Basically, there are two types of education, the UK system, and the US system.
Universities in Commonwealth countries have similar curriculum design and enrollment policies, such as those in Australia, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, etc. The real picture is very complex and can hardly be covered in one article. I will mainly focus on the UK and the US for comparison and make a bit more comment on the complexity near the end.
First, the undergraduate education between the two systems are different in several aspects.
1. UK system is more academically focused. An undergraduate degree program is a well-designed curriculum, usually consisting of several modules of courses. Most universities in the UK are three-year programs, but in Scotland, it is a four-year degree. In contact, for US system a degree program is called a major. It is more like a package of major compulsory courses, selective, and general education courses. The curriculum is more flexible and it is usually a four-year degree.
2. In the US students don’t have to decide on a major when submitting an application, but in the UK students must choose a major (which they call course). In the US students can choose to declare a major in sophomore or junior year. Private universities usually have a later declaration time.
3. For international students, studying in the US is usually more expensive than in the UK, as in the US it takes one more year, and the annual cost is higher. Even students in the US sometimes seek education in the UK for financial considerations. Annual cost in the UK is about 30k to 50k pounds (about 250k-450k RMB) , and the cost in the US is about 30k-80k dollars depending on location and type of college and university. As a rule, the urban cost is higher than the countryside, and the private higher than a public university.
4. Undergraduate admission in the US usually takes a holistic review process, which means taking test scores and personal qualities into consideration. The process in UK is often solely based on academic criteria. This is a huge difference to consider.
For graduate students, the differences between the UK and US still exist, but not as so obvious as undergrad. UK system usually provides 1-year long grad program, which they call a post-graduate degree. In the US, the grad program length varies from one to two years, which is called a master program.
Similar to undergrad, the cost in the US is usually higher. While the UK provides high-quality master’s degree programs, the US offers more varied program types that can include co-op, research, internship, industrial mentorship, etc. Grad programs in the US often have higher standards than in other countries. Be sure to check their admissions website for more details.
For students interested in other countries, whether undergrad or grad programs, I suggest following the rules of either the UK or the US style. The real picture of higher education is surely much more complex than my binal description. In fact, many universities take both characteristics of the UK and the US, such as some universities in Canada. Even within UK and the US, each country has universities whose style is similar to that of the other country. For example, some public universities in the US require students to declare a specific major or a school preference.
English 
Chinese