Record Scramble for British University Places 英國(guó)大學(xué)申請(qǐng)者人數(shù)大幅攀升

What do you do if you don't get into your first choice of university? That's the dilemma that faces thousands of British students every year.

Many candidates turn to Clearing, the service that helps find university places for students at the last moment. If they don't have the marks to get into their first choice of institution, Clearing tells them about places available at other universities, though they might have to read another subject.

But this year has seen a record number of people applying to university. This, combined with the weak economy, an uncertain job market and budget cuts at universities, means that there's been even more of a scramble for places than usual. Some sources say six students have applied for each remaining undergraduate university place.

The British university admissions service, UCAS, says up to a quarter of this year's university applicants – almost 190,000 people – still don't have a place on a degree course. That's a rise of over 46,000 students from last year.

Faced with these figures, some British students might be thinking of an interesting alternative: studying abroad. The University of Nottingham, for example, is offering places at its campuses in Ningbo, near Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Students here can gain University of Nottingham degrees in business, accounting, engineering and English. Similarly, the University of Bolton says it has 'unlimited' places at its campus in the United Arab Emirates.

Given the problems getting into university, the UK's Higher Education Minister, David Willetts, encourages students who haven't made the grade to consider alternatives to university, such as apprenticeships and studying at home.

"There are a range of options available," he says. "People are able to reapply. They should think how they can spend their year adding that bit to their CV, which would help their application – getting practical work experience or extra skills – anything that strengthens their chances next year."

But some commentators say that rising university costs, poor long-term job prospects, and a drop in graduate recruitment mean it's the worst time to be a university student in the UK.