Studying and living in Europe is a dream for many people because Europe has a rich culture and offers great living and travel opportunities. The continent is also particularly attractive to international students because of its well earned track record of academic excellence.
However, not all European countries are English-speaking countries. As an international student and a native English speaker, this may limit your choice of schools to certain countries like the UK and Ireland. But the good news is that many European countries where English isn’t the primary language are now introducing English-taught programmes to their curriculum. So, international students can now apply to their preferred courses and learn in the English language.
READ: How Much Does College Cost in Europe?
In the rest of this article, we will show you seven affordable English colleges in Europe, where the language of learning is English.
How We Made Our Selection
While curating our list of affordable English colleges in Europe that teach in English, we considered factors like affordability and academic reputation.
We understand that the goal of every international student who plans to study abroad is to get quality, yet, affordable education. So, we prioritised these two factors in our selection of European colleges to consider.
Now that you know the factors that influenced choices, let’s show you the list.
7 Affordable English Colleges in Europe
Here is a list of 7 affordable European colleges that offer English-taught programmes:
- Free University, Berlin
- University of Crete, Greece
- University of Mannheim, Germany
- The University of Göttingen, Germany
- University of Pisa, Italy
- Heidelberg University, Germany
- University of Basel, Switzerland
1. Free University, Berlin
Free University is one of Germany’s top research institutions and one of the affordable English colleges in Europe. Since its inception in 1948, the university has constantly provided world class education to locals and international students.
The university has 16 different departments and over 150 degree programs. Many of the courses at Free University are also taught in the English language. The courses include Biochemistry, Data Science, Physics, Pharmacy, Mathematics, etc.
As the name suggests, learning at Free University is completely free. Students only need to focus on rent, feeding, transportation, and study materials. Thankfully, the cost of living in Berlin is fair.
2. University of Crete
The University of Crete is located in Greece. It was founded in 1973 and has since then delivered quality education across different undergraduate and graduate programmes. Many of the programmes at Crete are taught in the English language.
The University of Crete is one of the cheapest European schools for international students. The tuition is completely free. So, you will only need to worry about your living expenses. If you are a fairly conservative person, your living expenses will be under 350 euros.
You can visit the university’s website here to view its catalogue of programmes and see if you find courses that match your interests.
3. University of Mannheim
The University of Mannheim is a German school and one of the English colleges in Europe. The school was established in 1967 and is one of the leading research institutions in Europe.
The academic excellence at University of Mannheim attracts international students to the school every year. The school offers a large selection of English taught courses to prospective students. So, you don’t have to learn German to enrol at Mannheim. The tuition at University of Mannheim is also fairly reasonable at 3,000 euros per year.
4. University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen is one of Germany’s oldest institutions. This school was founded in 1734 and is one of the leading research institutions in Germany.
If you are considering enrolling for a PhD programme, Göttingen is a top school to consider. More than half of the PhD programmes at the school are in English. Besides, an increasing number of its undergraduate and graduate programme are now taught in English.
Studying at the University of Göttingen is cheap for foreign students. International students who wish to study at the University of Göttingen can expect to pay about 800 euros.
LEARN MORE: English-taught Universities in Germany
5. University of Pisa
Founded in 1343, the University of Pisa is one of Italy’s oldest leading schools. It’s not just one of the affordable English colleges in Europe, it is also is the 6th best university in Italy.
Since its inception, the University of Pisa has been delivering quality education to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In order to accommodate English speaking international students, the school now teaches some of its courses in the English language.
International students pay about 2,500 dollars for undergraduate programmes and 2,307 for graduate programmes.
6. Heidelberg University
Heidelberg University is another top school and leading public research institution in Germany. HU was founded in 1386 and has centuries of academic excellence under its belt.
Heidelberg University also delivers many of its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in English language. However, prospective students must show proof of English language proficiency during their application process. Some of the proficiency tests that HU acknowledges are TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, and ACT.
Candidates must meet the minimum scores to get an admission. For instance, if you plan to submit TOEFL scores, you must score a minimum of 79 on the computer-based test or 550 on the paper-based test.
Heidelberg University is also one of the affordable schools in Europe for international students. Students outside the European Union pay about 1,500 euros per semester at HU.
7. University of Basel, Switzerland
Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is one of the top 150 universities in the world. This prestigious university offers world class education across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programmes.
The University of Basel is also one of the cheapest colleges in Europe that teach in English. The tuition fee is around 1714 euros across all degree types.
Many of the courses at the University of Basel are taught in English and German. Prospective students must show proof of proficiency in either of the two languages during the application process.
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Conclusion
Not all European countries are English-speaking countries. But, many of the non-English speaking countries have colleges where courses are taught in English. Some of the European countries that have English universities are Greece, Poland, Italy, and Germany.
Meanwhile, most European universities offer a one year language program for international students to learn the native language. But in many cases, it is not compulsory for students to learn the native language. Although, we will argue that learning the local language can help your interactions with locals around you. So, you should make an attempt to learn the local language too.
Now that you know some of the affordable English colleges in Europe, you can visit each school’s website to find the right programme for you.