Brighton and Hove students are going Dutch in a bid to avoid expensive English university fees.

Facing a bill of up to £9,000 a year to go to university at home, pupils at BHASVIC are looking abroad.

Dutch universities charge tuition fees of about £1,400 a year and have several institutions in the top 200 universities in the world.

The college in Dyke Road held a special fair with representatives from three universities in Holland this week.

Students and parents could ask questions to those from Utrecht, Leiden and Maastricht.

BHASVIC’s main hall was packed with students, staff and parents anxious to hear what the admissions officers had to say.

Top of the list of their questions was, “If it’s cheaper to study, does it cost more to live in Holland?”

But the cost of living is comparable to the UK, according to the college.

And Dutch universities run their courses in English so language is not a barrier to foreign students.

Neil Commins is a teacher of politics at BHASVIC and is also in charge of applications to Oxbridge and international universities.

He has been at the heart of showing students a viable alternative to the high fees in this country and was delighted with the turnout at the event.

He said: “At BHASVIC we encourage students to think widely about the higher education opportunities on offer.

“It’s been a revelation to all of us and very useful information to pass on to our current and future students.”

Much has been made of the impact the rise in tuition fees has had on admission numbers.

The Labour Party claimed last month the number of students put off by the hike in fees was the equivalent of two universities shutting down.

In 2011, research suggested there were currently around 22,000 British students on degree courses abroad – approximately 1.7 per cent of Britain’s entire student population.

There were particularly high numbers in the US (around 8,500), France (around 2,600) and in Germany (around 2,200).