英国大学在世界上排名下降 因为招收了很多“穷学生”

每日电讯报：

British universities are slipping down the world rankings, with experts blaming the decline on pressure to admit more disadvantaged students.

Cambridge University, which for many years was ranked the best in the world and for a decade held a place in the top three, has now dropped down to fifth place, according to the QS World University Rankings.

Overall, 51 of the UK’s 76 institutions have slipped down in the rankings since last year. The Russell Group members, which represents 24 of the UK's most selective universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, saw 16 dropping down in the rankings.

Professor Alan Smithers, who is head of the centre for education and employment at the University of Buckingham, said that the decline was because “universities are no longer free to take their own decisions and recruit the most talented students which would ensure top positions in league tables”.

He said that instead, universities are forced to comply with “all sorts of requirements in terms of the ethnic mix, the levels of income of the students and whether they come from low income areas”.

Under the current fees system, any English university wishing to charge tuition fees of over around £6,000 must have an access agreement approved by Offa. This sets out what the university intends to do to recruit and retain youngsters who would not normally study for a degree.

Earlier this year, the higher education tsar warned that top universities must make more effort to accept poor students.

中文翻译如下：

英国大学的世界排行下滑，专家将其归咎于招收更多穷学生的压力。

 

在QS世界大学排行榜上，剑桥大学曾多年排名世界第一，最近10年以来也一直保持在前三位，但如今，剑桥大学却降至第五名。

 

总体来看，英国的76所高校中有51所的排名相比去年有所下降。代表牛津大学和剑桥大学等英国24所顶尖大学的罗素大学集团中有16所排名下滑。

白金汉大学教育和就业中心主任艾伦•史密瑟斯教授说，排名下滑是因为“大学无法再自由地做决定，招收最有才华的学生，而只有这样才能让大学保住在排行榜中的高位。”

 

他说，如今大学被迫满足“各种要求，关于种族融合、学生收入水平，以及是否来自低收入地区”。

 

在当前的收费制度下，任何想收取超6000英镑学费的大学，都必须有公平入学办公室通过的准入协议。这一协议规定了大学为招收和留住那些没条件攻读学位的年轻人所计划采取的措施。

 

今年早些时候，公平入学办公室警告说，顶尖大学必须作出更多努力来接纳贫穷学生。