University fee levels

[djshah]

Jus like the topic description says. Is UK more expensive. Not only the fees but also the living costs. Many people tell me that UK is more expensive but I want to know what you guys think. And I also heard UK does not hand out alot of financial aid for international students. Could anyone please give feedback on this. Thank you

[Cami]

Does that also apply for EU citizens? The high fees and financial aid problems i mean.

[Vvi]

It all depends on whether or not you are an EU citizen or not. For UK citizens and EU citizens, tuition fees are around 3145 pounds per year. However, you have to meet certain requirements: you must have lived in an EU country for the 3 years before starting university, and you must have permanent residence status there. If you live abroad as an EU citizen, you must be able to prove that your absence from your country is only temporary (with your parents' work contracts, tax forms, etc.)

If you are an international student, tuition per year can range from 9000 pounds to 12,000 pounds. For both EU and international students, you usually live for the first year in student dorms. For the rest of your years, you need to find your own apartment.

If you are really concerned about the price of the UK, I would suggest applying to Scottish universities. UCAS still deals with the applications, but Scotland doesn't follow the same tuition rules as England. Instead, tuition fees for EU citizens are 1775 pounds per year, but everyone applies to an organization called SAAS. They pay for all of your tuition fees, which means that you pay nothing. SAAS will pay these fees regardless of financial situation.

I think that universities in the US are much more expensive. 2 girls from my school that graduated last year are attending Yale and MIT this year, and their tuition fees are $33,000 per year.

I am not sure about student loans in the UK for international students. At least in Finland, every student can apply for around 1000 euros of student loan every month. You should check with your own country's regulations.

I'm applying only for UK universities because my parents said that the US is too expensive. This is bearing in mind that I don't come from a poor family, but have another sister who is going to university the year after me. I also don't want to be thousands of dollars in debt to pay for university.

Here are some websites that talk about the price of university in the UK and Scotland:

http://www.student-support-saas.gov.uk/ A website on the SAAS.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...iversity_guide/ This is a website on UK universities.

[Cami]

Wow, I thouht it would be like 10 000£ a year for EU Citizens.

This is a relief!

[deissi]

I am not sure about student loans in the UK for international students. At least in Finland, every student can apply for around 1000 euros of student loan every month. You should check with your own country's regulations.

Actually, the maximum student loan from Kela (the Finnish governing body for this) is €440/month for a student abroad. However, in addition to this you will get €298 of student support (opintoraha) and €210 housing support (asumislisä). All in all it adds up to 948 euros a month, but you only need to pay back the €440/month.

Arvio opintotukesi määrästä annetuilla vastauksilla :

Opintoraha 298,00 e/kk opintorahan verotus

Asumislisä 210,00 e/kk omien tulojen vaikutus

Opintolainan valtiontakaus 440,00 e/kk lainan myöntäminen

Opintotuki yhteensä 948,00 e/kk opintotuen maksaminen

[hazemm]

Jus like the topic description says. Is UK more expensive. Not only the fees but also the living costs. Many people tell me that UK is more expensive but I want to know what you guys think. And I also heard UK does not hand out alot of financial aid for international students. Could anyone please give feedback on this. Thank you

Generally living expenses in the uk are expensive, but university tuition is fairly modest. Also, there are alot of scholarships offered for international students for a multitude of reasons. If you plan on living outside of London living expenses won't be as expensive so keep that in mind. The US is fairly expensive for university tuitions, but this is only if u apply to private universities. There are plenty of public schools in the US which are damn good and there like a third of the price as a private school. Just expect to pay something like 40,000 dollars if your planning on going to a top private school such as harvard or yale.

[Aquarius]

Huge expenditure for studying and living in the UK is just a myth! I think UK is very slightly more expensive than other countries, however, you would find the way to cope with it and maybe it will motivate you to save a fortune I assume!

[Vvi]

Thanks for the part about Kela, I knew that it was around 1000 euros altogether. But I didn't know that I only have to pay back 440 euros.

There's a good book available on British universities, it's called "The Times Good University Guide". Our college counselor got it for our school and it has info on everything from the application process to funding. Also, each university has 2 pages on it, with student satisfaction ratings, how many applicants there are for one place in that uni, the graduation rate, numbers of intl students at that uni, etc.

Here is the website: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...iversity_guide/

It's a big help, it has lots of practical info for how to apply, etc. Also, there are rankings of universities. It's not the same as the book, but it helps a lot.

In the book, there is a big section for international students specifically, as well as a seperate section on Oxford-Cambridge,

[Bee =3]

about the scholarships..

i've heard that there are very few they give out to international students..

in my case i'm a korean and i'm living form argentina.. hence im no EU resident not US resident..

plus my parents have told me that they're planning on stop supporting me (financially) as soon as i'm 18!

so i've been recommended the US because there are more scholarship oportunities..

is that true?

thanks, Bee

[Vvi]

There are sports scholarships available in the UK and quite a lot of them too (the idea came from the US). You don't have to be a really good sportman/woman, just playing it afterschool helps too. The Times Good University Guide is a good book on all UK unis. You can also find the website online: timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/

The US may have more scholarships altogether, but also the tuition fees are higher which means that whatever financial aid you get from a scholarship will probably end up making your fees equal those of the UK.

