British universities and colleges offer value for money compared with some of their main international competitors, a study has found.

Average course fees charged to overseas students by Britain compare favourably with those in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and average living costs for students are lower in Britain than in these other countries.

The Education Counselling Service, a partnership between the British Council and British institutions, found that while fees in the United Kingdom were generally the highest, this was more than offset by comparably low living costs and shorter courses.

Average undergraduate fees per academic year for science courses, for instance, stood at Pounds 7,422 in Britain, compared with Pounds 5,705 in the US, Pounds 7,014 in Australia, Pounds 6,732 in New Zealand and just Pounds 3,524 in Canada, after state subsidies.

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But costs evened out once average living expenses were added, with overseas science undergraduates in Britain having to find Pounds 11,772 per year, compared with Pounds 11,498 in the US, Pounds 12,942 in Australia, Pounds 11,165 in New Zealand and Pounds 7,903 in Canada.

Over a full undergraduate honours degree course, science students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland paid Pounds 35,316 on average, while those in the US paid Pounds 45,992, in Australia Pounds 51,768, in New Zealand Pounds 44,660 and in Canada Pounds 31,612.

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Average total costs per year for science postgraduate students worked out as Pounds 13,422 in the UK, Pounds 13,652 in the US, Pounds 14,824 in Australia, Pounds 16,761 in New Zealand and Pounds 9,957 in Canada.

Britain also fared well in further education, with average total costs per academic year at Pounds 7,879, compared with Pounds 8,606 in the US, Pounds 10,077 in Australia, Pounds 9,983 in New Zealand and Pounds 7,401 in Canada.

Geoff Evans, business development manager for the ECS, said: "These findings are significant for British education. They will counter the mistaken perception overseas that UK costs are higher than those of competitor countries. Britain's reputation for academic excellence and quality is well-established internationally, but our costs are often thought to be much higher comparatively than they are."

Undergraduate studies: total cost of first degree. The graph is NOT available on this database.

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