THE University of Sydney will consider significant cuts to its student numbers in a bid to become one of the world's leading research institutions.

Unveiling a major review, the vice-chancellor, Michael Spence, said a ''radical rethink'' of the institution's position in the sector was required. He said questions needed to be asked about the sustainability of enrolling more than 48,000 full- and part-time students every year.

The university wants to position itself as a high-end research institution that will attract the brightest researchers internationally and find new ways to identify the most promising students, regardless of background or nationality.

Dr Spence said all options were being considered as part of the review of faculty and school structures, courses, bureaucratic administration and student recruitment. But increasing student numbers was unlikely. There are fears the cuts might be more than 10 per cent.

Leading international research institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge, Yale and Oxford have between 10,000 and 20,000 full-time students.

But other research-focused North American universities such as Toronto, Michigan and the University of California, Los Angeles have student numbers comparable to Sydney's.

The University of Sydney has undergone rapid growth in the past 20 years, generated by the Dawkins reforms and the international student market boom. Total enrolments have grown 30 per cent since 1999.

''Australia needs an institution which has a critical thinker as a cultural hero,'' Dr Spence said. ''For a long time we [the university] have tried to do all things for all people by providing all manner of courses. We have grown without a particularly coherent mission. There needs to be a return to our traditional mission. We now need to take control.''

A green paper on the university's preferred options is to be finalised by early November. Dr Spence is one of the first vice-chancellors to signal a possible dramatic change after the Government's response to the Bradley review into higher education. From 2012 unlimited numbers of students can be enrolled in any course, with the government funding each university directly by the course numbers. Certain studies will attract an extra loading.

（www.eduwo.com, Anna）