University study in Europe

With higher ed under attack in the US, Europe offers excellent alternatives

Photo by Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Many American colleges and universities offer four-year degree programmes featuring a “junior year abroad” opportunity. Such programmes take advantage of specialised programmes of study, broaden American students’ cultural perspectives, encourage personal development, and to catalyse development of foreign language competence.

But here’s a question that is too seldom asked: Why limit yourself to a semester or a year abroad? What are the potential educational and cost benefits of pursuing all of your undergraduate studies in Europe rather in the United States?

As the research dollars that have driven excellence at American universities dwindle, and as the future of the U.S. Department of Education (and the status of the federal student loan programme) is threatened, now is the right time to consider this possibility.

This essay is a work in progress and will be updated in early September 2025. I’ve chosen to release this draft now as I see the issue as topical,¹ and to provide some basic information to American students and their parents as they consider their college/university choices: there are excellent universities in Europe, too.

Costs of Higher Education

Anyone thinking about attending a college or university after high school in the U.S. has to confront the issue of cost. For the select few this might not be a matter of concern, but for us everyday folk it is. Even if it is not the issue that determines to which colleges or universities one applies, it might be the one that determines where you ultimately go.

According to the Education Data Initiative, American students entering university in 2024 faced the following average USD costs, before financial aid, for a four-year undergraduate degree programme at public and private institutions. (Note that the four-year totals do not account for average annual increase in tuition costs of 4.11 percent).²

Consider also that the cost of a university education depends for about 60 percent of students on the receipt of student loans. The aggregate outstanding student loan in the U.S. in 2024 was $1.753 trillion representing 42.8 million borrowers; the average outstanding balance on student loans is $37,853.³

So, is pursuing university education in the European Union (EU) a viable alternative with regard to earning qualifications and cost of education?

Degrees and Degree Equivalency

For those who intend to pursue employment in the United States, the first challenge is determining and demonstrating equivalency between familiar U.S. four-year bachelors degree programmes and European university courses of study. Indeed this has been an issue among European countries as well, particularly since EU regulations facilitate workers who wish to cross geopolitical boundaries for employment. How does one know what academic qualification in Italy is equivalent to one in Sweden, for example, and what authority is in a position to certify this?

Progress has been made toward standardising the structure and qualifications offered by European institutions as part of the “Bologna Process,” begun in 1999, details of which are found on the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) website. Participation in this intergovernmental effort is voluntary and its recommendations are not binding in any legal way. Nevertheless most European universities have made adjustments to the qualifications they award to promote equivalency. Generally speaking, this results in a “three cycle framework” of university qualifications:⁴

• Bachelor’s degree (first cycle) – typically 3 years

• Master’s degree (second cycle) – typically 2 years

• Doctorate (third cycle) – typically 3 or more years

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) has also been established to facilitate mobility of students within the European Higher Education Area; it does this by identifying equivalence of degrees earned as well as credit for individual courses taken at different universities in different parts of the EU.

But what of demonstrating equivalency between degrees awarded by universities in the EU and North American institutions?

In this context third-party evaluation is also the most effective way to enable universities or employers map European qualifications to corresponding American degrees. In general degree equivalency is determined by evaluating degree accreditation, credits earned, and length of study. For those with European qualifications seeking employment in North America the onus will be on the individual to assemble a portfolio which attests to the equivalency of qualifications. But note that for many North American employers, university reputation also plays a role, and most are unlikely to have familiarity with more than a handful of leading European universities. Organisations that offer credential evaluation services include the World Education Services (WES) and the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Some professional fields of study have licensing and credentialing requirements beyond university degrees that must also be taken into consideration (e.g., medicine, engineering, law).

The issues of degree equivalency aside, what else is there to consider? Let’s start where I began, with the question of cost.

Evaluating Costs for Tuition and Fees

For a non-EU citizen, pursing a bachelors degree in the EU can be much less expensive than doing so in the U.S., depending on country, university and expenses for cost of living. Given that tuition charges can vary within a country at public universities, and can vary by the programme of studies, it is impossible in a confined space to provide details that would be accurate across the board. The table below, however, provides some indicative costs for study at public universities in a few selected countries—costs gathered from reliable sources from the years 2023 and 2024, sometimes expressing a range of potential expenses. In addition, application fees are commonly charged. For further information, and for information about EU countries not included in the table, visit the European Commission’s Study in Europe website.

Determining actual costs obviously requires further research by those interested, and some links are provided in the notes for places where such research could start.⁵ Note that it is also often the case that a bachelors degree is obtainable in three years, rather than four, which can also yield savings.

