5 Free or Low-Cost Ways to Study Abroad
Do you want to go to college but worry about how much it will cost? Here are some helpful ways to study abroad without paying full tuition or at least for a lot less than it would normally cost.
The experience of a lifetime may be had by studying in another country, but the financial investment may be significant. If you wish to study in another country at a low cost or perhaps for no cost at all, fortunately, you have more than a few options to choose from.
Keeping in mind that a significant portion of the money you pay to study abroad is going toward acquiring relaxation and tranquility is the key to finding ways to reduce the financial burden of doing so. Study abroad programs will charge you additional fees if they help you find lodging, assist you in enrolling in foreign universities or even help you with the process of obtaining a visa. If you choose to handle some or all of these responsibilities on your own, you will find that your time spent studying abroad goes much more smoothly.
Here are some ways that you can save money on some of those expenses and study abroad at a reduced cost or even for free!
1. Choose a low-cost country.
To further your education by attending school in another country does not require you to empty your savings account. You may make your dreams of studying abroad come true if you commit to creating a detailed budget, select a study abroad program that is within your financial means, and decide to go somewhere that has a low cost of living.
To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular and cost-effective nations in which to study abroad, based on the average cost of both living expenses and tuition.
BRAZIL
With rent, the average cost of living each month is $550–$850.
Through direct enrollment, the average cost of a semester (without housing) is between $1,000 and $5,000.
With housing, a semester with a third-party provider cost between $7,000 and $19,000.
Brazil is a great place to study abroad if you want to live in a country with a lot going on in the social scene. Brazil is a country with lots of lively music, tasty food, samba dancing, beaches, and more. Depending on the program or university, it can also be quite cheap. Even though your tuition costs may seem high, your rent and cost of living will probably be much lower than if you were to study abroad in Japan or France.
CHINA
With rent, the average monthly cost of living is between $800 and $1700.
Through direct enrollment, the average cost of a semester (without housing) is between $2,000 and $7,000.
With housing, a semester with third-party provider costs between $7,500 and $12,000.
When compared to many other popular study-abroad destinations, China can be a great low-cost option for students who want to learn about ancient history, art, and wisdom.
You can save money while studying abroad in China by eating at local markets, applying for scholarships, and taking public transportation.
2. Enroll Directly In A Foreign University
Many countries, including those that accept international students, offer education for free or at much lower prices than the United States. This is in contrast to how expensive it is to go to college in the United States.
For example, at Paris’s La Sorbonne, there are no tuition fees and only a small fee to register, which is about $200. The only bad thing? French universities teach in French, so you have to know the language to go there. For people who don’t speak French, the University of Tasmania in Australia is a good deal at around $6,000, while the University of Auckland in New Zealand is a bit more expensive at just under $9,000.
And English-language programs aren’t just for countries where English is spoken. The English programs at the University of Nottingham’s campus in Ningbo, China, cost just under $7,000 per year to attend.
Think about making a list of the top five places you’d like to study abroad. Next, look at the websites of public universities in those countries to see if the price of tuition is something you can afford. Also, think about how much it costs to live there: Even for international students, Norway’s public universities are free, but the high cost of living might make this choice less appealing than others.
3. Compare a Work Study to
International students who want to work while studying abroad often have trouble because they don’t have the right visa to work in a foreign country. But some programs give you a way out of this situation so that you can work and earn money to help pay for your study abroad program. Think about taking a course to become an English as a foreign language teacher or going to a country like Australia or New Zealand where you can work while you’re in school.
Also, keep in mind that, depending on how long you stay in the country, many EU countries will let you work part-time. In the UK, for example, you can work part-time if you stay for more than six months. In Spain, you can work as long as you do something related to your field of study. Our handy guide will help you learn more about the laws regarding work in different places where you can study abroad.
4. Choose a cheap trip abroad.
If you don’t want to worry about making your own study abroad experience, you can always choose a study abroad program that is on the cheaper side. Here are a few that are much more affordable:
Lorenzo de Medici, Florence, Italy (starting at $5,500)
FuBIS, in Berlin, Germany ($2,000 and up)
Edinburgh, Scotland, Equine Summer Program (starting at $4,895)
Hutong School, Different Chinese Cities (prices start at $881)
Summer Program at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy (starting at $2,830)
5. Apply for free money and grants
Even though this one is pretty clear, we couldn’t leave it off the list. Scholarships and grants are the best way to cut down on the cost of studying abroad. They are also more expensive than some of the other options we’ve suggested, so they might not work for everyone.
Go Overseas has a long list of scholarships and grants for studying abroad in many different fields, countries, and ways. Google is another good place to look for scholarships related to your study abroad program, the subject you’re studying, or the country where you want to study abroad.