Study Abroad: 10 most affordable universities every Indian student must know

Statistics are staggering. It is projected that by 2025, nearly 2 million Indian students will study abroad. But not all can afford the exorbitant tuition fees. According to a recent MSM Unify’s survey report, nearly 67% of female respondents said that finances could come in the way of their study abroad planning. This includes a lack of information about scholarships, grants and access to various monetary benefits, etc. Though not often talked of, there are several affordable universities in the world with great academic reputation. A few universities do not charge a singly penny as tuition fee, the entire education is free – students have to only pay for their accommodation, food etc.
Here is a list of 10 most affordable universities in the world.
University of Wuerzburg (Germany): One of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Germany. Offers Bachelor, Master, State Examination, Doctorate programs as well as exchange programs for international students. Scholarships are available for international students.
Founded in: 1402
Tuition fee: US$ 145 per semester
Popular majors: Cultural studies, Musical studies, Politics, Astronomy, and Molecular and computational biology.
Brigham University (Utah, USA): A private research university, it was ranked #16 by US News & World Report in the Best Value Schools category. Degrees offered: Bachelor’s, Post-bachelor’s certificate, Master’s, Doctorate – professional practice, Doctorate – research/scholarship
Founded in: 1875
Annual tuition fee: US$ 6,496
Popular majors: Business, Management, Marketing, Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Engineering
Florida State University (Florida, USA): Ranking in the US News & Report 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #53.
Founded in: 1851
Annual tuition fee: US$ 9,561
Popular majors: Arts programs – dance, film, music and theatre – rank among the finest in the world. No. 1 among all criminology and criminal justice program faculties for faculty research, according to the Journal of Criminal Justice Education
Osaka University (Japan): Has three campuses, 16 Graduate schools, 49 graduate departments (8 graduate & 2 under-graduate programs in English), 6 research institutes.
Founded in: 1838
Annual tuition fee: US$ 3,625
Popular majors: Dentistry. Chemical engineering. Physics and Astronomy.
University of Burgundy (France): The majority of study programmes at the University of Burgundy are taught in French, however they do offer some English-taught programmes, of which the majority are at Master’s level.
Founded in: 1722
Tuition fee: Two year course fee ranges from US$ 550 for medicine & healthcare to US$ 4,377 for Management and US$ 12,500 for engineering
Popular majors: Art & Design, Computer Science, Law & Legal and Business and Management
Buckinghamshire New University (The United Kingdom): Originally established as a School of Science and Art in 1891, it now has campuses in High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Uxbridge and Great Missenden.
Founded in: 1891
Tuition fee: US$ 17,000 for full-time international students
Popular majors: Engineering, Management, Law, Social Sciences, Sociology
Free University of Berlin (Germany): Nearly 40,000 people from over 150 countries study, teach, and work at Freie Universität Berlin.
Founded in: 1948
Tuition fee: None. Tuition is free. However, students have to pay for food/accommodation that usually comes to US$ 770 a month.
Popular majors: North American Studies
Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy): This public university was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Founded in: 1810
Tuition fee: None. The courses at the Normale are free, as are accommodation and board.
Popular majors: There are three faculties: the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy and the Faculty of Sciences, both sited in Pisa, and the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (sited in Florence).
University of Athens (Greece): Is the first University not only of Greece but both the Balkan peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean region. Spanning 9 Schools with 44 departments, the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) covers a wide range of academic fields at under-grad and 199 postgraduate programs. Courses are taught in Modern Greek, while seminars may be organised in English or other international languages.
Founded in: 1837
Tuition fee: US$ 800 per semester
Popular majors: Dentistry, Music studies, Nursing, Social theology, and Theatre studies.
The University College, Léonard de Vinci (Brussels, Belgium): Has three campus. Known for 40 profession-oriented Bachelor’s, academic-oriented (long) Master’s and Advanced Degree Programmes.
Founded in: 1996
Annual tuition fee: Undergraduate tuition: US$ 750; Graduate tuition: US$ 807
Popular majors: Health, Human and Social Sciences, and Science and Technology.