University tuition fees for UK students remain thousands of pounds higher than those in other major European countries – but still far lower than those in the US.

The government has stated that tuition fees for domestic undergraduate students in ENGLAND will rise to £9,535 a year after eight years of freezing at a maximum of £9,250.

The current cost of £9,250 is the same in WALESwhile in NORTHERN IRELAND it’s £4,750 for Northern Irish students or £9,250 for other Brits. In SCOTLANDUniversity tuition fees are free for most Scottish students and £9,250 for other UK students.

Only a handful of other European countries offer free university education, including Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and GERMANY. In the latter country, all 16 states eliminated tuition fees for undergraduates at all public universities in 2014.

Now all domestic and international students can study in Germany for free, paying only a small administrative fee – but the Baden-Württemberg region is an exception, where students from third countries have to pay €3,000 (£2,518 ) per semester.

University education is also inexpensive in FRANCEwhere most public institutions are state-funded and students only have to pay an annual registration fee and other nominal fees which amount to €175 (£147) per year for an undergraduate cycle.

The price in ITALY is slightly higher, with tuition fees at public universities ranging from €500 (£419) to €4,000 (£3,356) per year.

However, this varies depending on the course and family income – which is assessed to determine the level of fees.

The starting point for domestic students in SPAIN is higher but the fee range is narrower, with tuition fees for an undergraduate degree falling between €800 (£671) and €1,200 (£1,007) per year for EU students in public universities.

However, this can be up to €8,000 (£6,715) for non-EU students enrolled in private institutions or business schools – while a master’s degree can cost more than €10,000 (£8,394) per year.

But even though studying in Europe can be much cheaper for domestic students, university courses in Europe AMERICA can be much more expensive than in Britain.

Average tuition costs were broken down into four categories in the College Board’s most recent report, with the lowest of $3,990 (£3,074) found at public two-year colleges and the highest of $41,540 (£32,007) at private, nonprofit four-year colleges. year of establishments.

American universities differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students when calculating tuition fees, with international students falling into the latter group.

Four-year public degrees cost an average of $11,260 (£8,676) in-state or $29,150 (£22,461) out-of-state.

In Britain, university leaders have warned of significant financial concerns resulting from a freeze in tuition fees paid by domestic students and falling numbers of international students.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told MPs yesterday that raising tuition fees had “not been an easy decision” but was necessary to “secure the future of education superior” in a context of financial challenges.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (pictured) told MPs yesterday that raising tuition fees had “not been an easy decision” but was necessary to “secure the future of higher education”.

Students at Technische Universität Ilmenau in Germany (archive image). All 16 states across the country eliminated tuition for undergraduates at all public universities a decade ago.

She announced that maintenance loans would also increase in line with inflation in the 2025/26 academic year to help students facing cost pressures.

Tuition fees and maintenance loan rates will apply to new and continuing students from 2025/26.

The Education Secretary also said the Government wanted to examine whether the tuition fee reimbursement threshold should increase in line with inflation, but “we are not making that change now”, as she outlined its plans for reforms in the sector.

The National Union of Students said students were being asked to “foot the bill” to keep the lights and heating on at their universities and to prevent their courses from closing due to the “crisis”.

Earlier this year, the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) warned that universities risked “catastrophe” if they did not receive an emergency relief package from the government.

Jo Grady, its general secretary, said the increase in tuition fees was “economically and morally wrong”.

But Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents 141 universities, said the government’s decision was “the right thing to do”.

The previous government increased the cap on university tuition fees in England to £9,000 a year in 2012, but it has been frozen at £9,250 for domestic undergraduates since 2017.

The 3.1 percent increase in tuition fees and maintenance loans only relates to the 2025/26 academic year, and the Department for Education said longer-term funding plans for the higher education sector would be defined in due course.

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