Indicative tuition costs at selected EU universities

Funding One’s Studies in the EU

For many undergraduate American college students, seeking financial aid and borrowing through student loan programmes goes hand-in-hand with the college/university application process.

Financial aid is available for study at universities in the EU from a range of sources, from private philanthropies to individual university programmes. The European Commission’s “Study in Europe” website provides a starting point for exploring options within specific EU countries.

Some federal student loan programmes managed through the U.S. Department of Education will loan money for foreign study at selected universities. The list of eligible universities favours institutions in anglophone countries and Germany⁶ for general courses of study, whereas it is universities offering specialised or professional programmes that are favoured in other countries. As with applications for loans and financial aid for U.S. institutions, the starting point is completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. A good starting point for additional information is the U.S. Department of Education’s resource on Aid for International Study.

Now, in February 2025, there have been suggestions that the Department of Education be eliminated and its functions assigned to other government departments. Project 2025, which has thus far provided something of a playbook for the Executive branch of the federal government, recommends that the federal student loan programme “should ultimately be restored to the private sector (or, at the very least, the federal government should revisit its role as a guarantor, rather than direct lender),” and advocates for a greater emphasis on workforce development in higher education. Speculation has also emerged on what the programme might come to look like under the current administration.⁷

As the above table shows, there can be stark differences in academic expenses depending on whether or not one is an EU citizen. This might therefore prompt some potential applicants to explore whether they might be entitled to citizenship in an EU country based on jus sanguinis—citizenship based on ancestry. Note, however, that in some cases EU tuition rates also depend on meeting a residency requirement.

Cost of Living

Expenses relate to general cost of living as well. Guides to students’ cost of living in EU states are available for several countries, including those listed below. Note that cost of living varies significantly among EU countries, and costs in major cities can be much higher than in smaller cities and towns. Once a jurisdiction and university has been identified, further research will be necessary to obtain a clear sense of costs of housing and other living costs.

• Denmark: https://studyindenmark.dk/live-in-denmark/bank-budget

• Finland: https://www.studyinfinland.fi/admissions/fees-and-costs

• France: https://www.campusfrance.org/en/preparing-budget-student-France

• Germany: https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/plan-your-studies/preparation/funding/

• Netherlands: https://www.studyinnl.org/finances/daily-student-expenses-and-cost-of-living-in-the-netherlands

• Sweden: https://studyinsweden.se/plan-your-studies/fees-costs/#

Choosing a place to study

Determining where to study—a specific university, or a specific country—is a matter of identifying a well respected university as well as a country whose profile matches one’s objectives. The major university ranking systems⁸ offer a rough measure of university quality—their perspectives should be taken with a grain of salt as they focus on research-intensive universities and are widely “gamed” to improve their universities’ standing. They may be most useful in identifying those European universities which employers (or US graduate schools) might more easily recognise as peers of leading American universities.

Part of the American ritual of choosing a college or university is a tour of prospective campuses—something that may be less practical when considering study in the EU. Nevertheless the European Commission sponsors a virtual information session—a European higher education fair—for prospective university students each autumn, providing information on degree programmes, scholarship opportunities and practical issues relating to living abroad. In addition, many universities offer recruitment events or “open days” for visitors, frequently offering an information fair to answer questions about university study programmes, student residences, entry requirements, visas, etc.

The experience of study in the EU can be quite different from that at an American university. While some universities have large campuses (such as at most Irish universities), many are more integrated into urban environments and do not have the same campus “feel” that is typical of U.S. institutions. Universities frequently do not always provide dormitories for students—or at least for a majority of students, though private student residences are often available. Other amenities typical of U.S. colleges, such as sports facilities, may also be wanting. And campus culture can be quite different. U.S. universities use many mechanisms to build loyalty—campus mascots, sporting teams, etc.—that will endure through the activities of alumni associations and giving programmes. Expect such efforts at European universities to be be less mature, and less visible.

For non-EU residents, study abroad typically requires a student visa, issued once entrance to a university has been secured. Note that time spent in most EU countries on a student visa will not satisfy residency requirements leading to citizenship (for example, three years spent with a student visa in Ireland is not counted toward the five-year residency requirement for Irish citizenship). Securing a bank account and health insurance are also typically required, and individual universities typically provide guidance on such matters.

Many universities offer courses, and indeed degree programmes, in the English language, as it has become a lingua franca internationally and accommodates students from the EU and beyond. Nevertheless language competence in the host country is sometimes required. My own view would be that not acquiring language competence while a student in a non-anglophone country would represent an enormous opportunity missed.

