The announcement by Britain's Labour government that free tuition for higher education will be ended signals a revolution in Britain and is part of a worldwide trend. Increasingly, the cost of higher education is shifting from the public purse to the individual. Worldwide, there are several patterns of funding university study. Tuition is also charged in the small and relatively elite public higher education sector. The remaining 20 percent study in private institutions, where students pay the bulk of the cost of education.
Some poor countries provide totally free higher education.
For example, most African countries today provide not only free tuition but virtually free room and board as well. The cost of supporting universities for the tiny proportion of the student-age population far exceeds the capability of governments facing severe economic difficulties. Until recently, China also provided free higher education, but has moved to tuition-based arrangements. In countries dominated by the public sector, the state pays most of the bills. The British decision signals the beginning of a major change throughout Europe.