Probably the best deep dive I've read on the cost of higher ed was published a few years ago by Robert Hiltonsmith. This addresses US universities and colleges

Probably the best deep dive I've read on the cost of higher ed was published a few years ago by Robert Hiltonsmith. This addresses US universities and colleges as opposed to UK, so the issues may not be one to one and the data is a little dated (published in 2015). Still, a worthwhile read. http://www.demos.org/publication/pulling-higher-ed-ladder-myth-and-reality-crisis-college-affordability http://www.demos.org/publication/pulling-higher-ed-ladder-my...