist students onto under-subscribed courses, sector leaders predict.

行业专家预测，为了给选课人数不够的课程招收学生，罗素大学集团的一些院校将降低入学标准。

Applications to UK universities were down by 4 percent this year, due to a sharp fall in the number of applications from European Union students as well as a broader long-term decline in the size of the youth population.

今年英国大学申请人数下降了4%，原因是欧盟学生申请数量急剧减少，青年人口规模长期下降。

As a result, 'clearing' - the process where students who do not achieve the grades required for their preferred university search for spaces on rival, under-subscribed courses - will be more competitive than ever, as admissions teams scramble to fill empty places.

其结果是，各招生团队将争相填补招生空白，补录竞争将会更加激烈。所谓补录，是指没有达到首选大学分数要求的学生，可以在其他学校课程或选课人数不够的课程中寻找录取机会。

“Clearing will be as competitive as previous years, if not more so because of the demographic dip,” Christine Edgar, head of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Sheffield, told Times Higher Education (THE).

谢菲尔德大学招生处负责人克里斯汀•埃德加对《泰晤士报高等教育》杂志表示，“由于人口下降，补录竞争至少会和往年一样激烈。”

“It's going to be a great year for students,” she added.

她还表示：“这对学生来说是个大好年头。”

Durham, Edinburgh, Bristol, and other top Russell Group universities are all offering places through clearing this year.

杜伦大学、爱丁堡大学、布里斯托大学以及罗素大学集团其他顶尖学校今年都提供补录名额。

The University of Bristol is offering places on 98 courses through clearing, including Chemistry, Physics, and Philosophy, whilst the University of Leeds is offering places on 530 courses.

布里斯托大学98门课程有补招名额，包括化学、物理以及哲学，而利兹大学则有530门课程进行补招。

The University of Exeter is advertising unfilled places on 75 courses, including Modern Languages and Archaeology, whilst the University of Birmingham has two courses available: Pharmacy and Social Work.

埃克塞特大学的现代语言学和考古学等75门课程登出了空缺名额，包括现代语言学和考古学。而伯明翰大学的药学和社会工作学两门课程可以补录。

Mike Nicholson, director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Bath, said that many universities will use their ranking in the government's recent Teaching Excellence Framework to lure students in.

巴斯大学招生处主任麦克•尼科尔森称，许多大学用自己在政府近日公布的“教学卓越框架”评价体系中的排名来吸引学生。

“Universities that have a gold rating will be pushing hard to promote this in their publicity campaigns,” he told THE.

尼科尔森告诉《泰晤士报高等教育》杂志，“拥有黄金评级的大学在招生宣传中将大力宣传这点。”

He also predicted that many of the UK's most competitive institutions will dip into the pool of students with grades lower than they would usually accept.

他还预测，许多最具竞争力的英国教学机构将招收低于以往录取分数的学生。

But Sir Ian Diamond, vice-chancellor of the University of Aberdeen and deputy chair of Ucas, cautioned universities against dropping their entry requirements too low.

不过，阿伯丁大学副校长兼英国大学和学院招生服务中心副主席伊恩•戴蒙德爵士提醒高校应注意不能过分降低入学标准。

Universities must ensure that students have the academic ability to succeed on the courses they are accepted to, he said.

他表示，大学必须确保学生具有成功完成被录取课程的学术能力。