Here is a website I found for you: http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/page...;a=0&d=4460

I would advise contacting the British Council in Argentina to find out about scholarships as well.

Hope this helps. Personally, I'm applying to the UK because my parents said they can't afford to pay for the US. If you manage to get a complete scholarship for all 4 years there, that's great. But if not, you're stuck paying one hell of a lot of money. In the UK, courses are shorter than in the US and you can get direct entry to some courses if you have very good grades (therefore, you pay for less years of uni).

[Aquarius]

One thing I have to add that UK universities are not that generous in terms of scholarships. My close friend (non EU-citizen) got into Cambridge with 4 straight As in A-levels Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics but still struggling to fund the tuition fees (Extremely high for Sciences, regardless of Oxbridge).

Edited September 18, 2008 by Aquarius

[Vvi]

That's true, you really have to show them why you deserve it. But look at the website for each university, because each one has different scholarships. The ones for sports can be very valuable, one at Loughborough Uni I think was worth 10,000 pounds for international standard golfers.

Have you checked if it's possible for you to take out a student loan from your own government? Debt isn't nice, but it's worth it for a good education.

[Forester]

Depends where you are doesn't it. For people not in the EU, USA can be a lot cheaper.

If you apply to a need blind school for international students, then you don't have to worry about financial problems. The schools are listed below in my signature. They provide all the money you need for you to attend their school if you gain admission.

Edited September 20, 2008 by Forester

[humingyay]

I hate the fact that the elite universities have to be so expensive. I mean c'mon! Once you study your ass off and finally IF you make it, THEN you have to pay your ass off. I'm beginning to think that it's really not worth it. I can get the same education else where.

[Vvi]

Finland and Sweden have free university (at least Finland does). And according to http://www.arwu.org/ , Karolinska Inst Stockholm, Uppsala University, Stockholm University and Lund University are all in the world's top 100 universities this year. So you should have no problem with getting a recognized qualification from any of them.

[humingyay]

Finland and Sweden have free university (at least Finland does). And according to http://www.arwu.org/ , Karolinska Inst Stockholm, Uppsala University, Stockholm University and Lund University are all in the world's top 100 universities this year. So you should have no problem with getting a recognized qualification from any of them.

Yea but the thing is, I really don't want to study in Sweden. If I really have no other options, then I'll apply to Uppsala (it's so beautiful!) Other than that, ironically enough, I'm aiming for Cambridge, King's.

Also, I do not study swedish as A1 and the lectures are in Swedish, which is why I chose IB --> lectures in English = perfection!

[Vvi]

I see. I'm also not applying to Finland, I don't even live there. I speak Finnish but not at the level necessary for university, seeing as I have never gone to school there. Many Finnish universities are also on the world's top 500, but since they offer hardly any courses in English it won't be worth it.

However, I will still be getting government grants even though I will be studying abroad. So at least my future looks hopeful

[deissi]

I see. I'm also not applying to Finland, I don't even live there. I speak Finnish but not at the level necessary for university, seeing as I have never gone to school there. Many Finnish universities are also on the world's top 500, but since they offer hardly any courses in English it won't be worth it.

However, I will still be getting government grants even though I will be studying abroad. So at least my future looks hopeful

Sorry to kind of steal the topic, but will you have to pay non-EU fees for British universities, seeing that you've lived outside the EU for more than 3 years? I believe Elsa (Lc) has to, even though she has Cypriot citizenship.

Btw. even though the courses might nominally be in Finnish, universities like Helsinki School of Economics and Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) are 95% in English (also undergrad) due to the lack of Finnish textbooks etc. Globalization has it's benefits, I must say. This being said, I still don't want to study in either institution .

[Vvi]

There's a special rule about people that have lived outside the EU. According to St. Andrews website (this applies to all UK universities, not just Scotland):

Home fee eligibility

In order to be eligible for Home fees you must be able to satisfy all of the following three conditions:

1)You must have been ordinarily resident within the EU for the three years preceding the start of the course.

2)You must have settled status in the EU, i.e. there must be no restrictions on your living and working here.

3)You must have been resident in the EU for other than the purpose of full-time education.

There are a number of exceptions to the above conditions including the following categories of applicants:

1)EU nationals, or the son or daughter of such provided that they have been resident within the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of the course and not just for the reasons of full-time education.

2)Students whose failure to satisfy the above arises only because their parents or their spouses were temporarily employed outside the EEA.

I meet the second exception rule. As long as you can prove with your parents' work contracts, permanent residence in Finland and things like tax forms that you only live abroad because of your parents' work (my parents work in the foreign department of their company, which sends everyone abroad). So technically it's been impossible for me to live in Finland.

Btw, for those who also meet these criteria, you will receive home fee status in the UK (3145 pounds each year) and receive education in Scotland completely free, as long as you apply for your fees to be paid by the SAAS each year. You can apply online at http://www.saas.gov.uk/