Further Education in Great Britain

After finishing secondary school or college you can apply to a university, polytechnic, college of education or you can continue to study in a college of further education. The academic year in Britain's universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of education is divided into 3 terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, the middle of January to the end of March, from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July. There are 46 universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham. Good A-level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. However, good exam passes alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews. For all British citizens a place at a university brings with it a grant from their local education authority. English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, the way of students’ life.

16. Read the first part of the text about institutions of higher learning in Great Britain. Guess the name of the person in whose honour the most well-known scholarship for students is awarded in Europe nowadays.