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.

This OECD graph shows average tuition fees charged by universities in various countries, along with the proportion of students who benefit from public loans, scholorships or grans at bachelor's level

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.

The report, the first to include data after the fee cap in England increased to £9,000 in 2012, showed the average charge across all universities was around £6,000 a year.

The US had the second highest average fees at around £5,300 – although famed Ivy League universities such as Harvard and Yale charge significantly more than those in the UK.

Japan came in third at around £3,300, followed by Canada, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, fees are around £2,600 while in Italy and Switzerland they are just under £1,000.

Last year’s study showed the UK was the fifth most expensive in the world, behind Chile, South Korea, America and Japan.