Top 6 countries for education abroad. RBC, 23 May 2018
Recognized world leaders in higher education are challenged by countries offering quality education for democratic tuition fees or even free of charge.
Top ten of the most authoritative rankings of universities - QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education - comprise mostly American and British institutions of higher education, as well as top 50. It is due to the advanced economies of the above mentioned countries. For instance, universities in the USA are the main suppliers of personnel for the technical sector which gives more than 5% of the country's GNP (i.e. almost $1 trillion). "If a person wants to get good education and a diploma which is valued all over the world, the best countries for getting education are the USA and the UK", - says Managing Partner of the Moscow Office of Аttorneys at Law Pen and Paper Anton Imennov.
Germany, France, Canada, Japan, China and other countries also have universities included in top rankings.
These rankings and experts' estimates served as a basis for the RBC's top 6 of the countries for getting education abroad.
Availability of education for foreigners in terms of the language, culture, prices, immigration laws and topicality really matters in making a choice of the country. That is why Asian countries are not included in our list.
Practical America
The United States has the largest number of foreign students (more than 1.18 m people according to the US Ministry of Education; about 5% of them study in universities). The system of higher education supposes close connection between theoretical courses and practice. For instance, students of the faculties of natural sciences practice in the laboratories of the leading biotechnological companies, and students studying programming - in the largest IT companies. Many of the US establishments of the higher education, such as Harvard and Stanford universities and Massachusetts Institute of Technology give prestigious diplomas which are highly valued by companies in want of employees.
At the same time, higher education in the US is mainly more expensive than elsewhere: according to the organization for the support of students the College Board, education of a foreigner in an average American establishment of the higher education costs around $25 thousand a year, and in the establishment of a higher level - two or three times more. Thus, the annual cost of tuition and living in the Michigan University is $60-70 thousand.
But on the other hand, those who receive highly qualified professions are usually offered jobs on the spot by companies which pay legal and financial expenses for placement in and integration into a job after completion of education.
"There were five foreign students from the same course of the University of Columbia in our big international legal firm: from Czech, Sweden, Poland and other countries", - shares his working experience in the USA Anton Imennov. He says that it was no coincidence - they were all employed by a partner who had been teaching at the faculty and examining them. Later the company payed for their work visas, so the former students were able to stay and work in the country.
Conservative Great Britain
The country with a thousand-year history of university education does not offer a variety of programmes in the secondary education, but it is always in the tops. Apart from the American system, the British one follows strict state standards of quality and in general is pretty conservative. At the same time, British universities are traditionally attractive to the wealthy Russians. "British educational establishments are in the largest demand in the Russian market. Most of our company's partners are from this country", - says Director General of the Persona Grata company Aliona Grushina. According to Topuniversities.com, the average annual cost of education in the British universities is around £22 thousand ($29 thousand). Education in the humanities is the cheapest - annual prices start from £12 thousand ($16 thousand). Training in medical professions is the most expensive - about £38 thousand ($51 thousand).
Free-of-charge Germany
In 2016 the British financial conglomerate HSBC recognized Germany as the country with the best quality education in the world. Moreover, education in Germany is mostly free of charge: in 2014 the Federal Government of Germany cancelled tuition fees in all state universities both for the citizens of the country and foreigners. The only exception are the establishments of the higher education in the Baden Wurttemberg land where small tuition fees (€1.3 thousand - €3 thousand a year) were introduced for foreign students in 2017. This decision makes Germany extremely attractive to the foreign youth. Suffice it to say, that the goal to increase the number of foreign students to 350 thousand in ten years set in 2010 was achieved much earlier - already in 2016 (according to the German Academic Exchange Service). Still, despite all the advantages, Germany is behind Great Britain and the USA in popularity among the Russians, says director for development of the Moscow school Study Lab.
Technological Canada
Combination of high quality and affordability of education is the advantage of Canada. Education in Canadian universities is much cheaper than in American and British ones - annual tuition fees in the average establishment of the higher education are about $13 thousand only. Along with that, the quality of education has noticeably increased for the last 10-15 years. Five Canadian universities - in Toronto, Alberta, British Columbia, Montreal and the MacGill University are included in the top-100 of the best establishments of the higher education in the world. Graduates of these and some other Canadian universities enjoy privileges when getting work permits and even residence permits. Tuition in Canada is considered to be one of the most technological in the world: technical faculties students have compulsory practice in laboratories and manufacturing establishments in different companies from the second year of education.
Democratic France
This is a one more out of the best systems of education which is distinguished for its democratic prices. France stands third among the EU countries (after Germany and Great Britain) in the ranking of the quality and affordability of the higher education published by the Hamburg consulting company Study.EU in February this year. Almost a third of places in the state establishments of the higher education are free of charge even for foreigners, although they have to pass a complicated examination in the French language. But it is possible to study for modest money even in a chargeable position. For example, the average annual tuition fees in the medical educational establishments of the higher education (considered to be among lthe most prestigious in France) are merely €450. The Great French culture is one of the arguments in favour of getting education in the country. The other side of the coin is that tuition is in French which is not very popular in the Russian secondary schools.
Innovative Sweden
One more European country is distinguished by its advanced curriculums in the most innovative disciplines. "At present in Scandinavia much attention is paid to professional orientation from an early age, especially to the development of social skills. There are special IT courses for children there," - says Aleksey Polovinkin, headmaster of the online-school "Foxford". There are courses in advanced technical disciplines for schoolchildren at the largest universities of the country. Swedish establishments of the higher education are free of charge for the EU citizens, but not for the citizens of Russia. But tuition fees are high - $7 thousand - 30 thousand a year. The largest establishments of the higher education have very good faculties for natural sciences. For example, the oldest Uppsala University is included in the world's first hundred of educational institutions which provide training in medical professionals. Every fifth student of this university comes from abroad and the Ministry of Education pays special attention to the formation of the multicultural environment.