As a Nigerian student with little budget, you might be
searching for where to study abroad for free or how to study abroad for free, probably with a low cost of living.
Fortunately there are some countries and universities around
the world that offer free undergraduate and post graduate education to international students.
Although some countries offer free university education to international students, there are a lot of criterias for Nigerian students to be able to benefit from such schemes.
One of the major criteria is
that to benefit from their free education program, you have to study using
their language which is a barrier to students who can't speak their languages.
In this post, you will know the possible ways and steps to be able to study abroad for free as a Nigerian.
How To Apply and Study Abroad
- Choose a preferred destination
There are many good places around the world you can go for studies abroad. These places are in Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania.
Be wise when deciding on whereas you want to study, don't choose a country because you have heard a lot of nice stories about the place.
After choosing a study destination, the next step to take is to choose a university you want to study in.
Choose a university based on your program and budget and also check for reviews on your university or universities of interest.
I recommend using the 4icu university ranking portal because it has the almost all the universities in the world on its database.
It is not all schools abroad that are recognised (even in Nigeria) and accredited in their home countries, therefore, one has to be careful in choosing schools.
- Check for admission requirements
The admission requirements of every university do vary, so it advised you check for the admission requirements of the university you want to apply to and make sure you have all the requirements required.
- Plan on how to fund your studies abroad
Studying abroad can be cheap or expensive, it all depends on your choices. You need to plan on how to fund your studies as an international student.
Most of the time, it is not easy to have the opportunity to study abroad for free, so if you can't get such opportunity, plan on how you will fund your studies abroad so that you won't end up dropping out midway.
- Start applying for admission
The next thing to do is to start applying to your university of choice. Check the admission requirements and deadline on the university website.
Some universities abroad do interview applicants before giving full admission. If you preferred university do conduct interviews then you need to prepare for it.
After you have been given admission abroad, the next thing to do is to apply for a student visa or an entry visa to the country you want to go for studies. The get the accurate visa information and requirements, visit the official immigration website of your destination country.
Also Read
Applying For a Masters Degree Program Abroad
Masters degree programs abroad do take about 1 to 3 years. To apply for a masters degree abroad, you need to have an undergraduate degree and must also have a good academic record. Having a good academic record will raise your chances of studying for a masters degree abroad for free.
Applying For a PhD Abroad
PhD programs abroad do take about 3 to 4 years. To Apply For PhD abroad, you must have an undergraduate and a masters degree. You must also have research papers and publications on your field of interest.
How to study abroad for free
Studying In Tuition Free Education Countries
There are some countries in Europe that offer tuition free education for Nigerian students, such countries should be considered by anyone that want to study abroad for free. Below is the list of free education countries abroad.
1.
Sweden
Public universities in Sweden
offer tuition free education
Available for all international students,
both EU nationals and non EU nationals
2.
Norway
Public universities in Norway offer tuition
free education
Available to EU and non EU nationals
3.
France
Some public universities in France offer tuition
free education to international students.
Available to EU and non EU nationals.
4.
Belgium
Public universities in Belgium offers
tuition free education
Available only to EU nationals. Non EU nationals
have to pay tuition fees of about 1000 euros per year.
5.
Czech Republic
Public universities in Czech Republic offer
tuition free education to international students.
Available to EU and non EU nationals.
6.
Finland
All universities in Finland offer tuition
free education.
Available to only EU nationals, other
international students have to pay tuition fees of about 1200 Euros per year.
7.
Poland
Public universities in Poland offer tuition
free education.
Available to only EU nationals, other
international students are to pay tuition fees of about 1000 Euros per year.
8.
Germany
Some public universities in Germany offer
tuition free education.
Available to all international students
9.
Austria
Public universities offer tuition free
education.
Available only to EU nationals. Other
nationalities have to pay tuition fees of about 1500 Euros per year
10.
Brazil
Public universities in Brazil offer tuition
free education.
Available to all international students
The United States does not offer tuition
free education but there are some universities in USA where international
students can study for free
Scholarships to study abroad
Most people that want to study abroad but can’t afford usually search for scholarship schemes to fund their studies.
Scholarship schemes are the best an easiest way to fund your study abroad dreams, so start search for scholarships available and you might be very lucky to get one.
If you can find any scholarship opportunity, you can contact the scholarship providers and tell them why you need a scholarship to study abroad.
To get any study abroad scholarship you must always be in a good academic standing because no scholarship providers want to award scholarships to unserious people.
when applying for scholarships to study abroad please be very careful because more than 90% of the scholarships you will see online are scams.
Just know that good things don't come easy. When you see scholarships that are too good to be true promising you free tuition, visa and accommodation etc.
Just be very careful because most of them are scams.
