With High Tuition Fees, Should UK Students Study Abroad?

Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk

The debate about tuition fees is not likely to go away any time soon and no matter which party wins the next General Election, they are unlikely to be subsidised by central government or removed entirely. The result is that many UK students are looking into studying abroad.

Rise in Study-Abroad Interest

A survey of UK Students in 2014 resulted in 37% saying they would study abroad –a 17% increase on the previous academic year and tuition fees were cited as the major causes that UK students study abroad. The top four countries of interest were USA, Australia France and Germany.

Tuition fees were not the only reason; others included the desire to travel and to experience more of the world. Many felt it would help their job prospects in an international job market, others still said it would improve their foreign language skills.

Source: wikimedia.org

Preliminary Search

So you’ve decided to become a study abroad UK student. First, you should decide which countries most appeal to you or your chosen career path. Remember, it can be costly for UK students to study abroad so weighing up your finances should be your major priority. You may find that even with the extra costs it is still better for you to go abroad.

You may not be entitled to healthcare in your destination and will have to purchase health insurance, you may need a visa and a student visa, and the cost of these can add up over time. For some countries, you will need to prove you are vaccinated against certain medical conditions.

If you already study in the UK, for example you have finished your first year and wish to transfer to another university abroad, ensure you are permitted to transfer your credits to the new course.

Finer Details of Your Search

At this point, study abroad UK students should consider whether the country and the city they will be moving to is a safe place. Every country has safe and not so safe areas and even in a big and prosperous city, it pays to be cautious. Due to lower costs of student housing, some accommodation may be in an undesirable area so it is best to check out all location aspects. Remember, you will be in an unfamiliar country as well as an unfamiliar city.

What About Funding?

The USA and Australia – because of the language links – are very popular places for international students, but remember that these countries charge very high tuition fees to UK students. You may find that your expensive degree from these countries are less prestigious than their British or EU counterparts too.