Cultural Benefits of Study in the European Union

Potential cost savings (and potentially reducing study time for a bachelors degree to three years instead of four) and potential for gaining non-English language competency are not the only reasons to consider a university education in the EU. Students benefit simply from residing in a jurisdiction where societal and governmental institutions are structured differently, and where the values and traditions of a national culture differ from those familiar in the United States. Indeed, many countries’ student visas enable seamless travel throughout the Schengen area, which for some students provides a means for further broadening their experience. Student visas also typically permit students to pursue work opportunities in the host country, potentially facilitating post-graduate employments or an eventual transition to permanent residency in the EU.

Conclusions

Clearly the process of identifying and eventually attending a university in the European Union requires some effort, but for many the effort will pay off in the form of quality education, cost savings, and experience of a culture outside the U.S. where aspects of culture—such as shared values and lifestyle—are quite different.

At this time there is also considerable uncertainty in the U.S. about how a sea-change in federal government policies will affect higher education in the coming years, whether with regard to curricula or to research funding. And the future of mechanisms for funding enrolment in degree programmes is similarly obscure. I’ve touched on some of the salient issues above and summarise them below:

• Potential disruption of existing mechanisms for provision of student loans, including potential transfer of loan administration to the U.S. Department of the Treasury or to the private sector;

• Diminished access to research funding and diminished infrastructure to support research activity;

• Challenges with regard to policies intended to provide equitable opportunities for all applicants for college admission;

• Challenges supporting students with financial need should student loans become less accessible or more costly to pay off;

• Reduced opportunities for undergraduates to participate in sponsored research activities as federal funding sources diminish;

• Diminishment of support for free speech and the principle of “academic freedom” on university campuses.

At a time of such uncertainty, understanding all of one’s options in pursuing a university education only makes sense. It takes research that might be more challenging that evaluating domestic college/university options. However, for some and perhaps many, attending universities in the European Union may represent a best-case scenario.

Update: Please also see the brief follow-up essay “More about university study in Europe,” which discusses a the differing perspectives of Americans versus Europeans on higher education.

1. Michelle Goldberg, “Trump Wants to Destroy All Academia, Not Just the Woke Parts,” New York Times (14 February 2025) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/opinion/trump-college-academia-woke.html?smid=url-share

2. Hanson, Melanie, “Average Cost of College & Tuition” EducationData.org (28 May 2024)
https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college (consulted 26 December 2024)

3. Hanson, Melanie, “Student Loan Debt Statistics” EducationData.org (15 July 2024)
https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics (consulted 26 December 2024)

4. European Higher Education Area (EHEA), “Qualifications Framework” [2022] https://ehea.info/page-qualification-frameworks (consulted 4 February 2024)

5. The following links provide some potential starting points for exploring higher education possibilities in the European Union:

“Study in Europe: Getting you ready to plan and complete higher education studies in Europe” European Education Area https://education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe (consulted 7 February 2025)

Alexandru Pop, “Tuition Fees for a Bachelor's Degree in Europe in 2025,” StudyPortals (21 November 2024) https://www.bachelorsportal.com/articles/335/tuition-fees-for-bachelors-in-europe.html (consulted 7 February 2025)

Robert S. Balan, “Tuition Fees at Universities in Europe: Overview and Comparison for 2025” (22 November 2024) https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/405/tuition-fees-at-universities-in-europe-overview-and-comparison.html (consulted 7 February 2025)

Melanie Hanson, “Average Cost of College By Country,” EducationData.org (21 January 2025) https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-by-country (consulted 7 February 2025)

“Study in Europe for free (or low tuition fees)” Study.eu (15 October 2023) https://www.study.eu/article/study-in-europe-for-free-or-low-tuition-fees (consulted 7 February 2025)

6. See Linda Weide’s excellent article, which has considerable detail on the experience of university study in Germany, “Study Abroad: One Way to Move Abroad is to go to University,” Linda on Life Abroad (Substack) (23 November 2024)

Study Abroad

7. Elin Johnson, “Wants to Close the Education Department. Here’s What That Might Mean for Students’ Financial Aid,” BestColleges.com (7 February 2025) https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/trump-wants-to-end-education-department-what-does-that-mean-for-financial-aid/

Joe Edwards, “How Student Loans Will Be Impacted if Department of Education Closes Down,” Newsweek (4 February 2025) https://www.newsweek.com/student-loans-department-education-close-2025939

8. The major international university ranking systems are:

• EUA (European University Association) – Provides information on accreditation and quality assurance or European Universities, including non-EU universities.

• The QS World University Rankings - global scope, integrates third-party feedback form individuals nominated by universities

• Times Higher Education “World University Rankings” (THE) – Focused on research universities, it includes 11 subject-specific rankings.

• Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) – Also known as the Shanghai Rankings, focused on research-intensive universities.