Study in Europe

The Study.EU Country Ranking 2018 for International Students

Last update: 19 February 2018

Studying abroad is a goal of many students: An adventure that educates well beyond what is taught in the classroom. But many are unsure which destinations are a good choice for them. In this year’s edition of the Study.EU Country Ranking, we look once more at 30 European countries and examine how attractive they are to international students.

Germany remains #1 before UK; France claims 3rd rank

The overall ranking consists of three separate pillars with differing weights: Education (45%), measuring the quality of education; Cost (30%), assessing what students should expect to pay for living and tuition; and Life & Career (25%), evaluating the quality of life and the chances of staying and working in the country after graduation. We explore each of these pillars in the following sections.

Germany keeps the top spot: Its unbeatable combination of world-class universities and a tuition-free public university system make the country the first choice for many students.

The UK comes in 2nd again. It takes the top spot for “Education”, and for “Life & Career” – but ranks 30th for “Cost” with high living expenses and prohibitively high tuition fees. The looming Brexit may have adverse effects on the country’s ranking in the coming years.
France moves up a rank, now 3rd before the Netherlands. Similar to Germany, France allures foreign students with a highly reputed, yet affordable higher education system.

Poland is the only new entrant into this year’s top 10. Already among last year’s most affordable countries, Polish universities have consistently increased the availability of English-taught study options. No wonder, then, that the number of foreign students in Poland has exploded from just 12,000 to over 65,000 in the past ten years.

Our analysis includes a total of 30 countries. We report the detailed scores for the top 15 overall and the top 10 in each category. Beyond that, many of the underlying metrics tend to become less meaningful, making distinct conclusions difficult.

Education: Top 10

Quality of education is the key factor in our ranking, making up 45% of the total score. To assess the quality of higher education in each of the 30 countries, we first look at their performance in the top 800 of three established global university rankings (QS, THE, and ARWU). Here, the United Kingdom outshines all other countries.

To alleviate an inherent research bias in these rankings, we separate indicators of teaching quality as reported by the QS and THE rankings, effectively re-weighting these ranking factors (primarily staff-to-student ratios and the results of academic reputation surveys). The top countries here are Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.

As a third factor, we look at the number of English-taught Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in each country. Maximum points are given for 2,000 reported study programmes, only exceeded by the UK and Ireland; although the Netherlands comes close with around 1,600.

The separate factors are weighted as follows:

Cost: Top 10

The affordability of a study option is a main consideration of most students, and very few are lucky enough to enjoy full scholarships. Therefore, cost is a highly relevant factor in our ranking, accounting for 30% of the total score. We take a combined look at the cost of living, including rent, and the average tuition fees.

Looking at the top 10 most affordable countries, the annual cost ranges from around 7,000 EUR in Poland to around 10,000 EUR in Latvia.

Not much has changed among the most affordable countries when compared to last year. Other than Poland, Germany is the only country of the overall top 10 to score high here – thanks to its virtually tuition-free public university system and moderate cost of living. France, another country with many free study options, and ranked 10th in 2017, barely missed the top 10 this year by a handful of euros.

The very last rank in this section is claimed by the United Kingdom: On average, students should expect costs of around 23,000 EUR per year. This amount is lower than in 2017: The British pound has shed some of its value in anticipation of the country leaving the European Union.

Our “Cost” assessment can only give rough guidance, as it works with averages on a national level, and there are significant outliers for individual cases. A year studying for an MBA in London will inevitably be much more expensive than, say, an Anthropology degree in Cardiff.

Life & Career: Top 10

Studying abroad offers a wealth of life experience beyond the classroom. Most students that go abroad for their degrees plan to return home after graduation. Others choose their destination with the hope of staying and working in that country after university.

Reflecting requirements of both those groups, the score for “Life & Career” accounts for 25% of the total. In this dimension, we estimate the quality of life with indicators relevant to all students, as well as metrics that help judge the job market’s permeability for foreign graduates.

In 2018, we now include a score for personal safety in the ranking. Students, especially from outside Europe, are increasingly concerned with the safety situation in their host countries. Working with data from the Social Progress Index, this metric includes, for example, a country’s homicide rate, other violent crimes and incidences of political terror. Students coming to Europe rarely have to worry: Almost all countries in the sample are very safe in comparison to other parts of the world.

