[Nyororin]

I found university in Japan to be much much cheaper than similar options available in the US. However, this was as a resident student and not an international student which was much higher in cost. This was true even at private universities.
I have no idea what the costs of university are like in the UK, but if they are similar to the costs in the US - Japan is significantly cheaper.

Of course, the sky is always the limit when it comes to these things and it isn`t hard to find places with outrageous fees - but in general the costs are quite low.

Can you stay on campus or do you lodge outside?

On campus housing is pretty rare - nearly unheard of, really. Some universities will have a dorm, but it is usually off campus and may be something closer to a couple floors of a large apartment building that are owned by the university. It`s actually more common for elementary through high school to have dormitories if it is a prestigious school. University aged students are adult enough to live on their own, but those younger need support and supervision. My husband lived in a dormitory through high school.

The cameraderie must be great? Home study must be harder.

I think that any educational experience is what you make of it. Home study doesn`t necessarily make it more difficult to find a niche, and being part of a university doesn`t necessarily make it easier. High school seems to be much heavier on the the camaraderie.

Is it all worth while?

When I was working toward my degree, the simple acquisition of knowledge made it worth it for me. I wasn`t aiming to make money off of the degree, and had no career in mind that would make use of it (I still don`t, really.)
I`m just one of those people who finds most things fascinating, and enjoy learning. I`m one to pick up textbooks and read them for the fun of it... So yes, it was very much worth it in my opinion. I would love to just go back for more study, but don`t want to deal with the other requirements for a second degree. I just want to take the courses I find interesting.

So many seem to be going in for I T. Is that wise? will there be jobs out there if too many students plump for I T?

I think you make an excellent point here. Right now in Japan, there are too many IT graduates and too few positions for them. At the same time, there are too few graduates in other scientific / engineering fields. But I think this is a self correcting trend. When there is lower demand for one set of skills, people will stop choosing it and begin to go after one more lucrative. Already the number of IT students is going down in favor of full blown EE for those with an honest interest in the field, or others for those who saw it as a way to make money.