Some universities abroad might offer scholarships saying that you will pay a percentage of your tuition fees, be careful while accepting such scholarships because most of the time, after spending like two years in such schools they will ask you to pay the full tuition fees or leave the school and by that time you won't have any other option.
Free Tuition Universities In Europe For International Students
Universities in Europe excluding the United Kingdom are generally the cheapest universities in the world both for the locals and international students including Nigerians.
Although the universities in European countries are generally cheap, a lot of Nigerian students still find in hard to afford the tuition fees to study in Europe.
Note. You have to know that even in universities that are tuition free, all students including Nigerian students will still need to pay some little fees such as registration fees. This extra fees are always very cheap and easy to pay.
Tuition Free Universities In Finland
- University of Helsinki
- Metropolia University of applied science
- Lappeenranta university of TechnologyTampere University of Technology
- Hanken Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
- University of Eastern Finland
- University of Lapland
- University of Oulu
- University of Tampere
- University of Vaasa
- Helsinki University of Technology
- ÅboAkademi University
- University of Helsinki
- University of Jyväskylä
- South Carelia Polytechnic
- Sydväst Polytechnic
- Tampere Polytechnic – University of Applied Sciences
- Turku University of Applied Sciences
- Vaasa University of Applied Sciences
- HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences
- HAMK University of Applied Sciences
- Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia
Tuition free universities in Germany for international students
- Hamburg University of technology
- University of Leipzig
- Ruhr university of Bochum
- University of Stuttgart
- Darmstadt University of technology
- University of Stuttgart
- University of Berlin
- University of Rostock
- University of Bremen
- Aachen University of Technology
- Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus
- Dortmund University
- Hamburg University
- Frankfurt University
- Homboldt-University, Berlin
- Free University of Berlin
- Frankfurt University
- Friedrich Schiller University, Jena
Tuition free universities in Norway for international students
- University of Bergen
- Nord University
- The Arctic University of Norway
- Norwegian school of Economics
- Oslo and Akershis University College of applied sciences
Start a crowdfunding campaign
Fundraising is another way that you can get your study abroad dreams funded.
I’m very sure you have family members and friends( including social media friends), then can start a fund raising campaign for your study abroad dreams.
This is one of the ways you can get your study abroad plan funded by family and friends and you won’t have to pay for anything by yourself again.
There a many people that have raised thousands of dollars for their education using through crowdfunding.
These are the best options to choose from if you want to
study abroad for free as an international student.
So it is very possible to study abroad for free but just know that nothing on earth is free even in free town.
This is what I mean, let's assume you have won a scholarship to study abroad for free, you will have to pay for your flight and the minimum cost of flight to European and American countries is about $1000(360k naira).
To rent an apartment around, you will spend a minimum of $25(80k naira) per month.
To feed well abroad you will need at least $200(70k naira) per month.
When you calculate all the expenses you will notice that even if you have the opportunity to school abroad for free, you will still have to spend a lot of your money except you are very lucky to get a full sponsorship abroad in which all the expenses will be taken care of.
Many people think that studying abroad is so great because they will meet many new friends and also enjoy the amazing environment of foreign countries, but in reality that is not actually the case.
Studying abroad is not as amazing as it seem to appear, the reality is that more than 50% of Nigerians studying abroad are not enjoying it and some are even regretting it.
The only case that can make studying abroad very amazing is if you are from a very rich family and you receive a monthly allowance of about $1400(500000 naira) then you can enjoy your time abroad as a student.
Most students are actually working abroad while studying to be able to meet up with the expenses of the life there.
Questions mostly asked by prospective students
Can I study study abroad in English?
Yes, its very possible to study abroad in English in countries like USA, CANADA, and ENGLAND, but for countries like Germany, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden you won't be able to study in English as it is compulsory that you must learn their language and study in their language.
Can I work while studying abroad?
Yes, almost all countries allow international students to work for some hours in a week. So it is possible to work while studying as long as it does not interfere with your studies.
Is SAT, TOEFL, and IELTS compulsory in order to study abroad?
For some countries like England, USA, Canada, Australia, and France it is compulsory but for European countries like Ukraine, Russia,Cyprus etc its not compulsory.
Are there deadlines to apply for admissions abroad?
Yes, most universities abroad give admissions in September and October so by January most admissions abroad are always closed.
Do international students pay taxes?
No, international students don't pay taxes abroad.
What are the documents needed for student visa?
Visa requirements vary among countries, so go to the official immigration website of the country you intend to travel to and check for the requirements needed to apply for a study visa.
Do I need to open a bank account abroad?
Its all your choice and what you are convenient with, although it is advised to open a foreign bank.
Hope this article will be very helpful in planning for your studies abroad.
