British universities charge the world’s highest tuition fees

Britain has the highest tuition fees at publicly funded universities in the developed world, including the United States, according to a new study.

However, the institutions spent more per head on each student than any country, the analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said.

Despite fears that high fees could deter poor students, the OECD said that Britain appeared to have found a good balance between well-funded higher education and financial support through student loans.

The figures for the UK are based on those in England, where most universities charge the maximum of £9,000 a year. They exclude privately funded universities, such as Ivy League colleges in the US, where the average fees for a bachelor’s degree are $21,189 (£14,000) a year.

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Sir Peter Lampl, the chairman of the Sutton Trust, an education charity, said: “These figures should cause the government to avoid steps that could hamper access, including replacing grants for poorer students with loans leaving them more indebted than richer students, cutting widening participation funding, or reducing the independence of the access regulator.”

Read his full report here (£)