If you’re planning to become an expat student, this list of countries with the free college for international students should pique your interest. Just to be on the safe side here – there’s no place on Earth where you’ll study completely free of charge. Every public university requires, at least, admission or registration fees, but they are negligible compared to year-round costs – especially compared to the costs in America. If college (tuition) fee can be dismissed, it’s much easier to endure the cost of elementary expenses that you’ll have no matter where you come from. Even if you’re coming from abroad, however, some countries will offer you a stipend that can help you quite a lot with these expenses. The thing is – stipend applications are usually separated from college applications and are being conducted later on, so you won’t know if you’ve gotten one before you enroll in a program of your choosing.
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When we’re talking education for foreign students, we are talking education in English, of course. However, some countries require certain level of native language proficiency, but this prerequisite varies from country to country, and from level of education to level of education. For example, undergraduate studies might be taught exclusively in nation’s native language, but master’s and doctoral studies are often taught in English (as well as in native language, of course). Aforementioned tuition fees vary from low 3-digit numbers to 4-digit figures (in US dollars) and you can check out most of them (those in Europe) here, but costs of living are the ones that might discourage a student from enrolling at the university in specific country. Be sure to check all your options, so don’t skip our list of 11 countries with universal healthcare and free college.
We’ll rank our countries with the free college for international students by both admission fees and costs of living. Bear in mind the fact that capital and other major cities tend to be more expensive than others, hence this doesn’t have to be as accurate. You’ll find most of relevant info about both cost of living, admission and tuition fees here. Furthermore, not everyone is capable of living on a budget, but you all know what kind of habits and expenses you can expect for yourself. We will disclose living expense figures that are widely considered as sufficient for most international students. Some might even easily live on less than that.
11. Greece
Greece is currently going through a rough patch that has considerably lowered the standard of living in this Mediterranean European country. If you’re coming from a country with a considerably higher standard of living, your living costs in Greece will be almost negligible compared to what you would have spent at home. EU and EEA (EU plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, which hold the same rights) nationals are exempt from paying tuition fees at most Greek colleges, but international students will have to pay around $1,600 per year overall. This is still much less than an American national would have paid at home, and coupled with aforementioned low costs of living, represents a no-brainer. Furthermore, Greece is a country that has given democracy and philosophy to the world, so studying there can’t be bad for anyone’s future professional career. You’ll probably be able to live on less than $500 a month while in Greece, but these figures will vary from region to region. Oh, and your course textbooks are already included in the price.
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10. Luxembourg
One of the founding members of the EU – Luxembourg is both one of the smallest and most advanced European countries. High standard of living has allowed Luxembourgers to adopt free education system and the vast majority of higher education programs there are free of tuition charges. Some of them, however, require fees starting at €600 (around $650) per semester which is still less than in Greece. Add to that a semestral registration fee of €100 ($110), and the prices will match. Luxembourg is generally more expensive than Greece, and you’ll probably need around $1,000 per month, but, at least, there are a few opportunities where tuition fees can be written off entirely.
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9. Austria
Austria openly invites students from all across the globe by offering free education for a year (2 semesters). After that, EU students can continue free of charge, while other internationals are required to pay $790 per semester for tuition and additional $20 for the student union. If you’re not willing to finish your studies in Austria (non-degree seeking student), your tuition fees will plummet to $390 per semester. Furthermore, the Austrian government has decided to offer free education to students coming from world’s 50 least developed countries which basically have the same status as the EU nationals. Costs of living are similar to those in Luxembourg, and $1,000 more or less seems like a fitting figure.
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8. Denmark
Tuition fees at Danish public universities can be quite high indeed, but unlike most of the European countries, Denmark does offer some sort of free education to foreigners. For starters, EU/EEA nationals in exchange programs don’t have to pay a dime. While tuition fees otherwise reach $11,000 on average, international students can still study for free. The catch is that Denmark offers free education only at a certain level, and that level is doctoral studies. That way, Ph.D. students have the chance to truly develop their careers in a country that boasts one of the best education systems in the world. However, the cost of living in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, for that matter, can be extremely high. $1,500 a month might be enough, but only if you really decide to sacrifice most of the everyday luxuries like bars, restaurants, etc.
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7. Sweden
There are more than 900 programs that are taught in English, in this Scandinavian country. However, like it is the case with Denmark, only doctoral studies are exempt from tuition fees. If you are thinking of applying for Ph.D. in Sweden, know that your only expenses will be a $100 registration and $30 per semester for the student union. Still, living costs are rather high, and, similar to Denmark, you’ll need quite a sum to enjoy your time in Sweden.
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6. France
English studies in France are becoming more frequent by the year, and this propels second largest European country to the sixth spot on our list of 11 countries with the free college for international students. Public universities in France offer a wide variety of available programs for international students that only have to pay $200 worth of admission fee to enroll. Living costs, on the other hand, can be rather substantial. To live and study in France, you’ll likely need around $1,000 a month, but some people will make due with less.
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5. Finland
The easternmost Scandinavian country offers its education free of charge. However, as of 2017, non-EU/EEA students will be required to pay the minimal tuition fee of €1,500 which translates to slightly more than $1,600. Finnish education system is widely acclaimed as one of the best in the world, and countless international students will likely continue to apply to Finnish educational institutions. Programs in Swedish and Finnish will be exempt from the new tuition fee, so if you’re planning on learning the language, you still have couple years to do so. Living costs in Finland are similar to the rest of Scandinavia, but most people agree that prices are generally lower than it is the case in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
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4. Brazil
Brazil might not be a place to dig for a diploma, but cultural experience is definitely something that you won’t be able to get in most of other countries from this list. Brazilian education system recognizes a few English programs, and international students don’t have to pay tuition fee. Only registration fee is required, and it varies from college to college – though it isn’t that high. Living costs in largest South American country are lower than it is the case with most of the world, and you should be fine with half as much that you would have required in Europe.
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3. Norway
Most of the undergraduate programs in Norway are being conducted in Norwegian. This is the price of tuition-free college education in this part of the world. While undergraduate programs are free and in native language, master’s and doctoral studies are often in English – and still free of charge. International students wishing to partake in high-quality post-graduate programs will be hard-pressed to find a better option than Norway, but they’ll have to prepare for both severe weather and exorbitant prices. The cost of living in Norway is Scandinavian to the core, and you might need even more financial resources here than in Sweden or Denmark.
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2. Slovenia
Small country at the foot of south-eastern Alps currently offers around 150 programs completely in English. Needless to say, all of them are free of charge, and only college-related expense that international students in Slovenia have is registration fee that is more than modest – slightly more than $30 a year. Apart from seamlessly nonexistent tuition costs, Slovenia offers relatively low living costs. You probably won’t survive on $500 per month, but anything above that figure should be sufficient.
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1. Germany
After Lower Saxony became the last German state to phase out tuition fees in 2014, all German universities are now completely free of charge for international students. A number of available English programs continues to grow year in, year out, and currently there’s more than 1,000 options to choose from. Only expenses currently are nominal university fees that are used for administration purposes. They amount between $160 and $270 depending on college and program, but they are certainly as low as they can get for such a developed country. What’s even more incentive, are stipends and loans handed out to international students by the local authorities. Monthly costs are usually lower than $1,000, and stipends can often be higher than the costs themselves. This is what clearly makes Germany the best of 11 countries with the free college for international students.
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