Comparing the college costs in the U.S. and U.K.

The debate about whether the cost of education in the U.S. is too high has been going on for many years now. One of the major points that people argue against this is that college tuition rates are much lower in other countries, like England. But how do these prices compare? Victor Restis takes a look at some data in this blog post.

Take note that it does not suffice to look at the tuition fees when comparing college costs. Some other factors should be taken into consideration, particularly the cost of living.

For example, the University of Oxford in England has a tuition fee of about $12,000 per year on average for U.K. undergraduates. That amount is pretty low when compared to other top-tier educational institutions around the world. But you also have to consider the costs of living and traveling there if you are from out-of-state or another country entirely.

Some research by Victor Restis yielded the finding that tuition costs in the U.K. are generally lower than the fees in the U.S. partly because of tuition caps. The U.K. has set a maximum tuition cost for domestic students, which is at around $12,000, while that fee for international students can expect to pay a bit more than the cap. In the U.S., tuition fees are price-tiered. Public universities have an average cost of around $10,000 for in-state students, and private institutions charge an average of $35,000 before scholarships and aids are applied.

As for the cost of living, that is a factor that varies greatly depending on where the college or university is located. Based on Mercer's cost of living survey in 2020, three U.S. cities, namely New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, rank higher in the list than London. But some smaller cities and communities are less expensive to live in than other U.K. cities. Victor Restis advises parents and students to look for a cost of living calculator when deciding what college or university to pursue.