Year-ender: 10 affordable study abroad destinations for Indian students

University of Oslo is one of the top universities in Norway. International students don't have to pay any tuition fee in public universities. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Countless Indian students are choosing to study abroad but education in an international college/university can be an expensive proposition. Tuition fee and living expenses vary from one country to another but there are a few affordable study abroad destinations. A few countries also have no-fee public universities that can be a very good option.

Here’s a list of 10 affordable study abroad destinations for Indian students.

Norway

Though Norway is considered one of the most expensive countries in the world, international students do not have to pay any tuition fee in public universities. Plus, they can work up to 20 hours per week in their first year of study.

Cost of living: Average annual living costs is €9,600 (US$11,160)

Top universities: University of Oslo, University of Bergen, Norwegian University of Science And Technology, University of Tromsø The Arctic University of Norway, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Best student-friendly cities: Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, Trondheim, Kristiansan

Germany

Most German universities are public, so students will only have to pay an administration fee, which usually costs between €100 and 350 per semester.

Cost of living: According to DAAD statistics, the average annual living expense is €10,368 (US$10,334)

Top universities: Technical University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Universität Heidelberg, Freie Universitaet Berlin, RWTH Aachen University

Best student-friendly cities: Munich, Heidelberg, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt & Main, Hamburg, Leipzig

Poland

University fees are relatively affordable than other European Union (EU) countries, typically no more than US$4,180 at public universities, and US$6,600 at private institutions.

Cost of living: Average of US$7,820 per year.

Top universities: University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University, Warsaw University of Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poznan University of Life Sciences

Best student-friendly cities: Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw

Taiwan

On average, US$933-1,033 per semester for the first four semesters and around US$533-666 per semester for the rest of the semesters till graduation. Students can work for up to 20 hours a week and as many hours as you can during summer and winter vacations.

Cost of living: Average US$1,600–2,400 per semester

Top universities: National Taiwan University (NTU), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), National Tsing Hua University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech)

Best student-friendly cities: Taipei, Tainan

Malaysia

On average, undergraduate programs can start at US$11,500 while postgraduate programs start at US$7,300 per annum.

Cost of living: Average annual cost of living is US$ 3,900

Top universities: Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Best student-friendly cities: Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Selangor

Denmark

Average annual tuition fee is between €6,000 and 16,000.

Cost of living: €900 (US$800 monthly). Living in Copenhagen is more expensive than in the smaller cities, and may go as high up as €1,200 per month.

Top universities: University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Aalborg University

Best student-friendly cities: Copenhagen

South Africa

On average, the annual tuition fee can range from $799 to $1,940.

Cost of living: Depending on the city, the monthly cost of living is around $302 to $742.

Top universities: University of Cape Town, University of Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria

Best student-friendly cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria.

Hungary

Tuition fees vary depending on the study program and the university, but the average annual tuition fee will be between €5,000 and 7,500.

Cost of living: Average monthly cost of living is €520 (US$560). Cost of living in cities other than Budapest is much lower - an average of €300 (US$325) per month.

Top universities: University of Szeged, University of Debrecen, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, University of Pecs

Best student-friendly cities: Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc.

France

For international undergraduate students, the average fees would be €2,770 per year, €3,770 for postgraduate study and €380 per year for a PhD. Fees at one of France’s highly selective private grandes écoles or grands établissments could be more expensive.

Cost of living (per month): Paris: Between €1,200 and 1,800 (US$1,300-1,930); Nice: Between €900 and 1,400 (US$970-1,500). Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux or Toulouse: Between €800 and 1,000 (US$860-1,080).

Top universities: Université PSL, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sorbonne University, Université Paris-Saclay, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

Best Student Cities: Paris, Sorbonne, Nice

Italy

On average, tuition ranges between €0-5,000 per academic year. The average tuition fees in private universities range between €3,000–35,000 per year. Some Italian universities such as Politecnico di Milano, University of Padova, Bocconi University, Bologna University, offer scholarship programmes for international students; these are usually between €5,000 and 12,000 per year.

Cost of living: €850-2,400 (US$900-2,590) annually. Rome and Milan are the costliest Italian cities.

Top universities: Politecnico di Milano, Sapienza University of Rome, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Università di Padova, Politecnico di Torino.

Best student-friendly cities: Rome, Milan, Padova, Bologna.

Note: The top 5 universities of each country have been picked according to the QS World University Rankings 2024.