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Are there any universities outside the UK that are free for UK students?

I mean no tuition fees. Someone told me that the FU Berlin university has no tuition fees and I cannot find anywhere that says that it does. If this is true and there really are universities that would take British students without tuition fees then what are the best ones for Maths? Thanks
Original post by oh_1993
I mean no tuition fees. Someone told me that the FU Berlin university has no tuition fees and I cannot find anywhere that says that it does. If this is true and there really are universities that would take British students without tuition fees then what are the best ones for Maths? Thanks


What do you mean by "best"?

I don't know anywhere which is absolutely free but I do know of a few places which cost next to nothing. Compared to 9k/year at least!

If you're willing to go to India, there's the Chennai Mathematical Institute and the Indian Statistical Institute. Both require an entrance exam and the second has an interview process for applicants selected from the exam. (both programs are in English)

In France, you can either go through a classe preparatoire for two years and then move on to do a magistere (research oriented 3-year course, which leads to a licence after the first year and a Master's after the third year) in maths or go to a grande ecole. For the latter, you will have to do written and oral exams. (a few names off the top of my head are the Ecole Normale Superieure, Ecole Polytechnique, ENSIMAG - applied math and ENSAE - for stats/econ) Language of instruction is usually in French.

Tuition fees in German universities range from 0 to 700 euros per semester. The quality among universities is, from what I gather, standard. There is no concept of X or Y university being perceived as "better", at least not for maths. Entry requirements are quite low for maths because mathematics degree courses tend to get few applicants. Once one does get in though, it's hard to stay in! To the best of my knowledge, there are no math degrees taught in English, save for the one at Jacobs U, which is a private university and has tuition fees. (like 20k euros, including room and board, I think - which is a bit more than you'd pay in England) They do award scholarships though!

The Moscow Institute of Technology and Physics has a 4-year bachelor's degree in applied math and/or physics that is taught in Russian. They offer a preparatory year where one is taught the language along with some math/physics/cs.

Belgian and Swiss (ETH-Z, EPFL are the ones that are more popular, it would seem) universities have similar tuition fees to their French and German counterparts. Again, the downside is one would have to learn either French, Dutch or German.
Reply 2
Avatar for roh
roh
17
Anywhere in the EU that is free for 'home' ie. nationals of that country, students will be.

Most EU countries are very cheap compared to Britain (France for example is about 200e a term for most places) but may not always teach in English.

I think ROI's free or at least a lot cheaper but entry standards are quite high over there.
The real issue is, can you speak anything other than English? Finding a free degree is easy, finding a free degree in English is somewhat harder, though by no means impossible.
Reply 4
Avatar for Shadowplay
Shadowplay
1
Free degrees in English are abundant in the Scandinavian countries, in some you even get a scholarship (e.g. Denmark). Also Germany, Austria... Basically if it's in the EU, and free for home students, it MUST be free for UK students as well. It's the law.
Original post by Shadowplay
Basically if it's in the EU, and free for home students, it MUST be free for UK students as well. It's the law.


Scotland?...
Well, I don't about the rest, but university education in India is very cheap. Even for foreign students who are charged either in dollars or pounds! It will be nothing compared to what UK universities charge, and the living costs are much lower. Like some one has had, Indian Statistical Institute is very good. A number of graduates go on to complete their masters and research degrees, and if not that: they end up in analytics/econometric jobs in the corporate and government sectors at very well paying positions.

There are also the IITs, and now there are nearly a dozen of them. They offer five year integrated masters, and also offer advance research degrees in Maths. The selection is very tough, and often based on competitive written exams.

The last place you might want to look up, if India interests you is the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. It has excellent department, computing facilities, clean hostels and now very good links with the industries in and around Bangalore.

You can google up the institutes for more information, or PM me if you want to know more.
Reply 7
Avatar for Shadowplay
Shadowplay
1
Original post by RamocitoMorales
Scotland?...


