Attending College in Europe

Are you interested in earning your undergraduate or graduate degree abroad?

There are many colleges and universities throughout Europe that offer quality undergraduate and graduate programs taught in English, at little or no cost to the student.

Pursuing an education abroad offers many benefits, such as learning a new language, experiencing new cultures, proximity of other countries for easy travel, and honing one’s facility to work in a global economy. Undergraduate degrees can usually be earned in three years. The undergraduate experience in Europe, however, is very different in many ways from a typical U.S. college experience and requires students to be more independent and self-motivated.

The website Beyond the States (www.beyondthestates.com) provides a database of over 1,500 programs at 351 European schools that offer quality, accredited education with a simpler application process and lower tuition than the majority of private and some public American colleges and universities. The database includes only universities that offer English-language programs in Europe (note that it does not include institutions in the UK and Ireland).

Beyond the States offers a range of packages to help students understand and evaluate their options. Members can access the searchable database, plus certain special sections – like a “Jen Says” account of things she’s seen on her various campus visits and monthly group question-and-answer calls. Non-members can access free webinars and blog posts.

For more information about the pros and cons of attending college abroad, Google the following articles:

• Huffington Post’s “6 Reasons Americans May Want To Get Their College Degree Abroad” (2015)

• CNN Money’s “Americans are moving to Europe for free college degrees” (2016)

• U.S. News and World Report’s “4 Things to Know About Attending a Tuition-Free University in Europe” (2017)

• CNBC’s “Pros and cons of getting that degree abroad” (2016)

• The Washington Post’s “7 countries where Americans can study at universities, in English, for free (or almost free)” (2014)

• Michelle Kretzschmar’s “Why Your Most Affordable College May Be Outside the United States” (2016)

College Goals is a team of four college admission professionals with expertise in every facet of the college search and application process, and decades of experience. Long-time Hawaii resident Carolyn Stewart is the Director of Communications for College Goals. For more information, check out our website: www.collegegoals.com.

Important dates:

• Aug. 1 — The 2017-18 Common Application launches.

• Aug. 26 — SAT Test: register by July 17 (late registration available http://sat.collegeboard.org/register)

• Sept. 9 — ACT Test: register by August 4 (late registration available http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html)