2.B Explain the following concepts from the text.

opportune moment; job prospects; undergraduate degree; distinctive qualification; dramatic expansion; to pull ahead; first degree students; mature entrants; significant minority; to total; fresher; mass university system; mass-transit economy model; to reveal starkly; to pay towards tuition costs; lecture theatre; earning capacity; non-graduate; middle-class preserve; professional classes; unskilled workers; foundation degree; community college; top-up fees; degree course; employment pattern

2.C Answer the following questions using the information from the text.

1. What is today's enrolment tendency in higher education?

2. What is the reason for the changing enrolment?

3. Who is a typical British student?

4. Is university education a luxury in today's Britain?

5. Why is it profitable to invest in one's own university education?

6. Why were Foundation Degrees introduced?

2.d Facts and figures presented in the article indicate revealing big changes in the higher education sector in Great Britain. Work in two groups to single out positive and negative tendencies and make a conclusion whether positive developments outweigh those with negative implications.

3.A Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. The open university

The Open University (OU) is a unique innovation in higher education. It is a degree-granting institution that provides courses of study for adults through television, radio, and local study programs. Applicants must apply for a number of places limited at any time by the availability of teachers. Did you know that practically as many school-leavers go to Open University as the average conventional UK University? Interested? Read on...

You may be one of the millions who missed out on a university education. You may wish you could have a second chance, either for better career prospects or for the self-satisfaction of achievement.

Better qualified – better respected. In the sixteen years since we started, some 70,000 people have gained BA degrees from the Open University. More than half of them claim to have achieved a significant career benefit. Practically everyone agrees the OU experience to rewarding in terms of added confidence, self-discovery and intellectual stimulation.

What's The Deal?

If you're over 18 and you want to do a degree, but want the flexibility of studying full-time or part-time or you don't want to move away, Open University could be just the thing for you. It is an appropriately named institution. It's open to everyone and you don't even need O or A levels. Nor does it make a difference what you do. Housewives, bank managers, bus driven, pensioners, nurses or shop workers. All are welcome at the OU. The only qualifications needed are that you are 18 or over, live in the UK, have a determination to succeed and an appetite for hard work.

The OU runs about 200 distance-learning degree courses, as well as many postgraduate degree courses. So you can study in your own time and in your own home. OU courses are modular so you can combine them to meet your individual needs and gain qualifications from certificates or diplomas to degrees.

Undergraduate courses cost between £200-£650 which usually includes all books and course materials.

The best bit is that the OU has an open access policy - you don't need any qualifications to do their undergraduate courses, although it is recommended that students without the equivalent of A Levels begin with Level 1 courses.

Openings Programme

These are open to everyone in the UK and can give you a taste of further education and full-on OU degree courses to help you decide if you want to take on a bigger commitment to an OU course. It’s possible to take your degree in three years, but most people choose to spread their studies over five or six years.

The choice of courses is over 125 subjects, from science and technology to the arts; each lasts from February until November and you commit yourself for only a year at a time. In order to obtain your degree you must obtain six passes or 'full credits', as we call them, in your chosen subject. The course normally takes 14 weeks, costs £50 and all you need is a phone so your tutor can call you) and 6-8 hours a week to study.

There are no face-to-face tutorials so you can work around your life.

The course will help you build your confidence and develop your study skills as well as helping you decide what subject you're interested in pursuing.

You can start any time of year. If you're over 21, and don't have A Levels or their equivalent, you could try an Access Course to get into university. Find out more about Access Courses in 21+.

The majority of your course will come through the post - specially written, high quality teaching material to help you study at home. Radio and television are also extensively used and you will have personal contact with one or more of 5,000 part-time tutors at local study centres. Some courses even have one-week residential summer schools.

At the OU we've gained a worldwide reputation for our advanced distance teaching methods. It’s experience that we know will be of great value to you.

Admissions are based on a first come, first served principle so the sooner you send your coupon, the more sure you can be of your place. Return the reply-paid coupon and we will send you our FREE Code for Applicants. It contains all you need to know about choosing your course, including information on fees. Easy payment methods are available to help with the fees and if you are unemployed or on a low income, grants may be available.