The factors are weighted as follows:

Further, in their work with students HECA members strive to:*

• Approach and conduct the college planning and application process in an ethical, conscientious, and responsible manner.
• Introduce a range of post-secondary opportunities and programs to students and their families while recognizing decisions are made by the student and/or family. Encourage students and families to conduct thorough research of the academic and co-curricular programs, selection process, and other distinguishing features, of colleges and universities.
• Assist students to develop a list of colleges that are a “good-fit” – a list that is balanced, realistic, and reasonable in number.
• Provide information about scholarships and the financial aid application process.
• Encourage students to utilize the resources of their high school, the high school counselors, and advisors.
• Provide advice that is consistent with the policies and procedures set forth by the student’s high school regarding enrollment in rigorous or higher level courses.
• Advise students on the types and uses of standardized admission tests and not suggest special educational testing for the sole purpose of securing extended testing time.
• Advise students to be the sole author of their application and essays and counsel against inappropriate assistance from others – however well meaning. HECA members may provide general guidance, direction and review of the application, as needed, to minimize unintentional errors and omissions.
• Assist students in approaching the college admission and decision-making process in an organized manner.
• Advise students to report changes in the academic record or personal conduct once an application is submitted.
• Advise students to notify colleges in a timely manner of their intent to withdraw an application, accept or decline offers of admission and to deposit at only one school.
• Advise students who choose to defer admission that they should follow all conditions as outlined by the deferring college.
• How to maintain integrity as an education agent
• “With each client there is more learning, as no two cases are exactly the same”
• You don’t have to look far to find criticism of education agents in the field of international student recruitment.  From headlines condemning onshore student ‘poaching’ to accusations of application fraud, it’s harder to find praise for the role they play in helping students make one of the most important decisions of their lives. Maintaining integrity is essential for this controversial profession. Dharmendra Patel, managing director of the Aussizz Group, explains some of the key principles education agents must abide by. 
• “Being an advisor who helps prospective students meet their future possibilities means having important responsibilities”
• In the past not many people had access to study or work opportunities in different countries. But times have changed, and for the better. Countries like the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and a few mainland European countries have emerged as leaders that offer education and jobs highly desirable to today’s prospective international students. It is not merely that they pay the top dollar, but they provide a chance to nurture one’s talents and grow to be a contributor. Apart from better-paying jobs, and renowned degree, it is the overall experience one can have which is ever more captivating.
• Education agents are often responsible for introducing people to these opportunities. Being an advisor who helps prospective students meet their future possibilities means having important responsibilities. Their role is a diverse one, and the overseas consultant significantly impacts the life of a person who comes to them for proper guidance about the crucial decision of studying abroad.
• In most cases, to better understand the client’s perspective and provide the best solution, all dealings happen face to face. With each client there is more learning, as no two cases are exactly the same.
• Due to the important role agents play in their clients’ lives, preserving truthfulness and being upright with the people seeking advice is vital. There are certain practices that a consultant can observe to maintain the integrity in the entire process.
• So, every time an agent deals with a prospective client, the agent must keep the following in mind:
• Integrity: A client’s profile must be assessed without prejudice. Also, the smallest of details needs double-checking, to establish the veracity of the client’s documents. A true understanding of the client’s situation must be made in the first few meetings.
• Honesty: The client must be made aware of issues related to migrating to another country for overseas study. Also, a client should be updated about any recent changes that might affect their application.
• Professionalism: One of the prime responsibilities of an education agent is to make their client aware of all the laws that apply to their application in the first place.
• Academic assistance: The agent must assist with the client’s university/college admission application and make the student aware of the admission criteria.
• Objectivity: The client must be given start-to-finish information related to the entire process. It not only helps the client trust the consultant and be patient at each step of the application, but also aids the consultant to resolve any conflict or address any queries from the client’s end.
• Transparency: The consultant must inform the client about the status of the application at every stage and carry out any communication with the client in an honest and clear manner.
• Competency: The consultant must remain updated about any changes to the legislation.
• Not many students know the various ways in which migration and education consultants may be able to assist them. However, in many cases, the clients rely on the expertise and experience of the consultants. It is imperative to handle all the queries of a probable applicant with sheer diligence and deal with them patiently. As previously mentioned, it is a higher responsibility as it involves a good amount of valuable time, money, and effort on both the sides.
• In the end, it is always the person grabbing the opportunity who is going to experience studying overseas. But good advice can go a long way in bettering their experience, and an education consultant has the potential to help ensure the clients’ experience is enhanced.
• The responsibilities are diverse and thus, it is of utmost importance that an immigration and education consultant be truthful and provide start to finish services with full conviction.