The Brits are Studying Abroad

Quite a few people have approached me recently to find out about the effects of the increases to university fees in the UK. In case you’ve not read the news in the past year, changes to the government funding of universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland means home and EU students can now expect to pay anything up to UK£9,000 for year for their degrees (though they can borrow the money up front and pay it back later on once they have a decent job). Does this mean there will now be a mass exodus of British students studying abroad?

While there are no firm figures yet showing the increase in the total numbers of students from the UK heading overseas, it’s clear that for many reasons more people are starting to look at their options further afield. Below are some answers to a few of the questions I’ve been asked recently and some thoughts about the most attractive destinations.

1. What has been the change in the number of UK students studying abroad since increasing university fees?

The traditional British reluctance to studying abroad has gradually been changing in the past few years, and the number studying in the US was already at a record high before the tripling of UK university fees. The evidence for increased applications abroad since the Brown Report is mostly anecdotal, though many universities have reported increased applications, notably universities in the Netherlands, which such as Maastricht and Groningen which have been actively publicising their English-language courses.

Both the QS World University Tour and the Fulbright Commission have seen increases in the numbers of UK students interested in studying abroad since the university fees announcement, though it is too early to say for sure whether this will result in a big surge in those taking entire degrees abroad. However the cultural reluctance to studying abroad does genuinely seem to be changing, with an 8% annual growth in UK students participating in Erasmus in 2011, ahead of the European average growth.

2. What is the cost of study abroad compared to the UK – is there a significant difference?

This varies hugely, depending upon both what and where in the world you’re planning on studying, and what sort of university you’ll be attending (public or private). Below is a list of major study destinations that offer undergraduate degrees in English, and what you can expect to pay for the pleasure:

US – The ticket price can be anything up to an eye-watering US$50,000 per year, but in reality need-blind admission is on offer at top a number of top US universities, meaning university fees can be anything from cheaper than in the UK to significantly more expensive depending on parental income. The latest research shows that for middle class families going to an Ivy League with need-blind admission now costs less on average than attending the local state university, which would traditionally have been considered a far more affordable option.

Canada – up to about UK£20,000

Australia – anything up to UK£25,000

Sweden – free for EU students

Netherlands – UK£1-2,000

Czech Republic – variable – Charles University in Prague offers numerous degrees in English, and charges separate fees of anything from around UK£5,000 to £10,000 depending on the course

Ireland – UK£5,000

Hong Kong – around UK£9,000 per year

South Africa – around £5,000

3. What are students’ main reasons for considering studying abroad?

Higher tuition fees in the UK have certainly encouraged people to take a more cost-benefit, consumer approach to their degrees, and therefore shop around for the best deal. It has contributed to breaking down of the traditional culture of reluctance to consider overseas study options. As people are looking further into it they are realising that there are now destinations all over the world that provide a world-class education at a similar price to that on offer at home.

Added to this is the increased competition for places. Demand for university education grew exponentially in the last ten years, but the recession and a change in government policy means that the expansion of supply (in the form of university places) has not increased to meet the expansion in demand – this means a predicted 200,000 students will miss out on university places this year. When you couple this with the fact that universities of variable quality are charging similar fees, people are naturally encouraged to consider their options elsewhere.

Since the recession there has also been a big increase in competition in the job market, with research suggesting there are now an average of 83 applicants for each graduate job. Study abroad is a way of gaining a competitive edge in a saturated job market. Students who have studied abroad gain language skills, exposure to a new culture, education system and ideas, the independence and resourcefulness that comes with living abroad, not to mention and international network of contacts.

What’s more, the 2011 QS Global Employer Survey Report provided the first international evidence that a majority of graduate employers around the world actively favor candidates with international study experience.