So my niece managed to get her BA in Norway tuition-free, and can’t be more thrilled with both the cultural experience as well as the quality of the education. In light of the current tuition rates in the US, I’m super curious about what any of you might have experienced or might recommend in terms of low or no-cost tuition rates for top-notch universities internationally that teach in English?
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This is not the case starting in 2023 where it will cost about $7-9k per year for tuition for international students not from EU countries. On top of the cost of living, expenses beyond tuition, none of it is going to be covered by FA, your only option is to pay out of pocket or take private loans. Many can do far better in the US with merit aid and financial packages.
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I’m a big fan of doing a degree outside the US, and there are bargains to be found!
There are number of international universities for which you can use FAFSA (list here: Federal Student Aid), and the same $ limits/pa apply. Note that many countries will require a demonstration of sufficient financial resources to cover costs for the year in order to get a student visa.
Popular destinations atm for US students looking to do an UG degree outside the US in English at a lower cost include Australia and the Netherlands. Ireland clocks in around €30k/year (tuition + r/b, though it varies a bit by subject & city), which isn’t terrible, esp for a 3 year course (note that some degrees ore 4 years).
Some things to watch out for:
-in general international unis have a pretty hands-off approach to students. Students are expected to navigate the system on their own. Universities that don’t have a lot of international students simply won’t anticipate the kinds of challenges a non-national will encounter. If a university has an office for taking care of international students it will typically also have an international student fee rate that is meaningfully higher than the local rate. It can still be great value!
in general, international unis don’t provide much (sometimes any) direct student housing, though if accommodation is provided international students do tend to get first dibs. Students often pay for housing by the week or month, vs the academic year. Where accommodation is available / provided there are usually options such as self-catering (has kitchen facilities) or not.
in general, there is much less continuous assessment: evaluation can be based largely or even solely on final exam results. This suits a student with a lot of self-discipline, but can be challenging especially for the first year of uni, when there are so many new things to explore!
in general, students are admitted to a specific subject, and study just that- no gen eds, but also a lot fewer choices. As a result, many UG degrees are 3 years, not 4. Note that for many subjects here will be an expectation of a given level of competence: the domestic students will have been required to achieve at a given level on subject-specific exams (think AP). Whether or not the uni requires it from an international student, a US student should have a comparable AP in order to be able to keep up.
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And to add to collegemom’s excellent post-
Expect NO support. No dietician to help a kid with celiac, nut allergy, recovering from an eating disorder. NO on-campus therapists; most medical services will require using local resources and being diligent about follow up care. NO Dean of Students to help a kid who has fallen behind work with professors to get W’s, incompletes, etc. Yes- these things are possible, and in some instances there will be a sympathetic administrator, but the presumption that universities provide “do-overs” for kids who get off track is an American concept which is not always available overseas.
I know many families who were surprised that a floundering kid had the option of coming home or coming home. In many parts of the world, a University student is a student-- not a kid hanging out with his/her friends while they “figure things out”. Especially if the kid does not have the right visa to get a job while they live in an apartment with their buddies.
So parents need to “figure out” what kinds of support their kid is likely to need ahead of time…
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We considered unis in the UK at some point and realized a) they are not cheap for internationals, and b) you develop a peer network (and other friendships) in Europe in the field of your study as opposed to a network in the US that you need if you are seeking permanent employment in the US. The network is very important.
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My D considered study in Europe (her dad is from an EU country). It can be a fantastic option for the right kid with certain career or post-grad goals, but it is not appropriate for all. In my D’s case, it was ruled out because she’s interested in medicine and the path to med school/residency in the US is complicated if a student does not have a US or Canadian undergrad/med school prerequisites.
This is a great idea for a thread! Hopefully it will expose others to the opportunities for undergrad abroad. In the right circumstances in can be a wonderful academic and cultural opportunity and more financially affordable than many full-pay US colleges.
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Agreed. Added to the fact that US employers are not coming to campus and interviewing for US jobs, and that there is very likely little career counseling/help. All adding up to the fact that it can be much more difficult to find a US job after graduation, even when one graduates from a well known university.
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We looked into this option extensively last year, as our student’s goal was to attend college in a “world city” such as Paris, Rome, Tokyo, London, NY etc. Also he was in an IB program, so knew this would make the admission process straightforward. A few of his IB classmates did end up at European universities, and by report are thriving.
It is true the culture is very different. Usually there are no dorms, but rather nearby apartments that attract students from any/all of the universities in the area. So you may end up sharing an apartment with a student from another school. Universities have “canteens” but usually don’t have full cafeterias or meal plans. Most schools provide little hand-holding. There are rarely any university-sponsored sports teams, other than perhaps some clubs. Minimal amenities (e.g. no gyms, health services etc.) There is little in the way of “school spirit” as we know it in the US. All of these differences may be either a net positive or a huge negative for an individual student. In our student’s case, they were mainly seen as a positive.
