Are you planning to further your higher education abroad but you don’t have the required funds that will settle your bills? Then this guide is for you.
Today several countries allow international students to study in their schools for free through some programs that they made available for anyone who finds interest to study abroad for free.
Studying abroad for free is very possible as a lot of international universities provide scholarship programs for their international students.
Hereunder, if you pass their international student scholarship exam, by default you will be eligible to study in these countries for free.
Most of their scholarship programs will not just cover your tuition fees alone but it will extend to your accommodation and even some of your expenses outside the school premises.
From our research, we have found out that many countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Scotland, Brazil, Austria, Norway, etc. allow international students to study abroad for free; even to the point of not paying for their Visa ticket.
In this guide, we discussed several countries where you can study abroad for free as an international student. Continue reading to find them out.
#1. France
France which is not the most famous nation in the world is a well-known place when it comes to obtaining affordable higher education. Meanwhile, France is one of the countries that allow international students to study various courses of their choice for free.
While some universities in France grant international students the opportunity to further their higher education for free, there may be some low fees that the international student may need to pay during his studying in France.
In subsequent times, a lot of public universities in France pay tuition fees but is quite low when compared to the amount that other countries charged their international students.
While studying in France is almost free, you may be prompted to pay a university fee of about €170 as an undergraduate level student or Swiss student.
From our research, we find out that France will be increasing the payable amount of about €2,770 annually for a bachelor’s degree.
Hereunder, France government also announced that they will be multiplying the number of scholarships that will be available for any international student who wishes to study in France.
Although, as time goes on, other applicable charges may be added to your program of study. Also if you are studying some specialized courses such as medicine, engineering, etc. by default you will pay sum decent amount for your course.
The fees that may be attached to your course of study vary because different schools have their method of training students.
Unfortunately, most of the schools we find from our in-depth research that allows international students to study in France use their native language; which is French while teaching the students.
On this ground, you have an alternative as you can opt to take a course on the French language as this will help you to flow in classes. Taking a French course will attract a decent amount of money as that is a separate program on its own.
But of recent, the government of France has started growing several opportunities for international students to study their various courses in the English language. If you wish to get more insight about living in France, we find out that the cost of living in France is about €9,600 for one year. This is quite affordable if you have the cash.
#2. Germany
Of recent thousands of international students just picked interest to study in Germany because of the standard of education and available scholarships that are available yearly for students.
As of today, the number of international students intending to study in Germany is quite rising as there are no tuition fees attached to students who wish to study in German public schools. The good news is that these no-tuition universities are for everyone (both domestic and international students).
Moreover, you will need to pay a little nominal fee of about €150-250. This will cover the student’s administration costs. A lot of people are trooping to study in Germany for free not because of how popular the country is, but because of their low-cost education, strong economy, excellent education system, etc.
From research, we noticed that over 40 universities in Germany are listed among the world’s top-ranking universities.
Don’t downgrade the institutions in Germany because they allow international students to study in their country for free. Unlike the schools in the United States that charge over $40,000 as their tuition fee.
Moreover, as several universities in Germany allow students to study for free regardless of their course of study, you still need to plan for other expenses such as feeding, accommodation, clothing, etc.
Although as an international student, the cost of obtaining a German Visa is about €10,236, which will indicate that you are capable of taking care of yourself when you land in the country.
Note: The whole money is not just for Visa alone.
#3. Spain
Spain doesn’t just have schools where you can study for free, but while studying, there are lots of entertainment to couple with your studies. In Spain, there are a lot of public institutions that allow international students to study even without paying tuition fees, unlike other countries that charge thousands of dollars just for tuition fees.
Moreover, if you plan to study in Spain, you have to budget some decent cash as you need to pay for your Visa ticket. Although if you’re opportune to secure a scholarship, you can as well study freely in Spain without paying even for your feeding.
#4. Czech Republic
The Czech Republic which is popularly known as the “heart of Europe” is another amazing country that allows international students to study freely in their country. Moreover, the country’s government announced that furthering your higher education in their country is quite free regardless of the student’s nationality.
Unfortunately, to secure admission to study for free in the Czech Republic, you need to must have learned their native language. But if you want to study for free in this country but you don’t want to learn their native language, you need to pay about €4,000-12,000 as tuition fee annually.
