Students ditch Australia for cheaper overseas options

Students are fleeing Australia for free and low-fee universities around the world as the cost of living crisis and HECS pushes higher education further out of reach.

Countries attracting the most Aussie ex-pats – ranked from least expensive living costs and tuition fees – are New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, the US, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Japan, according to an analysis of UNESCO Student Mobility data.

It comes as average student loan debts in Australia have increased from $15,200 to $24,800 in the past decade, with the federal government last year placing a 7.1 per cent increase on outstanding HECS-HELP student loans in the largest bump of the past 30 years.

Increases in the cost of living have also deterred international students from travelling to Australia in favour of subsidised education across Europe, where enrolments were open for the autumn 2024 semester, according to an artificial intelligence platform developed to search and rank studying costs.

Erudera, the European company behind the AI platform, revealed Australia has struggled to return to the pre-pandemic levels for international students due to increasing costs for both tuition and living.

“The higher education landscape includes significant affordable college options that students may not be fully familiar with,” said Erudera's Alma Miftari.

She said lower-cost institutions are being overshadowed by their big-name counterparts.

“However, these lesser-known universities often offer commendable academic programs at significantly lower tuition fees, and studying abroad offers a rich tapestry of benefits that extend well beyond financial considerations.”

For student Stefan Djukic, however, it was Australia’s cost of living rather than the melting pot of experiences that drove him from Sydney to Europe, where he is studying for a masters degree at Belgrade’s Singidunum University.

The 23-year-old had resigned himself to repaying a HECS-HELP loan over 20 years until a chance conversation with a friend led him to Serbia, where tuition fees start at $1655 per year.

“What appealed to me was that there was a much more personalised experience as the classes – all had less than 30 people – and the teachers would go out of their way to help you learn, a luxury that would cost exponentially more in Australia,” Djukic said.

Australia has 13,268 students studying abroad, with the most in English-speaking countries, including the US and UK.

For Australians, Erudera found that free and nominal-fee education can still be found in countries across Europe:

Finland: Tuition from $6626 per year for English-taught degrees, with an average cost of living between $1620 to $2147 per month, including rent. Foreigners can work up to 30 hours per week while studying. Two-year post-grad work visa available.

Germany: Free to minimal tuition with a cost of living between $1722 to $2115 per month. Foreigners can work full-time for 120 days or part-time for 240 half days without a permit. Eighteen-month post-grad work visa available.

Greece: Tuition from $2485 per year with a cost of living of between $1260 to $1482 per month. Work allowed for 20 hours per week during the semester and 40 hours during vacations.

Iceland: Free or minimal tuition but a higher cost of living at between $2267 to $3273 per month. Students can work up to 15 hours per week during the academic year, but a permit is required. Six-month post-grad work visa available.

Luxembourg: Tuition from $1988 for English-taught degrees, or free/minimal for degrees taught in French, German or Luxembourgish. Nine-month post-grad work visa available. The cost of living is between $2342 to $3372 per month, with work allowed for 346 hours during the academic year.

Malta: Tuition from $1789 with a cost of living between $1570 to $2103 per month. All foreign nationals require a permit to work. Six-month post-grad work visa available.

Netherlands: Tuition from $9940 with average cost of living between $1930 to $2726 per month. Work allowed for up to 16 hours per week and full-time during the summer. One-year post-grad work visa available.

Switzerland: Tuition from $662 per year with an average cost of living between $3101 to $4002 per month. International students can work up to 15 hours per week during school term and full-time during summer. Six-month post-grad work visa available.

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