University students in England now pay world’s highest fees

Students in England now pay the highest university tuition fees in the world.

Average annual charges are twice those in Australia and about six times more than in Switzerland and Italy.

Even the US offers a cheaper education to undergraduates, according to analysis of almost 50 countries by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

England tops the list for the first time – but charges could rise even further after George Osborne said universities could raise fees in line with inflation if they can prove they offer good-quality teaching.

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Responding to the study, Sir Peter Lampl, of the education charity The Sutton Trust, said: ‘This important international evidence shows that English students pay more for university than their counterparts elsewhere.

‘While this has not yet reduced the numbers of poorer young students, it has seen a big fall in numbers of mature part-time students, an important group of access students too often forgotten.

‘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 her full report here