Kingston University has accepted a generous share of 10,000 additional student places as the Government expands space on courses crucial to improving the economy.
The higher education funding council has allocated the places according to how many such students institutions already have. Kingston will have 250 - among the highest in the country.
It is good news for those due to start university this year but many institutions declined the offer, claiming the extra students would be underfunded because the grants only extend to tuition fees rather than funding to teach the extra students.
A spokesman for the university said they were “happy” to accept the offer for additional spaces, which will be deployed in the science and technology department They said: “The university is committed to encouraging the widest possible participation in learning and believes this figure to be a realistic one, since the number of students accepting a place to study at Kingston is already higher than at the same time last year.
“During the past few years, the university has been extending and improving its teaching facilities, including the opening of two new buildings at its Penrhyn Road and Roehampton Vale campuses - where most of its science, engineering and technology students are based.
“With more than 22,000 students, and consistently ranking among the top UK universities in terms of student applications, Kingston is in a strong position to take on these additional student numbers.”
The new places, which are for 2009-10 full-time undergraduates, will support the Government’s New Industry, New Jobs policy.
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