You may have applied to different countries for free education, either for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. You encounter certain limitations when applying for international scholarships. On the other hand, you might try to go to some countries where the tuition fee is either minimal, like you have to pay only the semester registration fee, e.g., $200, or there are no such charges at all. You need to be aware of such countries while applying for a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. in these countries.
Here is a list of the top five countries that offer a minimum tuition fee or have no cost at all. You might consider these countries for the future destinations of your studies and career ahead.
1. Norway
Norway is one of the top destinations for international students for studies. Many of the Norwegian state and public sector universities do not charge any tuition fee for local as well as international students. This applies to students from undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. programs. All students need to pay an initial semester fee of NOK 300-600 per semester.
Many of the universities offer assistantships in terms of monetary assistance for local and international students at the same rate. Private universities do charge tuition fees, but if we compare them to other countries, the overall fee structure is very flexible, and a student can easily manage his or her expenses by doing some odd jobs along with studies.
Cost of Living: Although your expenses for studies are not a burden for you in this country, on the other hand, you need to manage overall living and food expenses, which are roughly NOK 90,000 to 100,000 (around $8000-$9000).
Here is a list of Universities and Colleges in Norway.
Read more about other International Scholarships around the world.
2. Austria
Austria is one of the top countries for international students. If you fall under the non-EU/EEA student category, many of the public and state universities only charge about 700-800 euros per semester. A student accident insurance fee and an “OH-Beitrag” bonus, if you are part of a student union.
Universities offer many fee exemption options to students in special cases, such as those who hold certain scholarships, are exchange students, or are part of university partnerships with other countries. You can explore many options on the official website of their higher education universities.
Cost of Living: Normally, the cost of living in Austria is around 800 euros per month, which covers accommodation, food, and personal daily expenses.
Here is a list of institutions in Norway with free and low-tuition fees
3. Germany
Many of the German universities do not charge students for tuition fees except for the registration fee, around 150-200 euros per semester. Some of the federal state universities will charge only a 50-euro contribution and a 50-euro administration fee at the start of the semester. Some universities, like Baden-Württemberg, do charge a semester fee of around 1500 euros per semester. You should consider the other options while applying for universities in Germany. Many of the German universities offer bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programs for local and international students, but the tuition fees are not much higher than in other countries. Germany is one of the best destinations for Ph.D. researchers, because a Ph.D. scholar is either fully funded as a research assistant or they receive a fellowship from the concerned supervisor or university.
Cost of Living: On average, students have to pay around 500-800 euros per month for accommodation, transport, food, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Read more about: The MTCP Scholarship: Fully Funded Master’s Degree in Malaysia
Friend’s Experience: I have discussed with three friends about life in Germany. Three have different points of view. First, there are some taxes you have to pay if you are married and have a family with you. You will need extra work and money to afford taxes as well. The second one shared that I earn around 800-900 euros per month as a beginner-level German speaker. And the third one, who lives in Berlin, said, “I am unable to find a job due to the expensive city and low options for odd jobs.” Therefore, you have to consider all factors while studying or working in Germany.
Here is a list of the best German Universities and Colleges you can consider.
4. Finland
If you are a Ph.D. student, then your studies are free regardless of your nationality. But from Autumn 2017 onwards, the country has introduced tuition fees for all students, whether you are a non-EU/EEA student studying in an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s program. Some of the scholarships are offered to top-grade students from the non-EU/EEA category studying in bachelor’s or master’s programs. You can explore it in detail here about these scholarships.
Cost of living in Finland: For a single student living in Finland, you have to pay around 700-900 euros for accommodation, living, and food expenses. But if you are working part-time in odd jobs, you can manage this amount easily at the end of the month.
Here is a List of Finnish institutions for Higher Education
Here is a List of some State Scholarships in Finland.
Explore more about the Fulbright Scholarship Program in the US for international students
5. Sweden
Many of the Swedish institutes and a significant number of higher education universities offer full or partial scholarships for international students who are eligible to receive tuition fee waivers. But the tuition fee is applied to students studying in undergraduate and master’s programs who do not belong to the EU/EEA/Nordic countries or Switzerland.
Like many other countries, Ph.D. studies are paid positions in terms of fellowship or external funding from other organizations. If you are applying as a Ph.D. student, there are many options for you to get a fully funded fellowship in many of the top Swedish institutions. Swedish research degrees are very practical, and there is a door of opportunities for your future career.
Here is a list of Swedish universities that offer scholarships/tuition waivers.
Online Tuition-Free Universities and Courses
There are many other places you can explore online for online associate, bachelor’s, and master’s studies for free. Among many others, there is the University of the People, which offers such online free/tuition-waived degrees with affordable prices compared to $40,000 or $60,000 tuition per semester on-site. You can explore these options as well:
Harvard University Free Online Courses
Here is a good writing all about free courses: Explore more
Curious about other scholarships. Explore more here in the scholarship category
