[Toaster Leavings]

Scottish universities are free for Scottish residents and I've just read that non-English EU students can travel over to Scotland and study for free. English students have to pay as the UK is a single member state.

So, I was wondering if any other universities in the EU do not charge fees for their citizens and whether it was possible for an English student to go and study there for free? Obviously it would mean learning another language and having to find somewhere to live but at least you would avoid astronomical fees.

[Clare~Bear]

I think there might be some I know there was a news story about a girl going to one of the eastern european countries for uni cos it was either extremely cheap or free.

[Mobs25]

Im not sure if it would be completely 'free' but i know of some of my friends who didn't get in last year and were given a choice my UCAS to study abroad in europe... for almost half the tuition fee (approv £1500). These wer places like Hungry, Romania, Greece(?).

I was kind of surprised when i first heard about the scottish system of free-education at university level... its good i guess but i wonder wer they get all the money from? - must be expensive to study their if your not a scottish-resident!

[kassiopeia]

yes, Sweden.Also in the Austria and the Netherlands.In the Netherlands you pay but it's only about 1,700 euros per year as far as I remember.

[Mobs25]

But i think this is all dependent on you coming from the UK and being a resistant here.

[Mbob]

(Original post by Toaster Leavings)
Scottish universities are free for Scottish residents and I've just read that non-English EU students can travel over to Scotland and study for free. English students have to pay as the UK is a single member state.

So, I was wondering if any other universities in the EU do not charge fees for their citizens and whether it was possible for an English student to go and study there for free? Obviously it would mean learning another language and having to find somewhere to live but at least you would avoid astronomical fees.

Under the EU system, you pay whatever you would pay if you were a resident of that country.

However, you may not be eligible for the same funding as residents would get (i.e. grants or loans).

The situation with Scotland is weird, because although you can't discriminate between EU countries you can discriminate within them. So students from the EU are treated as though they are Scottish, but those from England, Wales, and NI are not.

[Toaster Leavings]

(Original post by Mbob)
Under the EU system, you pay whatever you would pay if you were a resident of that country.

However, you may not be eligible for the same funding as residents would get (i.e. grants or loans).

The situation with Scotland is weird, because although you can't discriminate between EU countries you can discriminate within them. So students from the EU are treated as though they are Scottish, but those from England, Wales, and NI are not.

I knew that was the situation in Scotland because the UK as a whole counts as the Member State.

However, I don't see why the English wouldn't be treated as Swedish (i.e. get free frees and funding ops), say, if you went to a free Swedish university when a Swede would be treated as Scottish if they went to a free Scottish university.

[Skaði]

I don't know about free, but I know some places are really cheap. Maastricht University in the Netherlands is one that comes to mind, but I can't remember the exact cost...

(Original post by Toaster Leavings)
However, I don't see why the English wouldn't be treated as Swedish (i.e. get free frees and funding ops), say, if you went to a free Swedish university when a Swede would be treated as Scottish if they went to a free Scottish university.

See, I always assumed it was because the Scottish hate us Would they have to let English students in for free should they get independence?

[seanfromtheblock]

(Original post by Toaster Leavings)
I knew that was the situation in Scotland because the UK as a whole counts as the Member State.

However, I don't see why the English wouldn't be treated as Swedish (i.e. get free frees and funding ops), say, if you went to a free Swedish university when a Swede would be treated as Scottish if they went to a free Scottish university.

yeah, you would be treated as if you were Swedish, though wouldn't be entitled to loans or anything.

[KiaraMarissa]

(Original post by Skaði)
I don't know about free, but I know some places are really cheap. Maastricht University in the Netherlands is one that comes to mind, but I can't remember the exact cost...

See, I always assumed it was because the Scottish hate us Would they have to let English students in for free should they get independence?

Dutch universities charge around €1700,- so that would be much cheaper than what you'd have to pay in the UK and there are a lot of English degrees here.

I think Scotland would have to let English students in for free if they became independent, because they'd be two separate EU member states.

[llys]

Germany is free or €500 per semester, depending on state. Switzerland and I think France are similar. You'd have to speak the language though.

[Mbob]

(Original post by Skaði)
I don't know about free, but I know some places are really cheap. Maastricht University in the Netherlands is one that comes to mind, but I can't remember the exact cost...



See, I always assumed it was because the Scottish hate us Would they have to let English students in for free should they get independence?

Notionally yes, although they might find a way around it.

Given the spending cuts which Scotland would face once independent (and will face to some extent even within the UK) there might be an introduction of fees in any case.

[Mbob]

(Original post by Toaster Leavings)
I knew that was the situation in Scotland because the UK as a whole counts as the Member State.

However, I don't see why the English wouldn't be treated as Swedish (i.e. get free frees and funding ops), say, if you went to a free Swedish university when a Swede would be treated as Scottish if they went to a free Scottish university.

They would on the fees, funding (grants etc.) are variable.

[Nightstar-27]

Yes, Sweden and some states in Germany. Other places are way cheaper.

[AnonymousPenguin]

(Original post by llys)
Germany is free or €500 per semester, depending on state. Switzerland and I think France are similar. You'd have to speak the language though.

The only place charging tuition fees in Germany is Bavaria. Everywhere else it is free.

Also free:
-Austria, as long as you don't fail
-France, although I would avoid it, huge classes and all that, with everyone being entitled to a place
-most other countries, but I don't know the policies off the top of my head.

[Tackla]

Finland and Sweden.

I would hate to live in that cold weather. ;(

[The Owl of Minerva]

Lund University, Sweden is supposed to be free and very good.

[perlsh]

(Original post by AnonymousPenguin)

-Austria, as long as you don't fail

No, it's as long as you don't take longer than you're supposed to plus two semesters. So for most courses you just need to finish within 4 years. But the debate around tuition fees is constant here.

[xmarilynx]

(Original post by AnonymousPenguin)
The only place charging tuition fees in Germany is Bavaria. Everywhere else it is free.

Also free:
-Austria, as long as you don't fail
-France, although I would avoid it, huge classes and all that, with everyone being entitled to a place
-most other countries, but I don't know the policies off the top of my head.

Depends on your uni and course. My uni's only small so there aren't many people at all (generally 20-30 in my Politics lectures, 10-15 in German and less than 10 in Russian...). If you do Law or a really popular subject at a big uni it's pretty crowded though, especially at first before people drop out.

[shevi]

Well in Belgium it's up to €500/year for non-scholarship students (I doubt you'd be able to get a scholarship if you've not been resident here for a couple of years). So pretty cheap in comparison. It depends on how many credits you take but full-time you'd be looking at 60 credits = ca. €500
Still doesn't make me want to stick around though