How many universities there are in France?

How does the British and American universities of high tuition fees compare to other European universities with much lower fees (say France and Germany as an example)?

• Do the American and British schools offer substantially superior education to justify the difference in fees ($40k in th US compared to $2k in Europe annually)?

• Answer:

  They offer substantially more amenities (US). The education is generally going to be the same everywhere, if by 'education' you mean classroom time. But in a major US school you might work in a state of the art lab, surrounded by the latest technology. And after hours you might have big name bands come and give a 'free' concert (you'll have paid for it in student fees). And the gym for working out will be amazing. And your sports team will have a TV contract. Etc. etc. It's arguable that some of these things are worth extra money, for example, working with a superstar in the field you study can be very valuable. Or not. A large part of the growth in higher education costs these days in the US is in administration. Some of these folks add value, some... are debatable. So, for example, if you have a $50m building going up every three months, you need someone to manage that full time, probably. And so forth. Fancy new dorms are very nice, and one might argue make it easier to study (?). It goes on. Frankly, I'm not sure what the heck the UK is doing. I think they're heading down the path the US has taken, but I'm not sure I see the effects yet.