Studying vet med/animal related degrees abroad
It’s been a life long dream for me to be a vet, I’ve always loved animals and working with them would be a dream. Veterinary medicine seems like the most obvious career choice, but for me the biggest set back is the cost of the degree, I’ve read that it can cost up to £30,000 per year in some unis! To avoid crippling debt the most obvious option seems to be to study abroad. Does anyone currently/did study vet med abroad in the EU? I’ve read that the vet school in Kosice Slovakia is especially good and only costs €8,000 a year. It would be especially nice to study in Poland or any other Slavic speaking country as I can already speak Polish which would make living there a hell of a lot easier.
Original post by floppyfish
It’s been a life long dream for me to be a vet, I’ve always loved animals and working with them would be a dream. Veterinary medicine seems like the most obvious career choice, but for me the biggest set back is the cost of the degree, I’ve read that it can cost up to £30,000 per year in some unis! To avoid crippling debt the most obvious option seems to be to study abroad. Does anyone currently/did study vet med abroad in the EU? I’ve read that the vet school in Kosice Slovakia is especially good and only costs €8,000 a year. It would be especially nice to study in Poland or any other Slavic speaking country as I can already speak Polish which would make living there a hell of a lot easier.
You really want to be a vet?
Do some work experience first. You need to see the realities of the job before you set off down that path.
A fair few recent graduates into the Veterinary world give it up after 5-7 years. The pay isn't all that great.
Do you have a previous degree or live outside of the UK?
If the answer to those is no then the vet degree is £9,250 a year in tuition fees and you can get a tuition fee loan for this within the UK
Similarly you can also get a maintenance loan to help with living costs.
My student debt is high, and growing, but it certainly isn't costing me £30,000 a year - £14,000 would be more accurate including living costs.
The overseas schools are considered easier to get into so may still be worth looking into if you think you would struggle to meet the requirements here but then again the quality of teaching is not considered as good.
As above you definitely need to see some practice - being a vet may not be what you think it is. You do work with animals a lot of the time but university definitely sets a lot up with unrealistic expectations. University will teach the gold standard and their practices will follow it. But in reality the practice you end up in may not have all the mod cons and your clients may not wish to pay for them. So manage expectations and it could be a great career but go into it thinking you'll save everything and I imagine its rather depressing (would explain the high drop out rate).
If the answer to those is no then the vet degree is £9,250 a year in tuition fees and you can get a tuition fee loan for this within the UK
Similarly you can also get a maintenance loan to help with living costs.
My student debt is high, and growing, but it certainly isn't costing me £30,000 a year - £14,000 would be more accurate including living costs.
The overseas schools are considered easier to get into so may still be worth looking into if you think you would struggle to meet the requirements here but then again the quality of teaching is not considered as good.
As above you definitely need to see some practice - being a vet may not be what you think it is. You do work with animals a lot of the time but university definitely sets a lot up with unrealistic expectations. University will teach the gold standard and their practices will follow it. But in reality the practice you end up in may not have all the mod cons and your clients may not wish to pay for them. So manage expectations and it could be a great career but go into it thinking you'll save everything and I imagine its rather depressing (would explain the high drop out rate).
Original post by TheWannabeFarmer
Do you have a previous degree or live outside of the UK?
If the answer to those is no then the vet degree is £9,250 a year in tuition fees and you can get a tuition fee loan for this within the UK
Similarly you can also get a maintenance loan to help with living costs.
My student debt is high, and growing, but it certainly isn't costing me £30,000 a year - £14,000 would be more accurate including living costs.
The overseas schools are considered easier to get into so may still be worth looking into if you think you would struggle to meet the requirements here but then again the quality of teaching is not considered as good.
As above you definitely need to see some practice - being a vet may not be what you think it is. You do work with animals a lot of the time but university definitely sets a lot up with unrealistic expectations. University will teach the gold standard and their practices will follow it. But in reality the practice you end up in may not have all the mod cons and your clients may not wish to pay for them. So manage expectations and it could be a great career but go into it thinking you'll save everything and I imagine its rather depressing (would explain the high drop out rate).
