11.B Explain the following concepts from the text.

student loan; existing student; new student; income-contingent loan; to be in repayment; tuition fee; full-time undergraduate student; to pay upfront; to defer payment; fee loan; the Student Loan Company; to be capped; adjustment; variable fees; Gap Year; standard fee; Access Agreement; OFFA; maintenance grant; bursary; lower-income household; income-assessed grant; non-repayable grant; partial grant; Higher Education Grant; deferral; loan write-off; loan balance; means-tested grant.

11.C Answer the questions, using the information from the text.

1. What is the overall objective of financial arrangements for students? Why did it require reforming?

2. How can the reform protect future young specialists' financial situation?

3. How can the Student Loan Company facilitate the financial burden of students in England?

4. How much can English universities charge their students?

5. What is the possible effect of university grants and maintenance loans on the dropout rate?

6. What are the financial arrangements for gap-year students?

7. What is the procedure and the objective of writing off students' unpaid balances?

8. Why are part-time students not eligible for most of the grants?

9. What are the reasons for rising tuition fees?

11.D With your partner make a list of arguments supporting one of the following statements about paid tuition.

1. Tuition fees are a way to discriminate against students of lower social standing by restricting their access to higher education.

2. Paid tuition is a fair option for applicants of insufficient academic standard to get a higher education.

3. Meager university grants kill the motivation for higher education.

12.A Read the following text about different types of grants and do the tasks that follow. What are different kinds of scholarships?

Question: Can you explain the different kinds of scholarships that are available?

This is an area of great confusion for both parents and students. The two key words to keep in mind when thinking about scholarships are merit and need.

Merit-based scholarships go to students who are superb academic performers. They are usually awarded competitively. Examples of these are the National Merit Scholarships. Competition can be very keen for some larger merit-based awards and because of the subjective evaluation process, the best-qualified candidate does not always win.

Need-based scholarships go to students whose financial resources do not enable them to afford the full cost of the college or university to which they've been accepted. These scholarships are available at many schools and can be quite large depending on the financial-aid resources of the particular college. Need-based scholarships are sometimes the only way that students can afford to attend costly schools.

There is another, more elusive category of college scholarships. I call these restrictive specialty scholarships. Most colleges have a special group of awards (usually provided by graduates of the school that bestows money upon enrolling first year students according to unique considerations).

For example, church-affiliated colleges may have some specially endowed scholarships for young men and women who are members of that denomination. Other specialty awards might go to students from certain geographic areas. The variety of requirements and restrictions can be wide.

To find out what scholarships you, as a high-school senior, might qualify for, check with your college advisor. Sometimes one general application will suffice to apply for the full range of merit/need-based scholarships your school and community offer. Many private scholarships are advertised in the local newspaper every year, so be alert to their listings. And – as always – turn to your public library or the Web for current books and listings of other scholarship sources.

Start early and look diligently. Finding scholarship money for college takes time.

12.b Explain the following concepts from the text.

Scholarship; merit-based scholarship; superb academic performer; to be awarded competitively; the National Merit Scholarships; need-based scholarship; financial aid; costly school; restrictive specialty scholarship; to bestow money upon someone; church-affiliated college; specially endowed scholarships; denomination; college advisor; community; public library; the Web;

12.c Answer the following questions, using the information from the text.

1. What three kinds of scholarships are available in the UK?

2. Are merit-based scholarships always awarded fairly?

3. What is the only way for a student without outstanding academic talents or sufficient financial resources to get through a costly college?

4. Who is eligible for specialty scholarships?

5. What strategies to get a scholarship can you list?

12.d Support or challenge the following statements.

1. Need-based scholarships are a waste of university funds, because grants should support the academically gifted and not those socially deprived.

2. Specialty scholarships are discriminatory, because they are awarded on the arbitrary basis to members of exclusive social or religious groups.

13.a Read the text about tuition fees and do the tasks that follow.