By David Cutler
Parliament votes Thursday on plans to raise tuition fees for university students, an issue which has split the Liberal Democrats and provoked unrest.
Student demonstrations, sometimes violent, have erupted in London and other major cities against proposals to almost triple tuition fees to up to 9,000 pounds a year.
Here are some international comparisons of tuition fees (in U.S. dollars):
ENGLAND $5,234 (3,300 pounds)
SCOTLAND: FREE to Scottish and EU students; 2,895 to other British students.
UNITED STATES Up to 50,000*
CANADA 3,693
OTHER COUNTRIES IN EUROPE:
AUSTRIA 821
BELGIUM 586
FINLAND FREE
FRANCE 241
GERMANY Up to 1,660**
IRELAND FREE
SPAIN 1,275
SWEDEN FREE