Financial Information
The financial reality of studying abroad is a major consideration wherever you choose to go. Once you take the decision to study your full undergraduate or postgraduate degree abroad you will not be able to access British student finance. Therefore, you need to consider alternative sources of funding. However, this does not mean that studying abroad will be more expensive in real terms than pursuing a degree in the United Kingdom even if the upfront costs are higher.
On the country information pages of this website you will find a brief description of the financial implications of studying in each country. Here we will limit ourselves to some general remarks about student finance abroad and an overview of the cost of public university education in the most popular countries. The cost of private higher education varies dramatically from university to university so we cannot easily summarise the costs involved. However, private education abroad often costs less than £9,000 a year and even when it doesn’t you might find that generous scholarships are on offer.
Please also check each country page for specific advice on financial aid that may be available to British students.
| Country | Bachelors in English | Institutions teaching in English | Indicative Fees |
| Denmark | 69 | 18 | 0 |
| Norway | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Sweden | 39 | 13 | 0 |
| Finland | 102 | 24 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 183 | 37 | 1,771 |
| Ireland | na | na | 2,25 |
| United States | na | na | US$5,000-58,500 |
| Australia | na | na | AUD16,000-24,000 |
| Austria | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Belgium | 10 | 5 | 579 |
| Italy | 12 | 7 | €800-3,300 |
| Spain | 7 | 2 | €850-1500 |
| Germany | 59 | 37 | €0-1000 |
Notes
1. Fees are per year of undergraduate tuition. Some course will last for more than three years.
2. Number of courses and institutions refer to public universities only.
Financing Study in Europe
Within the European Union British students should be entitled to the same support as local students. In most countries this means that if tuition fee loans are available for local students, British students should also be able to access that support. Where maintenance loans for living costs are available these can often be subject to a residency requirement meaning that they are only available to students who have been living in the country for a period of time (usually three years) and whose family have been paying taxes there. There may also be a nationality requirement so if you have a European passport it may be worthwhile investigating precisely which rules apply to you.
In countries where there are no tuition fees you can usually count on no support. In countries where there are tuition fees these may be means-tested for domestic students. In this case, all EU students will be entitled to the same consideration and will be able to submit an application for lower fees. Some private universities also offer means-testing but this may be discretionary.
For information about specific countries please visit the country pages on this website.