Excellent news in the ever competitive international student recruitment market (according to BBC News):
TV show offers university places
Thousands of Indian students are set to compete for scholarships at some of Britain’s top universities in a TV reality show. The top 400 candidates will be whittled down to a shortlist of 20 who will compete against each other in a series of tests, tasks and quizzes. The prizes in Scholar Hunt: destination UK, are scholarships worth up to £80,000, not 15 minutes of fame. The would-be students will be competing for five scholarships in various subjects at the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, Warwick, Cardiff or Middlesex which would pay their fees and living costs.
I suppose it is a more valuable prize than just cash or working for Alan Sugar but still. And at least one of those institutions taking part is stretching the definition of “top” university more than a little.
But before they can enter, all the contestants will be screened to ensure they meet the universities’ strict academic requirements. And the tests, quizzes and competitive tasks they will be shown completing are being devised by university academics.
So that’s alright then.