The world is calling - be sure to answer! Read ISIC's tips for studying abroad and apply to your dream degree.
Study abroad
If you feel like you can't find your dream study opportunities in your home country or you want to do your degree on another language, it's an option to study your entire degree abroad. For degree studies, pretty much the whole world is on offer, so you're guaranteed to find the right destination for you. Finding your future school and degree, and arranging everything else that comes with studying abroad (such as moving, funding, visas etc.) may be time consuming and even troublesome. That's why we've collected some tips and useful information to make the process easier for you. Read through and start planning!
How do I find a place of study?
Studying abroad has been steadily growing in popularity in the Nordics during recent years, and students go out to secondary and tertiary level studies alike (although doing a higher education degree abroad is more popular). Most commonly Nordic students choose study abroad in other Nordic countries or in Europe, but a growing number of students also choose to go outside their home continent. For first year high school students, UWC schools are an excellent option to study a secondary level degree abroad. For higher education degrees, you can always contact the universities and UASs you are interested in independently, but as the process is lengthy and filled with paperwork, it may be a good idea to get some help by contacting your school's administrative services and the embassy of the country you are planning an exchange to for more information about available study grants and a possible visa process.
Funding your studies
In the Nordics, studying is free for EU citizens, and in other EU countries EU citizens usually either study for free or for a lower tuition fee. Also, for many Nordic students, it's possible to get monthly financial aid from their home country in the form student allowance. You may also be eligible for a student loan either from your home country or your destination country.
Outside the EU, many countries charge a tuition fee and the prices for studying abroad are usually significantly higher. Countries can differ vastly when it comes to tuition fees for international students, and there are differences between degrees and fields of study, and for example medical studies abroad may cost a lot more than studies among humanities or business. If you haven't yet made your decision about your destination and are pondering on the expenses of your study abroad term, check out Top Universities' lists about affordable and free study abroad destinations. Some higher education institutions abroad and some foreign governments also offer full or partial scholarships to international students to help cover the tuition fees and living costs while studying. In our scholarships and grants article we present a number of options to help you cover your costs while studying abroad. For students seeking to study in Spain, Luxembourg or Cyprus, it's possible to apply for an Erasmus+ student loan to help cover their fees.
Sit down for a talk with yourself
Why do I want to go abroad?
Why would I pick this destination?
Is this the only school offering this degree? If not, why should I study here?
How will I fund my studies?
You should be able to answer these questions satisfactorily, before jumping into the application and planning process. Applying to a foreign institution is not as easy and quick as applying to schools back at home, and you'll have to work independently while looking for the right destination. You should reserve some time for the process, so that you'll know the deadlines and other important dates for your application well ahead, and have time to prepare all the needed documents. The work doesn't end, when the application is sent; if you are accepted to the program you applied to, you'll have to start planning and executing moving to your new home country. Studying abroad is a fantastic experience, but remember to allocate enough time for yourself to think, plan and process your application so that you don't have to rush anything about (possibly) one of the biggest decisions in your life.
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