How many universities were there in Britain in the year of 1960?

There’re more than 40 universities in Britain—nearly twice as many as in 1960. During the 1960s eight new ones were founded, and ten other new were created by converting old colleges of technology into universities. Meanwhile the number of students more than doubled. By 1973 about 10% of men aged from eighteen to twenty one were in universities and about 5% of women. All the universities are private institutions. Each has its own governing councils, including some local businessmen and local politicians as well as a few academics. The state began to give grants to them fifty years ago, and by 1970 each university derived nearly all its funds from state grants. Students have to pay fees and living costs, but every student may receive from local authority of the place where he lives a personal grant which is enough to pay his full costs, including lodging and food unless his parents are rich. Most students take jobs in the summer holiday, but they don’t normally do outside work during the academic year. The Department of Education takes responsibility for the payment covering the whole expenditure of the universities, but it doesn’t exercise direct control. It can have an important influence on new developments through its power to distribute funds, but it takes the advice of the University Grants Committee, a body that is mainly composed of academics.