Paying for your Education in another Country

The high cost of education in the United States is no secret to any high school graduate; in fact, many hours are often spent in the guidance counselor’s office searching for scholarship or grant opportunities or looking for the school with the desired program and lowest cost. The rise of internet education programs and the increasing awareness of foreign competition on our own soil suggests that America is not the only country with excellent colleges and universities. The next question, then, is whether an American could get a less expensive education by attending a foreign college.

First steps in a foreign education
The first difficulty to overcome in many places will be the language barrier unless you stay with countries such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where the common language is English. Once that hurdle is crossed, however, the next issue is the difference in the cost of an education for a visitor versus a citizen; in some countries, it makes no difference while in others it seems even more extreme than going to college as a non-resident from another state.  Furthermore, even in countries that do not offer free education to their own citizens, there may be an option that allows the student to pay "after" graduating, and also to have college tuition deducted from pay once qualifying employment has been obtained.  This option would not be available to an international student.

College fees—one thing for citizens, something else for foreigners in the UK
Countries within the European Union, except for United Kingdom, all use a similar fee schedule. The cost of the education is not based on the institution itself so much as it is the actual program and cost of administering that program. For example, a lab based course is more costly than a classroom based course, and would thus have a higher tuition. Institutions in the United Kingdom are free to set their own rates for international students outside of the European Union—such as the United States. Institutions in the UK usually set an annual fee for groups of courses rather than charging for individual courses.

The UK universities have a wide range of fees from one university to another. Schools in London are generally the most expensive; prestigious schools are also more expensive than less well known schools offering the same program. Also, graduate programs, including MBAs are much more expensive than undergraduate programs.

The following list is a sampling of the programs and their average costs to international students in UK schools. The average is a bit misleading, however, as a program of clinical medicine, for example, could range from £13,000 to £23,100. These costs are also based on 2006 rates which have increased at the UK rate of inflation and are for one academic year. Only the tuition is represented; room and board are not included.¹

Germany—probably not a good option
Germany is regarded as the country in which the modern research university was founded. However, Americans probably need to look elsewhere for today’s education. Of Germany’s 375 colleges and universities, not one of them is ranked in the top 50 in the 2008 Times Higher Education World Universities survey.² The first private college in German did not open its doors until 1980 due to a German phobia for “elitism.” However, overcrowding (1.8 million students pack the universities with 200,000 more clamoring for admission each year) and limited resources has kept German colleges behind other international universities.

Tuition at German public universities is a bargain—at only 600 Euros plus living expenses each year. However, even this small tuition is a recent development and meets with objections from German students who are accustomed to free college education. Private universities are more on a par with England and the US with tuition ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 Euros per year. That’s about 14,000 to 18,000 American dollars—not a very attractive option for a middle of the range university.

An education over the border²
A student who wants the experience of another country while attending a reasonably priced college may need to look no further than across our northern border. Canadian colleges are some of the least expensive when compared to the US, the UK and Australia. Tuition for Canadians is about $9000 in Canadian money per year to citizens and about $25,500 to foreigners.

Regardless of the country one chooses for an education, national authorities will require documentation on how a student plans to pay the fees. Some countries will not permit admission to the country unless the student can show how he will both pay for education and manage his / her own cost of living.

Nevertheless, there are some distinct attractions to studying in another country. American students have long been accused of having tunnel vision and of being more culturally deficient that those in any other developed country. Given the number of people on the street who don’t know state capitals or who are unsure which states are on the eastern side of the Mississippi, one has to suspect that exposure to people who are better informed about the world they live in would do American students little harm.

Summary—a few other places
Although the EU has been studying ways to reform the system, many EU universities charge the same for EU and non-EU students. Europeans pay very high taxes, much of the money going toward education and the national health care systems.  Holland and Italy charge enrollment fees ranging from 1000 to 1500 Euros per year.  In certain business departments, Dutch universities charge $5,000 euros while graduate tuition can be up to 8,000 euros.

Ireland: 12,000 euros per year for international students. UE students pay 900 euros a year.

France: There are 82 universities educating 1.5 million students. Neither EU nor international students pay any tuition fees as all professors are considered civil servants. There is a small enrollment fee of only 165 euros. While the French policies promote the selection of quality foreign students, in reality, the universities cannot make selections. As with Germany, not a single French university is listed in the world’s top 40 universities.

Australia: Australia offered free education until 1988. Now however, full time tuition ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 AUD per year. 10,000 AUD is equal to about 7,815 USD American dollars.

1. The British Council

2. Sheng, Jim. “Comparison of tuition costs of higher education around the world.”