This week’s announcement of cuts in university budgets for the next academic year would severely impact the quality of education for all students.

Not only will courses struggle to stay afloat, but tuition fees will climb and prospective students will be shut out of a place.

While students and faculty across England are furious about the cuts in higher education and the threat of more top-up fees, they can all hope it won’t be as depressing as the situation in California.

For those who can make it into public universities in this state, they can expect to pay more as most universities in the United States have higher tuition costs because of different methods of funding. In November, the more selective University of California system's Board of Regents raised tuition rates by 32%, which sparked protests by students throughout the state. This means that in-state undergraduate students would pay $10,300 (£6,569) in basic education fees—twice as much as tuition rates that Kingston University students pay.

The reason for students entering this dilemma is because unlike universities in England, higher education in the United States—especially in California—is a mix of public and private institutions, with significant contributions from students and philanthropists. The state gives funding to public universities in California, but has struggled to keep its budget balanced. The Great Recession and political infighting in the state legislature hasn’t helped California reach its goal, so that equates to cuts across the board.

The university systems of the state are the most vulnerable to cuts—$813 million (£520 million) of them to be precise—which equates to furloughed workers, tuition rate hikes and not guaranteeing excellent students spots at university under the 50-year-old Master Plan for Education, which guarantees admission to a public university to the top 46% of students.

With more people applying for university than ever because of the economy, the state has little room for its applicants, some who are more than qualified had they applied when funding was better.

While the cuts in England will crush high hopes and squeeze already burdened budgets, people will have to accept that more top-up fees and budget cuts are inevitable because of the economic crisis and budgetary concerns. However, you can count your blessings you don’t live in California.