Choosing a Country To Study Abroad: What To Look For

Selecting Your Study Destination: A Key Enrollment Step

The choice of a study destination forms a crucial phase in your enrollment journey. Once you’ve pinned down your preferred country, it helps streamline your process. This decision clarifies what budget you’ll need, your prospects for scholarships and their potential value, the universities offering your desired programs, the complexity of obtaining a work visa, and your career outlook. In this article, we will discuss the factors to consider when choosing a country and university, highlighting what deserves your primary attention.

Quality of Education and University Rankings

This crucial criterion can significantly impact your future professional career and overall standard of living. Although university rankings shouldn’t be your sole determinant, they can provide a valuable starting point. For instance, The Times Higher Education World University Rankings offer insights into the quality of instruction and level of academic research at top universities globally. If you’re seeking a premium academic experience, opting for a highly-ranked university is a logical choice.

The university’s overall prestige is important, but the quality of your specific program should be a focal point. You can use the appropriate filters to identify the best universities for your chosen major.

A degree from a reputable university can open doors to opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach. Getting employment in the country where you studied isn’t always straightforward. However, employers are sometimes more likely to sponsor visas for graduates from top universities, rightly or wrongly.

The quality of education is undoubtedly essential, but being in an environment where your chosen field is given maximum attention, and learning from the best professionals in your field is equally important. Research which countries have prestigious education programs in your field of interest. Apply the same principle in selecting a university. Are you interested in fashion-related studies? Italy and France would be ideal. For cinematography, consider the United States. If you’re into ecology or green energy, Norway could be a perfect match.

Employment prospects

Information about employment and future careers is important. This issue has become especially relevant during the pandemic. Students are focused on employment opportunities, especially in times of economic downturn. Demonstrating close ties between the institution and the organizations the university works with can assure prospective international students that the institution will support them as they begin their careers.

Different countries’ visa applications take into account different factors, including your age and education, availability of funding, language skills, and intended course of study. There are also different restrictions on how long you can stay before and after you study, and whether you can work during or after your degree.

Don’t worry if you don’t yet know your plans after you study. But if you know you want to stay and work abroad, pay close attention to the visa requirements as you make your decision.

The cost of living and studying

A significant limitation on the choice of the country imposes a financial issue: Can you afford to live and study in the country you like?

But there is a workaround as well: scholarships. Foreign universities are quite generous with discounts and scholarships. Sometimes a student can study and live in the host country completely free of charge. For example, thanks to scholarships such as GKS, Stipendium Hungaricum, MEXT, Fulbright, DAAD, Erasmus Mundus and others. If there is no budget at all, choose countries with such full scholarships.

And there are countries where study is free or very inexpensive. For example, Greece, the Czech Republic, Germany.

Requirements for applicants

You will need to demonstrate academic merit and language skills for admission to almost any university. But admission rates vary depending on how competitive the university is (how many applications it receives per seat) and the academic status of the institution.

Some universities also have policies regarding the number of international students they can accept for different courses.

There is no one-size-fits-all rule for maximizing your chances of getting into a university abroad, but it is worth examining the international student admission rates and considering the specific admission requirements you will have to meet.

Climate and Culture

The criterion is like/dislike. But it is also important. After all, if you categorically do not like the climate of a country (for example, can not stand the heat or cold), then to learn will be unbearable.

And even more enjoyable to be immersed in a culture that genuinely like it. After all, in the process of learning you’ll be immersed in the life of this country one way or another. It’s much easier when a significant number of international students are already studying with you. This provides an open, tolerant, and diverse environment.

Don’t know where to start?

We understand that this is a very responsible step, and it is doubly scary to make a mistake. Find out more information about choosing a country and not only, at a free consultation with an Univibes specialist. We’ll tell you about education abroad and answer your questions.

We will help you to choose universities and programs with the best chance of admission. Furthermore, we will prepare the necessary documents for the universities, help to write strong motivational and recommendation letters. It is very important to convince of your interest to study in this particular country or program. With our help, your application will be competitive!