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Have you ever wondered how to study abroad for free? And so it is that one of the main objectives of university students is to study outside their country of origin, either as part of a mobility program, an internship, or even to obtain a graduate or postgraduate degree.
How To Study Abroad without Money
Unfortunately, sometimes there are not enough financial means to achieve this goal. However, there are governments that offer financial aid and scholarships, so that international students can pursue higher education in their territory.
Are you interested? Continue reading to discover how to study abroad for free and the countries where this may be possible.
Study Abroad without Money
countries where you can study for free
As we anticipated, some countries have a program of scholarships, economic support, and financing aimed at international students who wish to pursue higher education within their territory. Generally, these supports are offered through the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.
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The intention of these countries is that students become agents of change and replicate their knowledge in the different countries of origin. In addition, these programs strengthen international cooperation ties between university institutions. So students, professors, and researchers carry knowledge and technology from one university to another.
Below we present some of the most popular educational destinations and where studying abroad for free is possible.
Canada
Canadian universities are characterized by having lower tuition fees compared to the main educational destinations in the world. This, together with a scholarship and financing program, will facilitate your studies in Canada.
Although studying in Canada is not exactly free, the level of quality of life, economic support, and the possibility of working make the investment in your studies minimal and worthwhile.
The first thing you should do is find out if the educational authorities in your country of origin offer scholarships or educational support. If this is not the case, you should contact the university where you wish to study to find out about the support and, if you are an international student, you can apply for them.
Finally, there are the scholarships provided by the Canadian government through different programs such as the following:
- Government of Canada International Scholarships Program
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
- Fonds de recherche du Québec Scholarships and Grants
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral scholarships
Grants range from $8,000 to $60,000 per year, for up to four years. It considers that most of this support is aimed at master’s and doctoral students, as well as research programs at the doctoral level. (See How to get scholarships in Canada)
Spain
Spain is one of the main educational destinations in Europe. It has even positioned itself as one of the countries that receive the most international students each year. In addition to the excellent universities that the country has, the tuition fees are the lowest in Europe.
There are several organizations that offer scholarships and financial support for international students, who are interested in pursuing master’s programs, doctorates, short stays, internships, and exchange programs, mainly. Although, to a lesser extent, there is also support for undergraduate students.
Due to the aforementioned, studying abroad for free, such as in Spain, is possible. As long as you have a scholarship, with which you can cover the tuition costs. In this way, the investment you must make is limited to your living expenses.
The main organizations that you can go to as an international student are the following:
- Carolina Foundation
- MAEC-AECID Spanish Cooperation Scholarships
- erasmus+
- Ibero-American Postgraduate University Association (AUIP)
- Caixa Foundation
The benefits granted vary from scholarship to scholarship, even among those provided by the same organization. However, they usually cover part of the tuition, one-way tickets, health insurance, and, on some occasions, a bonus for living expenses. (see Scholarship 2022-2023)
Germany
Public universities in Germany are government funded, so tuition fees are considerably lower, compared to other European countries. This, together with a scholarship program or financial support, will allow you to study in Germany for free or at least at a low cost. (see How to Demonstrate Financial Need for a Scholarship)
On the other hand, there are several organizations that are dedicated to financing and supporting international students, one of them is the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD), the main organization that promotes the international exchange of students and researchers from Germany.
Through the DAAD, multiple scholarships are offered for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, internships, research stays, and postdoctoral students. Depending on the type of scholarship will be the benefits obtained, as well as its duration.
As a Latin American international student, you can access the following scholarships, although there are many others:
- German Academic Scholarship Foundation: Scholarships for Students
- SBW Berlin Scholarship
- State of Bavaria: Max Weber Program
- Universität Hamburg: Merit Scholarships for International Students
The amount awarded depends on the type of scholarship you request, also, consider that to access one of them, you must meet the eligibility criteria. Which depends on the nationality, level of studies, as well as and academic program.
USA
The United States is a very popular country among international students. However, the cost of living and high tuition fees become an impediment for those students who do not have sufficient financial resources.
But don’t let this discourage you. There are organizations that are dedicated to giving financial support to outstanding international students with academic merits. The amounts granted for these supports vary, as well as the requirements since only some academic programs are contemplated to be beneficial.
- Annie’s Sustainable Agriculture Foundation
- Rotary Peace Fellowships
- PEO International Peace Scholarship
- AAUW International Fellowships
In addition to scholarships from these organizations, you can also opt for institutional scholarships from universities. Generally, these are related to extracurricular activities, such as scholarships for high-performance athletes, research projects, and artistic activities.
France
If you want to study in France, you should know that as an international student, you have to cover a higher tuition fee than local students, regardless of the study program you want to study. Although these fees are relatively lower, compared to other European countries, they can represent a difficulty for students.
For this reason, when it comes to scholarships and academic support, Campus France has an extensive catalog where you can search according to your nationality and level of studies. This catalog brings together all the scholarships offered by French and foreign states, local authorities, and companies, among other organizations.
Likewise, there are scholarships that are offered by public universities, the Erasmus+ program, the Ministry of Higher Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as scholarships in conjunction with public universities in other countries.
Some of the scholarships to which you can apply as an international student are the following:
- Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Programs for Masters and Ph.D. Programs
- Welcome to France
- Studies for international students – STUDY
- Scholarships for double-diploma master’s degrees
Italy
Finally, another destination to study abroad for free is Italy. Public universities are relatively cheaper than in other European countries. Additionally, tuition fees are set based on family income and program of study.
Then you will ask yourself how to study for free in Italy. This may be possible if you have a scholarship, although some only partially cover tuition, so you will have to take care of your living expenses.
Universities, both public and private, have scholarship programs for international students. Likewise, the Italian government offers scholarships that cover tuition fees and, on occasion, provide support for living expenses and Italian courses.
The main scholarships to study in Italy are the following:
What countries pay to study?
Actually, no country offers a payment to foreigners for studying in its territory. However, as you could see in the previous sections, governments, through different departments, as well as companies, universities, and organizations, offer a wide variety of scholarships, financing, and economic support.
To do this, you need to meet the eligibility criteria, which vary from university to university, as well as from country to country. Some of the criteria are nationality, maximum age, language proficiency, study program, academic level, financial needs, and even being part of vulnerable groups.
Every year, governments, Ministries of Education, and different organizations and companies offer hundreds of opportunities for international students. Although with these supports, you will not achieve a completely free university education, it is also true that the expenses will be minimal and you will have excellent academic training.
As you can see, studying abroad for free is a reality when you have the resources that we have mentioned before. Even when public universities are not free, you can minimize costs with such support.
In this way, you will only have to take care of your living expenses and, on some occasions, partially of the registration fees. If this information has been useful to you, we invite you to share it with friends and colleagues who want an international experience. see How to Travel Abroad without having money
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