Saving a Buck Abroad

Ava Hicks | Contributing Writer

Any college student will tell you just how expensive getting a formal education can be. Paying for tuition along with housing, food and textbooks account for why the graduating class of 2015 will be the most indebted ever, according to an article by Jeffrey Sparshott for The Wall Street Journal.

Because of this, many American students are choosing to opt out of the overpriced universities in America and pursue a degree in another country.

More than 46,500 US students are currently earning a degree overseas in order to minimize their amount of college related debt, according to Shelley Emling of the Huffington Post. But just how much money are they saving?

According to the founder of the Beyond the States advising service, Jennifer Viemont, there are at least 44 schools in Europe where Americans can earn their bachelor’s degrees for free.

In fact, Germany, Iceland, Norway and Finland offer a free education at all of their public colleges for absolutely everyone, according to Katie Lobosco of CNN Money. That includes residents of the country and international students looking to take advantage of the free tuition.

In Germany alone, more than 900 undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in English at universities all over the country, making it one of the most popular destinations for education abroad. Almost 5,000 US students are currently enrolled at German universities.

According to the BBC, there has been a 20 percent increase in the enrollment of American students at overseas universities offering free tuition over the past three years. Perhaps our own universities are going a little overboard with their expenses.

Before you dash off to the passport office, note that the free tuition usually doesn’t include things like housing, meals and airplane tickets. Unfortunately, nothing is ever actually free.

If all of the additional costs and struggles of moving to a different country are too intimidating, there are plenty of study abroad options that would make for a more temporary transition.

According to Kara Pike Inman, the director of Education Abroad Programs at UNC Wilmington, our university offers around 150 semester and academic year exchange program options in which students can pay the same UNCW tuition and fees. Some of these programs even include housing and meals in those fees, making it virtually the same price as studying right here in Wilmington.

“For many students, particularly out-of-state students, a term abroad could be more affordable than a similar semester at UNCW,” said Inman on the affordability of studying abroad.

Even though you wouldn’t be getting that free German tuition, you would be spending a significant amount of time in a foreign country and basically be saving money because of the experience.

Inman also said that UNCW offers summer and semester programs in places like Finland and Kuwait where students receive free tuition and are only responsible for covering their housing and meals, so you actually can get free tuition without the commitment of relocating overseas.

Danny Goldstein, a freshman at UNCW, is studying abroad in France this fall and is lucky enough to have all of his expenses taken care of by scholarships.

Goldstein thinks a semester is the perfect amount of time for his first educational experience overseas.

“Airfare to France is so cheap that the price for a round trip ticket hardly adds to the expenses. Besides, that extra money is so worth the experience,” said Goldstein.

“Everyone should study abroad at least once before they get out of school. And don’t go for just a two-week trip, you have to go for at least a semester in order to immerse yourself in the culture,” said Goldstein. “Especially with the programs we have, they make it so easy. You are basically just transferring the same tuition and fees to another country.”

So while more and more American students are choosing to relocate overseas in order to acquire a cheaper education, such a drastic move is not for everyone.