Department for Education and Skills, United Kingdom
February 2004
This paper gives a brief overview and comparison of participation, tuition rates, and government spending on higher education in several countries, focusing on the countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The findings are widely varied, with higher ed entry rates ranging from 20 percent in Turkey to 76 percent in New Zealand. Some countries, such as the United States and New Zealand, charge varied tuition for both public and private universities. Other countries, such as Germany and Sweden do not currently charge tuition to attend university. Other interesting tuition methods include those of Australia and China. In Australia (with a 65 percent participation rate) students do not pay any upfront fees. "Instead they repay their deferred fee after graduation once their income reaches Aus$25,000 a year." Meanwhile, in China "fees are set according to market conditions - taking into account both costs and demand." This paper does not make specific policy recommendations but does provide several interesting comparisons, especially as America's tuition fees continue to rise. To view the paper, visit http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2003/12/12/Intpaper.pdf.
