Engineering School Entry Restricted

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31237, 8 December 1966, Page 20

Engineering School Entry Restricted

Entry for the first time to the first professional year in the School of Engineering of the University of Canterbury will l>e limited to approximately 180 students in 1967.

This decision, which was made at a recent meeting of the university council, repeats decisions made by the council in past years. It arises from the fact that the School of Engineering has been designed to accommodate 700 students only, in accordance with the policy of the University Grants Committee. The vice-chancellor (Professor N. C. Phillips) said yesterday that the criteria to be applied in the selection of students for admission to the school had been made known. Top priority would be given to those students who had qualified for direct entry to the first professional year as a result of their performance in the university entrance scholarship examination or in other ways. The second category of students to be admitted would be those who had taken four subjects in one year in the intermediate examination, except that consideration would also be given to those who, on the advice of the liaison officer or the dean of the faculty of

science, had taken fewer than four subjects. Results in the intermediate examination would determine the order of priority of students in this category. Professor Phillips explained that in the past, although the university had had to fix a limit to the intake, the limitation had not necessarily been invoked, and he hoped that in 1967 it would still be possible for all those who applied for entry to obtain it. - In addition to the over-all limitation, it had also been necessary to restrict the number of entries to the first professional year in chemical engineering. Only 24 students would be accepted in 1967 and again in 1968. The reason was that the new fivestorey chemical engineering building would not be ready for occupation at the beginning of 1968. Permission had not yet been given to cal) tenders for the building, and it was now unlikely that it would be available before the 1969 session.

“This is a matter of great concern,” said Professor Phillips, “since we do not wish to limit a student’s choice of course if it can possibly be avoided. As it is, until the extensions to the School of Engineering are completed, the freedom of choice within the enrolment quota of 700 may continue to be restricted, and the School of Engineering will continue to work under difficulties caused by overcrowding and the improvisation which it necessitates.”