Universities

British universities can be divided into three main groups: the old universities, the redbrick universities (made of red brick), which include all the provincial universities of the period 1850-1930, as well as London University; the new universities, founded after the Second World War.

The United Kingdom contains some of the world's leading seats of higher education. These include the so-called Oxbridge universities (Oxford University (1167) and Cambridge University (1209) which are amongst the world's oldest universities and are generally ranked at or near the top of all British universities. A number of well known scientists and writers, among them Newton, Darwin and Byron, were educated in Cambridge. Until the 19th century, Oxford and Cambridge were the only universities in England, and there was no place for girls. At present there are five women’s colleges. These two universities differ greatly from all the others in general organization, methods of instructions, syllabuses, traditions, history, etc. They are based on colleges (law, music, natural, science, economics, agriculture, engineering, commerce, education, etc.), each college having about 300 students.

Some institutions are world-renowned in specialised and often narrow areas of study, such as Imperial College London (science and engineering) and London School of Economics (economics and social sciences) and University College (UCL) of the University of London.

Other universities include the University of St Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland. There are 112 universities/university colleges in the UK. This amount to 138 university-level institutions of the distinct constituent colleges of the University of London and University of Wales are defined as separate universities. Most of the UK's major cities are home to two or more universities.

All British universities are private non-state controlled institutions. Students have to pay fees and living costs, but every student may receive a personal grant from the local authority of the place where he lives.

Vocabulary notes

(to) amount to - достигать, составлять; равняться, быть эквивалентным

authority – власть, руководство

сonstituent - компонент, компонента, составная часть

fee-paying - платный

redbrick university - новые университеты Англии, "краснокирпичные" университеты (так названы потому, что построены из красного кирпича)

syllabus - расписание; учебный план; программа (курса, лекций и т.д.)

world-renowned - мировой (известный во всем мире)

Abbreviations

Oxf. - Oxford

Oxbridge - Oxford University and Cambridge University

UCL - University College