Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

     The UK has a vast variety of higher education opportunities to offer students with over 100 universities offering various degree programs for students from the UK and around the world. In the UK about one-third of all students go on to some form of higher education and this number is well over 50% for students from Scotland. This makes competition for places very fierce and so it is advised to apply early for courses.  

      In the UK most undergraduate degree programs take three years to finish; however, the "sandwich course" is increasing in popularity, which is four years and involves one year in the workplace (normally in your third year). In Scotland, the courses are four years in length for undergraduate programs.  

     For graduate or masters programs, they are generally shorter in length and undertaken after graduation of your undergraduate program. Some professional degrees like medicine, veterinary, law, etc. have longer programs that can be as much as five years.  

     From 2007, universities in the UK are allowed to charge students from the UK up to £3,070 per year (depending on the school and location). For students from the EU, you will also only have the pay the same fees as students from the UK, but international students from the of the world will have to pay the full school fees which will vary depending on the school. These fees for international students can range anywhere from £4,000 per year right up to £18,000 per year or more.  

Choosing the right school is dependent on a large number of factors such as:  

• Location of the school?  

• How much it costs?  

• Size of the school?  

• Access to home comforts? Place of worship, home foods?  

• Courses available?  

(Source: http://www.intemationalstudent.com/study_uk) 

The word "fierce" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _________.