Embattled comedian Bill Cosby has resigned from his role as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for his alma mater university as his sex abuse scandal continues to rage.

The Cosby Show star, who received a master's degree and a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1970s, agreed to step down from his position as a leading fundraiser for the school.

The news comes after executives at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in Massachusetts removed Cosby's name from an annual scholarship programme.

He received an honorary degree from the institution in 2004.