Universities and Institutes

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If you have been contemplating going to school to earn a college degree but you are unsure if you want to attend school in the United States or abroad, the information in this article will help.  While the concept of education would be much the same, processes, classroom structure, curriculum, and most importantly, price varies.  Because cost of attending a university or institution is at the top of the list for most people looking at different options, we wanted to focus this article on what you would expect to pay for college in the US versus countries abroad.


If you have been contemplating going to school to earn a college degree but you are unsure if you want to attend school in the United States or abroad, the information in this article will help.  While the concept of education would be much the same, processes, classroom structure, curriculum, and most importantly, price varies.  Because cost of attending a university or institution is at the top of the list for most people looking at different options, we wanted to focus this article on what you would expect to pay for college in the US versus countries abroad.

Obviously, going to another country to earn a college degree would be an adventure.  With this, you would have the chance to see new countries and cities, experience new cultures, and learn new languages, as well as lifestyles.  In addition, sometimes the cost associated with going to a university or institution oversees is less than what you would pay in the United States.  One reason is due to the numerous foreign exchange student programs available.  Along with that, the cost of living and economic structure for some countries is such that everything costs less than you would pay in the US.

As the number of students discovering the reduced price of going to college oversees increases, we see young adults making the choice to travel to another country to earn a college degree.  To give you an idea of how popular this option has become, during the 2007 to 2008 academic year, four times as many students chose to attend a university or institution overseas than in the US.  Now, while attending college in a foreign country could very well save significant money, other factors would need to be considered.

As an example, the crime rate of the country would need to be determined, as well as the types of crimes being committed and the way in which the country’s law enforcement handles these situations.  Obviously, saving money to attend college abroad only to find that you live in a dangerous city would not be worth any amount of savings.  You would also need to determine if any language barriers exist.  Although you could learn the language spoken in the country where you want to attend college, some ability to communicate would be necessary for daily life and safety purposes.

Then, the type and cost of housing should be understood, as well as transportation systems, and even location of the university or institution compared to the city or a town.  For example, if you were to travel abroad for school without transportation, and the school was located in the middle of the country, you would be faced with a variety of challenges.  You simply need to research different countries and universities that interest you, followed by digging deeper for details pertaining to the way it would all come together.

One option that you may want to consider is living with a host family.  In fact, this practice has become quite popular.  By living with a host family, you would save money and have the safety of a home with a family environment but in return, the family would make money by having you stay there so it turns out to be a win-win situation for everyone.  With this option, you would be connected with a family in the country where you would attend school, which would become your “family away from home”.

During your time at school, you would stay in the home, have your own bedroom, eat meals with the family, and virtually become a member of the family.  Obviously, this situation requires some adjustment and respect of cultural differences but in most cases, this arrangement works well.  Even so, it would be essential to know what to do if the arrangement did not work, such as who to call, cost of making a change to a different host family, etc.

Now, specific to what you would expect to pay for attending a university or institution abroad versus going to school in the United States, we have provided a few examples.  Of course, this list is small but it will show you just how pricing for college differs from one country to the next.

•    United States – On average, you would pay anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 a year for a college education in the United States.  If a resident of the state in which the university or institution is located, you would likely receive some type of discount whereas non-state residents would pay more and international students, significantly higher.
 
•    Canada – For Canada, the cost of a college education is very affordable, typically around $9,000 a year.  However, the cost of students coming from other countries would be dramatically more, often upwards of $25,000.  Of all countries, Canada is by far the most affordable for getting a college education. 

•    United Kingdom – In the UK, the amount of money that can be charged to students from the European Union is limited.  Currently, the price is set at £3145 annually, which typically increases each year but always in coordination with the current rate of inflation.  On average, local students would pay £3000 annually but as an international student the price would jump to £10000.

•    Ireland – The cost of a college education in Ireland is around €900 each year for students from the European Union and €12000 per year for international students.

•    France – In France, you would have a choice of 82 different universities, with most being public institutions.  None of these universities in France charge tuition and prices for undergraduate enrollment is extremely low at just €165.  In France, professors or lecturers as they are called are civil students.  Therefore, selecting students to attend college is not allowed.  Interestingly, when looking at the list of top universities in the world, none of those from France is listed.  That is not saying education in France is bad but because of the open system, no real cohesiveness exists.  Even so, more than 1.5 million students attend college in France each year.

•    Germany – For Germany, it would cost you around 1000 Euro every year to enroll.  This price applies to both European Union students and non-European Union students alike.

•    Australia – Until 1988, a college education in Australia was free.  However, today the cost to attend college in this country has increased.  With this being an English-speaking country and a gorgeous part of the world, Australia is an extremely popular place to attend college abroad.  For price, full-time and graduate degrees typically cost between AUD 10000 and AUD 20000 a year.
 

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