Study abroad

Nowadays, students seem to select their study programme, as well as their university, more carefully than in the past.

Big name universities or programs are certainly more aspired for, hoping that the big name will support shaping a future career.

That trend is still continuing, but surprisingly, a parallel trend has emerged over the last years.

Elise Thrale is a second year French and Italian student at the University of Bristol

I began my degree completely unacquainted with Italian. After arriving late to my first ever seminar, my tutor asked me in Italian what my name was. I just stared at her until she spoke to me again in English. 

When I was 17 and putting together my UCAS application, I only applied to London universities.  I could not be swayed by well-meaning teachers or sensible family members who encouraged me to keep an open mind and explore the whole of the UK. London was the only place I wanted to be a student. A few years on and now London has just been named one of the best cities in the world to be a student, I would say I made the right decision.

Applying to university can seem very daunting. There’s so much to do! But really, getting your application in is just a series of stages: do the research, narrow down your university choices, write the applications, and then play the waiting game. Then come the final decisions.

University applicants can now predict the cost of studying around the world with a new cost calculator for the top 200 universities covering 27 different countries.

The tool, created by currency experts at FairFX and released ahead of the Ucas deadline in January 2017, reveals that Germany is the most affordable study destination for UK students looking to go abroad.

New data from a student accommodation marketplace show that even more European students are interested in coming to the UK this year, despite concerns that the prospect of Brexit would put them off.

Enquiries from European students into UK accommodation on Student.com tripled during September to December 2016 compared with the same period the previous year.

Switzerland, Germany and Sweden are the best destinations for students looking to have a successful career abroad, according to new research into expatriate employment.

Europe is judged to be the best region overall, even though expat earnings and benefits are below the survey average.

Nonetheless, more than half the expats working in Europe say that the work culture is an improvement compared with their home country.

View the full Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2017 results

Studying at college in the United States can be notoriously expensive, particularly for “out-of-state” students, which often includes international students.

This year, universities and schools are reporting what seems to be a spike in tuition payment scams targeting college and university students. International students in particular appear to be a target for bad players trying to take advantage of unsuspecting young adults and their families navigating a variety of new situations in unfamiliar surroundings.

British universities are undoubtedly among the most expensive in Europe. The same goes for the costs of living as a student in the UK. The situation in Germany, on the other hand, could not be more different. Freed of exorbitant university fees, German students enjoy higher education of a comparably high standard that usually does not see them graduate with a huge pile of debt that then has to be paid off.