Study abroad: what are the most accessible destinations on a budget of between €0 and €10,000 a year?
To make the most of your university experience abroad, you’ll need to choose a university that suits your budget. From one country to another – and even from one university to another – tuition fees can vary considerably: from €2,000 for universities in the Netherlands to €60,000 for some American universities! Rest assured, however, that the quality of teaching is fortunately not proportional to the cost of studies, and there are universities renowned for their academic excellence to suit every budget.
But which destinations should be your first priority, depending on your budget?
If you’re looking for affordable tuition fees (under €10,000 per year) but don’t want to compromise on the quality of your education, there are a number of destinations worth exploring, including Sweden, the Netherlands, Scotland, Belgium, Quebec, Ireland and Switzerland.
Tuition fees in Sweden
In Sweden, there are a number of prestigious universities offering programs entirely in English, with the advantage of being completely free of charge for students from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. For example, the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics offers a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics (Management and Economics) in English, while Lund University offers a bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine (Biomedicine) or’International Business (International Trade) in English.
Adrian, bachelor student in’International Business at Lund University (Sweden), tells us about his experience and why he chose Sweden for his Bachelor’s degree: « I decided to study at Lund University in Sweden because it was one of the few Swedish universities that offered a Bachelor of International Business program in English in just three years. The city of Lund is also very pleasant and full of students.
In Sweden, the application procedure is fairly straightforward for all universities, and takes place on the universityadmissions.se website. As far as the selection process for Bachelor’s students is concerned, places are allocated on the basis of the overall average of your high school diploma (baccalauréat in France). If you have any questions about the selection process, please do not hesitate to contact the university admissions departments, who will be delighted to help.
I didn’t expect there to be so many of us when I arrived here. In my International Business program, there are around 85 students. What I like best about the curriculum and my studies in general is that the requirements for passing each course are very clear: we have group work and an exam for each subject. You need to score at least 50/100 in each part to pass the course. Lund is a real university town, and students can take part in a wide range of activities. You’ll always find people to hang out with. There are also gyms for exercise, Latin dance classes, and even a Brazilian jiu-jitsu hall! The city and student life have a lot to offer. There are lots of foreign students at the university, and I really feel at home here. What’s more, tuition is completely free for students from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland! »
Tuition fees in the Netherlands
The Netherlands also offers more than 2,000 high-quality courses taught entirely in English. The cost of an academic year at a public university is around €2,080; for a liberal arts and sciences course at Amsterdam University College, expect to pay around €4,435 for tuition and around €4,560 for accommodation (for EU/EEA students).
Tuition fees in Scotland
Although this is likely to change following the Brexit, the SAAS (Student Awards Agency for Scotland) grant has until now covered 100% of tuition fees for EU national students in Scotland, meaning €0 tuition fees to study at renowned universities such as Edinburgh, St Andrews or Glasgow!
School fees in Belgium
Belgium offers attractive tuition fees (less than €1,000 per year) for quality courses. For example, tuition fees at the Solvay Brussels School and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) are €835 per year, whatever your chosen course of study (business, architecture, law or agronomy). What’s more, at the École supérieure des arts (ESA) Saint-Luc in Brussels, one year’s tuition costs just €750 per year.
Tuition fees in Quebec
Quebec also offers lower tuition fees for French students (Canadian and non-international tuition fees). On average, tuition fees for a French student for a year of study in Quebec range from €5,000 to €6,500, depending on the university.
Tuition fees in Ireland
L’Irlande compte sept universités publiques : Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin City University (DCU), Maynooth University, National University of Ireland Galway (NIU Galway), University College Cork, et University of Limerick.
The Irish government has set up a free fees initiative which allows you to benefit from tuition fees of up to €3,000 per year, provided you are a resident of the EEA, it is your first university degree and it lasts at least two years.
School fees in Switzerland
Public universities in Switzerland offer attractive tuition fees. At the University of Geneva, for example, tuition is set at 1,000 Swiss francs (around €940) per year. However, the cost of living in cities like Geneva or Lausanne is high, which will have an impact on the overall cost of your studies. For the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, tuition costs 1,420 Swiss francs (approx. €1,340 per year) and 1,160 Swiss francs for HEC Lausanne (approx. €1,095 per year).Some schools, such as the renowned École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), which offers a Bachelor of Science in international hospitality management, require a much higher overall budget: €142,000 for the four-year Bachelor’s degree. EHL does, however, award scholarships to talented and promising students, depending on the funds available and the number of applicants.
School fees in Romania
For your medical or veterinary studies, tuition fees are around €5,000 to €6,000 for the universities of Iași, Cluj-Napoca and Victor Babes in Timisoara.
Les frais de scolarité au Portugal
In Portugal, you can expect to pay around €7,000 a year for paramedical studies (such as physiotherapy, dentistry and veterinary medicine), although this may vary from one university to another.
Find all the answers to your questions about studying abroad in our book “Etudier à l’étranger après le Bac” (Studyrama Editions).
Would you like more personalized support to make your plans to study abroad a reality? Don’t hesitate to contact the Your Dream School team!