If you are reading this post, I want to assume you have a strong interest in leaving your home country to further your education in a foreign country. That’s a noble idea.
This post is going to tell you the factors to look at before settling on a particular country.
Cost of education and living
Except you have a very large purse, this is usually a critical factor to consider. Apart from educational fees such as tuition, you would bear other living costs such as accommodation, feeding, transportation, communication (calls and internet), purchasing devices or equipment, and so on. Even if you are going to be on a full scholarship, if the country is an expensive country to live in, your living costs may exceed what your scholarship can cover. Visit this link to see estimates of living costs across countries of the world.
Future career or immigration plan
What are your plans after education? Do you wish to remain and work in that foreign country of study or would you be coming back to your home country? Your answer to this question should determine the country you choose. All countries have their immigration and work regulations for foreigners who studied there. While some encourage foreigners to stay back and work, others don’t. Visit this link to see countries that give post-study visas.
Language
Some people do not have the desire to learn a new language and use it for studies. If you are such a person, then this is a factor to consider. Choose a country and university where the language of instruction is your home country’s language or a language that you are fluent in.
Nowadays, it is common to have universities offer courses in other languages despite the official language of the country being a different language. For example, a university in Finland may deliver a Master of Engineering degree using English, yet the official language of the country is Finnish. For non-educational communication, you may need to learn the language, so have this in mind.
Standard of living
I am sure you would want to study in a country that has a higher or equal standard of living when compared with your home country. Why leave your country that has fast internet speed and go to another country whose internet is slower than that of your home country. Apart from the internet connection, other things like health care, safety of lives and properties, and good transport network also contribute to the standard of living. Visit this link to see how countries rank based on their standard of living.
Work-Study opportunities
For whatever reason, if you wish to work part-time while studying, you need to consider this factor. Some countries allow part-time work while studying, and some others don’t. Visit this link to see countries that allow foreigners to work while studying.
So there you go!
Now, from years of advising and interacting with students who wish to study abroad, I can tell you that these are the most important factors that finally determine what country you would study in. Even though some students start the process by placing more emphasis on their course of choice, then university, I can tell you those factors listed above finally determine it.
You may also want to consider other factors like weather, food, friendliness to foreigners, ease of settling down, and so on.
A disclaimer here; the sites we listed in this post are not related to us, neither do we endorse them. They are just to give you some evidence to guide you. By all means, please do more findings on the factors we listed. Thanks.
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