If the answer to those is no then the vet degree is £9,250 a year in tuition fees and you can get a tuition fee loan for this within the UK
Similarly you can also get a maintenance loan to help with living costs.
My student debt is high, and growing, but it certainly isn't costing me £30,000 a year - £14,000 would be more accurate including living costs.
The overseas schools are considered easier to get into so may still be worth looking into if you think you would struggle to meet the requirements here but then again the quality of teaching is not considered as good.
As above you definitely need to see some practice - being a vet may not be what you think it is. You do work with animals a lot of the time but university definitely sets a lot up with unrealistic expectations. University will teach the gold standard and their practices will follow it. But in reality the practice you end up in may not have all the mod cons and your clients may not wish to pay for them. So manage expectations and it could be a great career but go into it thinking you'll save everything and I imagine its rather depressing (would explain the high drop out rate).
I’m currently in year 11 so I don’t have any qualifications yet and I live in England. I don’t really have much experience yet (apart from volunteering at a stable but I’m not sure that counts) but I’m thinking about taking a gap year to have the opportunity to get all the experience I need.
Do you know which unis in the UK have the most affordable vet med courses?
if you are in the UK all courses cost the same - £9,250 per year - for which you can get a student loan. If you live in Scotland and go to a Scottish uni you pay no tuition fees.
The variable is living costs - London (RVC) being more expensive, Edinburgh also quite an expensive place to live, some of the more rural ones are more manageable but again you can get a maintenance loan to pay for/towards accommodation/food/etc.
The maintenance loan amount depends on your parents' income so if they earn well then they will be expected to contribute.
The variable is living costs - London (RVC) being more expensive, Edinburgh also quite an expensive place to live, some of the more rural ones are more manageable but again you can get a maintenance loan to pay for/towards accommodation/food/etc.
The maintenance loan amount depends on your parents' income so if they earn well then they will be expected to contribute.
The only reason you would be paying out is if your religion prevents you from taking the loans.
Thank you so much 
£9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?
£9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?Original post by floppyfish
Thank you so much £9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?
£9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?yes - it will, but be aware that Scottish unis have quotas for the number of UK (who aren't Scottish) students they allow in so it can be harder to get a place
Original post by floppyfish
Thank you so much £9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?
£9,250 doesn’t seem too bad. If I live in England and I want to study in Scotland will it also cost £9,250?Bear in mind you do not pay that £9250 a year out of pocket. Normally students apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan from Student Finance England. The tuition fee loan covers the full tuition fee and is paid directly to the uni, while the maintenance loan amount depends on your parents (or your own, if you are over the age of 25 or meet certain other criteria) income, and also is higher if you study in London, and is used to cover your housing and living costs. You can get up to about £8900 outside of London or up to about £10000 and a bit if you are studying inside London, currently, if you fall into the lowest income bracket.
I would note also these loans are not like bank loans, as they don't affect your credit score, and you only make payments as a proportion of how much you are earning, if you are earning over the threshold (I believe about £24k per year) once you graduate. If you earn under the threshold you don't pay anything back. Essentially, you will never pay back more than you can afford for the student loan. The repayments are taken directly from your paycheque like national insurance contributions and income tax if you are a PAYE employee (i.e. most employment other than self-employment). Also any remaining loan amount is written off when you retire at 65 (likely to be 67 by the time you graduate), and previously (not sure if this is still true) if you earned under the threshold for a certain number years (I believe it was 10 or 15) the loan would be written off early.
Essentially it is "invisible" debt, you will never normally have bailiffs knocking on your door for repayments or anything unless you are self employed and misrepresent your earnings to avoid repaying, or leave the country to work abroad without informing SFE. So the only costs you need to be concerned with at uni are living costs and any required costs for your course (e.g. stationery, often for STEM degrees a lab coat, etc) and living costs (rent, food, transport as necessary - this might be more of a requirement for vet med depending on placement locations). Some areas are more expensive to live in than others but typically between your maintenance loan and a student overdraft to bridge any gaps while you wait for the next loan instalment to be paid out, along with potentially part time/casual work during the holidays (or sometimes in term time), most students are able to make ends meet.
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