The beginning of October brought even more doom and gloom to add to the post- freshers blues and bouts of freshers flu: students studying at British Universities are paying through the nose for our degrees. Based on a recent Times Higher Education survey, it has been deduced that the United Kingdom is the fifth most expensive country to study in the world, with the average student spending a staggering £21,000 per year on their education. That amounts to £63,000 for a typical 3 year course. To put this extortionate amount of money into materialistic terms, £63,000 could buy: 210 play station 4’s; 18 hot tubs; or a flat in Belfast.
Such high costs have persuaded many British students to look to other countries across Europe and the World to gain their degree. Indeed, in 2013 (three years after University fees trebled) over 30,000 students studied in other countries- nearly half stated that lower costs abroad were a significant factor in their decision to pack up and move abroad.
The big question is, how much more expensive is Britain than other counties? India is currently top spot on the rankings for the cheapest country, with students having to pay a mere £3,630 per year, including living costs. Furthermore, the Independent states that it is five times cheaper to study in Russia than Britain. This gives any students looking for a more exotic university experience the chance to save a significant amount of money as well: what is there to complain about?
Countries such as New Zealand are also becoming more appealing to overseas students, for the average student has seen living and studying costs reduce by a staggering 20% in the past two years. Japan, Sweden and Russia have also experienced a significant reduction in their average student costs, making them much more appealing and popular choices. If the UK continues to increase student costs, perhaps studying abroad will be the future for the majority of us.
