British students save fortunes by heading to overseas universities

Increasing numbers of British students are rejecting the massive cost of a UK degree and heading overseas to gain essential qualifications.

It’s not just the cost of a university education in the UK which is fuelling an exodus of students, it’s the thought of being forced to borrow to cover exorbitant tuition fees and pay interest on the debt for years. For example, a four-year degree course at the Royal Academy of Music costs a staggering £104,000, with salaries for qualified musicians and singers traditionally on the low side, should graduates be so lucky as to actually get a job.

Living and studying in universities across the globe will on average save expat students some £15,000 per year over the cost of getting a degree in the UK. Total costs including living and studying at Munich’s Ludwig-Maximillian University are some £9,097 per year, with a four-year degree course adding up to £36,387. Recent research revealed 70 per cent of British students believe UK universities charge far too much, with half that number saying they can get better value for their money at overseas universities.

British student numbers studying overseas are on the rise, with 11,000 choosing American universities, and France, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada now receiving growing numbers of young Brits intent on getting affordable qualifications.Back in the UK, combined costs of living and studying outside London are, of course, far less than in the capital due to London prices for everything including accommodation. For example, combined costs in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Leeds average out at between £15,000 and £17,000 a year, still more expensive than Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and China including Hong Kong.

In context, a four-year course at a German university costs £36,387, whilst a similar course in Leeds would cost £69.992. One benefit of spending four years studying overseas can’t be measured in terms of money, but in terms of success in today’s multiculturally mobile world it’s priceless – it’s the experience of integrating into an unfamiliar society and culture, learning a new language and realising education doesn’t end with a degree certificate. Tomorrow’s British graduates from overseas universities will be more than adequately equipped to deal with the challenges of working internationally anywhere on the planet.