Scotland is free for everyone except the other British people.. Because it's the same country!
Original post by Shadowplay
Free degrees in English are abundant in the Scandinavian countries, in some you even get a scholarship (e.g. Denmark). Also Germany, Austria... Basically if it's in the EU, and free for home students, it MUST be free for UK students as well. It's the law.


Really? I've thoroughly searched for such degrees and have *never* come across *bachelor's* degrees taught in English in Scandinavia, let alone the rest of Europe, where I only found a handful maths/science degrees in English. I think you're referring to master's degrees, in which case, there are many of those. Many as compared to bachelor's, at least!

Original post by cryptic-clues
There are also the IITs, and now there are nearly a dozen of them. They offer five year integrated masters, and also offer advance research degrees in Maths. The selection is very tough, and often based on competitive written exams.

The last place you might want to look up, if India interests you is the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. It has excellent department, computing facilities, clean hostels and now very good links with the industries in and around Bangalore.


I didn't mention those "two", BITS, IISER and NISER because their entrance exams are not only more competitive (not sure about ISI, but definitely more so than CMI, who don't attract as many students, it would seem - not that I'm complaining!) but because the entrance exams involve chemistry and physics as well. The OP has done A-Level Mathematics, Further Mathematics and AS-Level Physics and learning the necessary physics and chemistry might prove troublesome, if not just plain annoying!

The IIT-Kanpur has also gotten rid of the 5-year M.Sc programs in favour of 4-year B.S programs. The fifth year is now optional. Good move, in my opinion.
Reply 9
Avatar for Shadowplay
Shadowplay
1
Original post by Lilium
Really? I've thoroughly searched for such degrees and have *never* come across *bachelor's* degrees taught in English in Scandinavia, let alone the rest of Europe, where I only found a handful maths/science degrees in English. I think you're referring to master's degrees, in which case, there are many of those. Many as compared to bachelor's, at least!




Nope, lots of BAs in English as well :smile: Check out http://www.bachelorsportal.eu. (I checked it - there are English BAs in Denmark, I clicked a random discipline (design/art) and found two BAs in Denmark in English. But I guess Denmark isn't Scandinavia, my geography is a bit weak..)
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Shadowplay
Nope, lots of BAs in English as well :smile: Check out http://www.bachelorsportal.eu. (I checked it - there are English BAs in Denmark, I clicked a random discipline (design/art) and found two BAs in Denmark in English. But I guess Denmark isn't Scandinavia, my geography is a bit weak..)


Denmark, Norway and Sweden form part of Scandinavia, according to Wikipedia. :-)

The OP was looking for a bachelor's in maths. I've seen philosophy, English, economics/business (mostly those), physics and engineering taught in English in Europe.

Oh, there is also Luxembourg. Again, that is if the OP knows French!
Reply 11
Avatar for hobnob
hobnob
14
Original post by oh_1993
I mean no tuition fees. Someone told me that the FU Berlin university has no tuition fees and I cannot find anywhere that says that it does. If this is true and there really are universities that would take British students without tuition fees then what are the best ones for Maths? Thanks

It's on their website.
Reply 12
Avatar for rosie345
rosie345
ROI is only free provided you have taken last two years of secondary school here. You are then also eligible for maintenance grants depending on your parents income and where you live. If your parents live outside the country it's likely you'll receive 3000 euro per year.
If you're coming over here than you'll have to pay your own fees and won't receive grants but fees are relatively cheap, even for medicine etc.
Also there is no interviews, c.vs or essays on application. Your acceptance is based solely on academic results.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Lilium
What do you mean by "best"?

In France, you can either go through a classe preparatoire for two years and then move on to do a magistere (research oriented 3-year course, which leads to a licence after the first year and a Master's after the third year) in maths or go to a grande ecole. For the latter, you will have to do written and oral exams. (a few names off the top of my head are the Ecole Normale Superieure, Ecole Polytechnique, ENSIMAG - applied math and ENSAE - for stats/econ) Language of instruction is usually in French.


Don't put yourself through prepas. It's two years of really intensive work, including exams at least once a week. (I know this because my cousin did it)

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