UNITED KINGDOM

New universities to be built in small towns

United Kingdom Universities and Science Minister David Willetts has unveiled plans to create dozens of new university campuses in areas identified as higher education 'cold spots', reports Graeme Paton for The Telegraph.

The Coalition government has signalled the biggest growth in universities for more than 20 years, said Willetts, who has told officials to investigate the possibility of establishing universities in cathedral cities, county towns and coastal communities that currently lack provision.

He named Shrewsbury, Yeovil, Hereford and parts of East Anglia as areas that could have higher education sites for the first time. The move is designed to increase the number of school-leavers taking degree-level qualifications, combined with a drive to boost local economies. The shift coincides with a decision to scrap strict controls on the number of students that each university can recruit in 2015.
Full report on the Telegraph site