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.
为躲过学费上涨，英国近期人学申请人数创下纪录，但有近23万学生今年将与 大学无缘。截至去年圣诞节，已史无前例的有34.4万投考人递交了下一学年的人学 申请,并且目前还仅处于入学申请的初期阶段。
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.
为了躲过2012年学费涨至目前三倍的窘况，英国学生拼力争抢2011年的人学 资格。按照这一涨幅，部分学生每年的学费将涨至9000镑。
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.
据英国大专院校招生委员会(Ucas)统计，那些受学费上涨打击最大的英国学 生’他们的人学需求尤其大。据说’很多学生放弃了“空档年，，的计划’而准备直接接 受高等教育。此外，那些去年入学申请被拒、今年再度递申请的学生大幅增加，也导 致了申请人学人数的激增。
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.
如果目前的趋势继续下去，那今年将会有大约70.55万人申请人学，这比去年 破纪录的68.831万人还要多。随之而来的结果就是将有近22.65万申请者遭拒，约占 申请总数的1/3。预计今年会提供47.9万个人学名额。
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.”
英国联合政府已发出通知,今年9月份的招生数量将维持在去年同一水平，超 额招生的学校将受罚。英国高校联合会秘书长萨利亨特说:“在世界其他的国家都 在加大高校投资时,我们却在限制入学名额和提髙学费,这将严重威胁到我们在全 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”.
上个月，英国议会通过了学费上涨计划。从2012年起，英格兰高等教育学费上 限将从3290英镑提髙至9000英镑。英国学生联合会瞀告称，“这种形势下，很多优秀 的申请者看来又要被拒之门外了。”
“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.
英国学生联合会主席亚伦?波特说强迫人们接受这种武断的名额限制举措’ 将会打破很多优秀学生的大学梦;身处在失业率不断上升的时期，这么做也使得他 们无法学习到高水平的技能，而现在正到了很有必要在经济复苏上投资的时刻。”