There is a blog/consulting business called Beyond the States, and a book by the same name where we learned more (we did not purchase the extra help options.) Of note, the founder of that service had a son who did this and ended up failing out of 1 (maybe even 2?) European schools before finding a school that provided the support he needed! And as of the last time I read, her 2nd child was leaning toward American schools only. IIRC, her son had had some learning challenges, ADHD perhaps.
In the end, our student did not end up applying to schools abroad. He decided to focus on NYC instead. The school he is attending ended up giving him enough merit that the COA ended up being less. He plans to do 1-2 semesters abroad in other “world cities.”
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I spent a year abroad studying as a “regular” student at a European university (not an American program - went to regular classes, lived in student housing etc) and it is very, very different from being a US student - in my case very large lecture format classes, different grading scale, few (but high stakes) tests, no school sports/entertainment/clubs etc (and certainly no fancy gym). It was a fantastic experience as a college junior but I would have been lost as a freshman (and there was less hand holding back then at US schools). Definitely needs to be the right kind of student to thrive in this type of atmosphere.
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Ask your kid to study hard and get good grades. US colleges can be low cost minus a lot of hassles. I am not joking. There are plenty of full or near full rides for meritorious kids.
Also, remember that if your kid is trying to get a technical degree, then standards could be very different in Europe versus in the US. Another thing is that grad programs in US, particularly PhD programs, used to strictly require a 4 year degree or one had to take extra classes to make up.
Precisely, in many (mainland) European countries, Universities hold classes - that’s it. Outside of that, finding living spaces, figuring out commuting, social life, healthcare, etc. is up to the student.
Also - there is no such thing as a “class of”. You won’t be a 1st year among 1st years. There is no requirement to be full-time, or what the annual progress has to be. MANY students might be non-traditional, having had prior job experiences, have families/kids to go home to at night, take as many/few classes as work/funds permit.
So - it requires a certain maturity, and an independent spirit.
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Yes. And the university has no involvement with sports, band, etc either. Same with Asian universities.
The US college experience is unique.
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Indeed - for the benefit of education being a “public benefit”, essentially accessible to all, subject only to passing entry requirements, education is unbundled from mass (or personal) entertainment/enrichment, and there is little use/justification for outrageous “brand marketing” spending. It would be a misuse of tax payer funds (and make higher education out of reach to many)
Of course, you can still take formal university courses related to sports, music and other arts, and pursue degrees in those fields.
Instead, there is a very active, structured club life in many countries, often in the smallest of municipalities (again, open to all for minimal fees) - which is how one pursues (or advances) their interests in a large variety of team or personal sports, and countless other interests. In the U.S. those would typically be retail businesses.
So it’s important for U.S. parents and students to expect a culture shock.
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There are extensive posts here on CC about American students studying in Canada, mostly at McGill. Canadian universities are sort of a hybrid between US and European schools. There is little or no hand holding although there is more than in Europe. Athletics and Greek life exist but are not a big thing. University housing is generally provided first year only. After that the student is on their own to find off campus housing. For some it is great, for others not so much so.
Also, International tuition at Canadian universities is no longer the bargain it was 25 years ago when my son attended McGill.
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If you can study in German, ETH Zurich is excellent and inexpensive.
Incidentally their grad school is also excellent, and it is in English.
For PhD, their stipends are higher than most/all American schools – like 60K I think, and they would come in below only a handful of the top American schools if you eventually want a faculty position in the US for some of the fields I have heard about.
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When I was in my early 20’s I traveled in Europe, and dropped in on a foreign exchange student from my high school years. We were catching up, and I looked out the window, and there was his mother throwing a shot put in the back yard! My friend told me she was practicing because she belonged to a track and field club in their small rural town. This was the same club that he had participated in as an adolescent. He had arrived at our high school as a strong athlete despite his country’s lack of school-sponsored sports, and played a key role in our school’s team making it to the state meet. He said one benefit to a culture of clubs rather than school-sponsored sports was that it allowed for participation by a wider range of abilities and ages. Where in the US is there a community for a regular middle aged woman to throw a shotput?
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The expense of which is often justified because of the (necessary) college opportunities it creates in an income-based higher education system. I cynically think of it more as the ancient “gladiator” system for the plebes.
And the development of talents that otherwise might have stayed hidden - to the loss of society.
PS - yes, I am a hypocrite - because I (luckily) managed to make the U.S. system work quite well for my family.
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Are you looking for courses/programs in English or does your child speak a world language fluently/has access to accelerated learning+college courses?
I’d be looking for courses/programs in English…
The one I’m most personally familiar with is Univ of Maastrict, but there are other options in The Netherlands that have programs taught in English.
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/um-and-usa
Of course, St Andrews is very popular with US students and actively seeks to enroll them for the revenue. They are a bit less hands-off than other European schools because of attracting so many US kids.
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