WHICH COUNTRIES OFFER FREE HIGHER EDUCATION
Studying at a prestigious university in a developed Western country is the key to building a successful professional career, a real chance for long-term immigration to Europe and an opportunity to gain invaluable experience, knowledge and a diploma, which is quoted in most countries of the world. The lion's share of famous educational institutions, including British or Swiss universities, provide for very high tuition fees. Very often the amount exceeds 10-20 thousand euros per year.
However, some European countries allow foreigners to get higher education in state universities completely free of charge. But at the same time for admission to foreign students from third countries (outside the European Union) are quite strict requirements regarding language skills and performance in secondary school. Next, let's highlight the countries with free higher education in 2025.
CONTENTS
FREE EDUCATION IN EUROPE
Germany
According to numerous rankings and surveys of foreigners, in 2025 Germany is deservedly in first place in terms of attractiveness of higher education. German public world-class universities offer not only high-quality but also free education. The symbolic administrative fee is about 100-200 euros per semester. Over the last 5 years, the share of students from abroad in local universities has increased by more than 30%.
The government only encourages such trends, as the powerful economy of the country needs qualified labor force. According to statistics, about half of foreign graduates of German universities after graduation prefer to live and work in Germany. Note that since the fall of 2017 on the territory of the state of Baden-Württemberg for students from countries outside the EU there is a tuition fee of 1,500 euros per semester.
France
In terms of international students, France leads the world after the US and the UK. Unlike British and American universities, French public higher education institutions allow students to study almost free of charge. In most cases, students are only charged an enrollment fee of 200-400 euros per year.
In the universities of France, most of the training is conducted in French, but in recent years there are more and more programs with teaching in English. There are more than 80 state universities in the country. For each student the government allocates subsidies in the amount of 10 thousand euros per year. The most reputable educational institutions are the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris.
Norway
Unlike its northern neighbors – Sweden, Denmark and Finland, not only foreigners from the European Union and the EEA, but also students from any other country in the world can get free higher education in Norway. However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it is not cheap to live in this country.
According to many authoritative studies, the Norwegian capital Oslo is among the five most expensive cities in the world. Effective systems of scholarships and grants make it possible to reduce living expenses.
Note. Free higher education in Finland for students from third countries has been unavailable since the fall of 2017. Exceptions are doctoral programs and courses taught in Swedish or Finnish. In addition, all foreigners are entitled to free higher education in 4 public universities in Iceland. There is only a registration fee of 400 euros per year.
OTHER COUNTRIES
In addition to countries with completely free higher education, there are countries in the world that charge extremely low tuition fees or have certain restrictions related to the nationality of the student or the language of instruction.
Austria. One of the most attractive places in Europe to get higher education virtually free is Austria. Students from the European Union or the EEA pay nothing or a token fee of 363.66 euros per semester when studying at Austrian universities. Plus a student fee of 17.5 euros. Foreigners from other countries pay only twice as much – 726.72 euros.
Belgium. The cost of education (registration fee) depends on the territorial affiliation of a particular university in Belgium. In universities of the French group for Belgians and Europeans the amount is about 375-837 euros per year, and for other foreigners in the region of 4,175 euros. In the universities of Flanders, students from third countries pay up to 1.5 thousand euros per year.
Greece. Greeks and EU citizens receive higher education in Greece free of charge. Other students pay student fees, the amount of which depends on the institution and program. On average, the cost of education is 2-4 thousand euros per year.
Italy and Spain. Compared to many other developed European countries, education in public universities in Italy and Spain is relatively inexpensive. In the first case, about 0.9-1 thousand euros per year, and in the second case, in the region of 1.5-4 thousand euros.
Slovenia. Slovenians, foreigners from the European Union, as well as citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia can study in public universities in Slovenia for free. Other students on undergraduate programs pay about 2-5 thousand euros per year.
Czech Republic. In public universities of the Czech Republic, free education for foreigners from any region of the world is available only in the Czech language. Programs in English on average cost about 3.8 thousand euros per year, with a maximum of 20 thousand.
In conclusion, we note that more or less cheap higher education is available in countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Many universities offer quality programs in English in addition to Spanish or Portuguese courses.
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