This will secure your learning section, as lecturers who are proficient in the English language will be appointed to teach you as one that doesn’t know their native language.
#5. Scotland
Scotland which is known for its historical data, popular known as the Scottish nation releases several opportunities for anyone who intends to further their higher education in most of their standard schools.
Moreover, if you’re any of the European nations, the Student Awards Agency of Scotland will take care of your tuition fee. This means that your studies are quite free in terms of settling tuition fees.
So if you’re from other nations you need to pay a tuition fee for any course you intend to study.
Meanwhile, there are lots of scholarships out there that you can apply for their sponsorship as you’re not financially capable to take care of all the expenses that are compulsory for every student who wishes to further his or her higher education in Scotland.
#6. Brazil
Brazil being a notorious country known for football, dancing, carnival, etc. is another favorable nation where international students can further their higher education even without paying dues.
If you want to study abroad for free or you only want to pay a little token for your higher education, then Brazil is a good option for you.
Brazil which has a good number of prestigious schools that are being managed by their government offers quality education even more than the private schools in the nation.
As an international student, you are likely not going to pay any fee while studying or you may need to pay some little token that will serve as your registration fee mostly at the very beginning of your course of study.
This is very small when compared to the cost of studying in private universities in the same nation.
Hereunder, to further your higher education in Brazil, you will need to take a test which will be set between you (as an international student) and other thousands of Brazilians out there. Unfortunately, you need to know Portuguese as this is one of the requirements for any student who wishes to study in Brazil.
This is to ensure that the student can effectively communicate, interact, and understand the lecturer that will be teaching him when his admission has been secured. One of these Portuguese courses is CELPE-Bras.
Any student with these certifications can easily secure admission in any course of his choice. As an international student, if you are lucky enough to secure an admission, you will be eligible to enjoy some government funding which is also being given to their domestic students.
#7. Finland
Finland which is one of the best nations for international students who aim at studying abroad (Nordic countries) allows students (both domestic) to study in their public schools for free. From research, we find out that Finnish universities charge allow students to study Master’s, Bachelor as well as Ph.D. degrees for free regardless of their nationality.
Moreover, as an international student, you will surely need accommodation as a student. The average amount that international students need to have for their residence permit is about €560 a month.
The minimum amount that students need to have for their living expenses is between €700 €900. One of the amazing things that students who wish to further their higher education in Finland are that you will be allowed to work for about 25 hours a week during lecture-free times.
Moreover, some of these jobs demand that you will know their native language which is Swedish or Finnish before you can be employed to work part-time.
#8. Norway
Do you wish to enjoy your higher education in Norway? Then you can apply to study in their public schools as there are quite free for international students. Not just that Norway has high standard universities alone, but there are several entertaining centers that you can utilize for recreation during your less busy hours.
Unfortunately, as an international student, language will be a barrier as you need to have good knowledge of their native language before you can apply for admission to any school you wish to study.
As an international student, your studies in Norway are almost free apart from a little registration fee which will cost you NOK500, which is equivalent to £40.
Hereunder, if you apply for an undergraduate degree, you will be taught in Norwegian, as this is their native language and you have to show a level of proficiency before you will be admitted.
Although the public universities in Norway allow international students to study for free, have in mind that the cost of living in this nation is quite costly.
So if you are applying for admission, come prepared as you have lots of personal expenses to take care of. The average basic expenses for an individual living in this nation should be about NOK10, 000 which is £800 per month.
Also if you’re the type that likes flexing – probably eating and having some good times in restaurants, to get a good beer should cost you about NOK75, equivalent to £6.
The university you may be studying at will allow you to work during your academic days. They allow students to work for about 20 hours a week. This will serve as a source of income while acquiring knowledge in their Norway public university.
#9. Austria
Austria which is one of the popular nations of the world known for tourism is a pretty place to further your higher education. The majority of the public universities in this nation offer a tuition-free program or low tuition for both domestic and international students regardless of their country of origin.
Moreover, studying in Austria’s public university may attract a little fee which is about €18 (£13).
While you are studying some courses that have long semesters, for instance, a bachelor’s degree, you will need to pay about €360 (£265) per semester.
This will be used to settle some internal expenses in the school. As an international student, you will need to pay a tuition fee of about €725 (£535) per semester.
