牛津大學將爲貧困學生設立獎學金基金

Oxford university is setting up a £300m scholarship fund for young people from low-income families.

牛津大學(Oxford university)將爲來自低收入家庭的年輕人設立一個3億英鎊的獎學金基金。

This is Europe's biggest single philanthropic push aimed solely at opening up an elite higher education institution to disadvantaged young people.

這是歐洲最大的旨在爲弱勢羣體打開精英高教機構大門的單項慈善舉措。

Michael Moritz, chairman of Sequoia Capital, and Harriet Heyman, his wife, are seeding the fund with a pledge of £75m. The Moritz-Heyman scholarship programme will support its first 100 students from October. Andrew Hamilton, Oxford's vice-chancellor, said the "remarkable and hugely generous gift" would help the university "go an important stage further towards our goal of ensuring that all barriers – real or perceived – are removed from students' choices".

紅杉資本(Sequoia Capital)董事長邁克爾•莫里茨(Michael Moritz)和他的妻子哈里特•海曼(Harriet Heyman)承諾爲該基金提供7500萬英鎊初始資金。莫里茨-海曼獎學金計劃將從10月起爲首批100名學生提供支持。牛津大學校長安德魯•漢密爾頓(Andrew Hamilton)表示，這份"值得稱道且非常慷慨的禮物"將幫助這所大學"朝着確保在學生擇校時消除所有障礙（不管是切實存在的還是觀感中的）目標邁出重要一步"。

Mr Moritz said: "My father was plucked as a teenager from Nazi Germany and was able to attend a very good school  . . . entirely on scholarship. And went on, entirely thanks to scholarships, to study at Oxford."

莫里茨表示："我父親在少年時逃離了納粹德國的魔爪，並完全依賴獎學金入讀了非常好的學校。全靠獎學金的支持，他得以延續學業，入讀牛津大學。"

The programme will take effect as university reforms in England mean tuition fees increase at many universities – including Oxford – from £3,375 to £9,000 a year.

莫里茨—海曼獎學金項目的成立適逢英格蘭大學改革之際，包括牛津在內的很多學校學費上漲，從每年3375英鎊升至9000英鎊。

Thanks to the fund, the Moritz-Heyman scholars will pay only £3,500, for which students receive subsidised loans from the government. The scholars will also get a £5,500 bursary to supplement a £3,250 government grant for students from low-income families.

在獎學金基金的幫助下，莫里茨—海曼獎學金獲得者們每年僅需支付3500英鎊學費，並且這部分學費還可獲得英國政府的補貼貸款。獎學金獲得者們還將獲得總額爲5500英鎊的補助，作爲對政府向低收入家庭學生提供的3250英鎊助學金的補充。

The university intends to fund all students from families earning less than £16,000 a year this way: there are currently 280 such students in each year group. Mr Moritz said: "I wouldn't be here today were it not for the generosity of strangers."

牛津大學計劃通過獎學金項目向所有家庭收入低於16000英鎊的學生提供支持：目前每年入學的學生中約有280人適用這一標準。莫里茨表示："若沒有當年陌生人的慷慨解囊，就不會有我的今天。"