At 5:30 in the morning, waiting in line at the airport, I looked down at my phone at a notification from my email. It was from IE University in Madrid, and I had just been accepted to their Bachelor’s of Law program with a scholarship to boot. At that moment, the 14-hour flight to Spain felt a lot more worth it.
I am committed to a four-year university in Spain. My journey to choosing a school abroad was a difficult and lengthy one, but one I feel more students should consider.
Getting a degree abroad literally opens a whole world of possibilities, yet American students do not often consider all their options.
For a student committed to the U.S. university system, there are many American-style and accredited schools abroad.
Any students with dual nationalities or fluency can find programs for free or at very low costs in other countries, especially in Europe.
Germany offers tuition-free bachelor’s degrees to all students, regardless of nationality, with only a small fee of $100-$400. EU dual nationals can study across most of Europe for free or next to nothing. In France, for instance, public univer-
sity undergraduate fees run as low as €170 a year for EU citizens.
Even for private schools, foreign alternatives are often much cheaper than private universities in America.
For example, private universities across Europe typically charge between $11,000 and $20,000 per year for international students, a fraction of the $45,000–$75,000 annual price tag at many American private universities. Even a relatively expensive private school in Europe often costs less than one year of tuition alone at a U.S. private institution.
Students do not have to know another language, as there are many programs and schools that teach entirely in English.
In my case, my tuition (with scholarship) is very similar to what I would have paid as an in-state student at a UC, and my school is one of the more expensive private schools in Europe.
Going to a globalized school is very important to me, and at IE University, more than 80 percent of students are international. Often, European schools have no general education requirements, so I will start to study my major from day one, giving me two more years of learning in my field than the average American student.
Going to an international school also opens doors for employability, as big multinational organizations need employees who are adaptable and multicultural.
Also, international students are often able to learn the local language over the course of their years at university, and bilingual employees are always an asset to an employer.
Going to an international school also introduces American students to different cultures and perspectives they might not see at an American school.
While not the path for everyone, attending school outside the U.S. could be a better fit for some, even though the opportunity is not widely promoted.
I believe every student should at least research schools abroad for the opportunities they provide and for the much lower tuition fees.