After doing tons of different research I have noticed that many countries have lowered their college tuition over the years, while the United States has significantly increased their tuition prices. For example countries such as Germany have been tuition free since about the beginning of 2014. The tuition rates in Germany have always been low, but now the German government fully funds the tuition of its citizens, and even for foreigners. Dorothee Stapelfeldt, a senator in the northern city of Hamburg in Germany, said tuition fees “discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up study. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.”

As it was mentioned before, Germany will offer free tuition to foreigners such as Americans who will attend college there. However Germany is not the only country that offers this type free tuition to foreigners or has a system where tuition fees are very small. Germany is about one of seven countries where college students in the United States could travel to attend college.

The 7 countries:

Germany’s higher education landscape primarily consists of internationally well-ranked public universities, some of which receive special funding because the government deems them “excellent institutions.” Americans who attend these schools can earn a German undergraduate or graduate degree without speaking a word of German and still have there experience fully funded. About 900 undergraduate or graduate degrees are offered in English, with courses ranging from social science to engineering.

Finland charges no tuition fees and offers a large number of university programs in English. However, the Finnish government amiably reminds interested foreigners that they “are expected to independently cover all everyday living expenses.” This means that Finland will fully your education, but not your afternoon lunch break.

In France there are at least 76 English-language undergraduate programs but many are offered in private universities which can be expensive. Many more graduate-level courses, however, are designed for English-speaking students, and one out of every three French doctoral degrees is awarded to a foreign student. Public university programs charge only a small tuition fee of about 200 dollars for most programs. Other, more elite institutions have adopted a model that requires students to pay fees that are based on the income of their parents. Children of unemployed parents can study for free, while more privileged families have to pay more. This rule is only valid for citizens of the European Union, but even the maximum fees, which are about 14,000 a yea, are often much lower than U.S. tuition fees.

Sweden offers some of the most cost efficient college degrees with more than 900 listed programs in 35 different universities are taught in English. However, only Ph.D programs are tuition-free.

Norwegian universities do not charge tuition fees for international students. The Norwegian higher education system is similar to the one in the United States: Class sizes are small and professors are easily approachable. Many Norwegian universities offer programs taught in English. However, Norway can have one of the highest costs of living which can be a downfall to being there.

In Slovenia, about 150 English programs are available, and foreign nationals only pay an insignificant registration fee when they enroll. However, Times Higher Education, a weekly magazine based in London, did not list one Slovenian university in its recent World University Ranking.

The final country where college classes are taught in English is Brazil. In Brazil, state universities only charge only minor registration fees. Times Higher Education ranks two Brazilian universities among the world’s top 400: the University of Sao Paulo and the State University of Campinas. However, Brazil might be better suited for exchange students seeking a cultural experience rather than a degree.

Even though not all of these countries offer tuition free college, majority of them still have costs that are way smaller than here in the United States. I personally think the opportunity to study in a different country would be a remarkable experience which is why I did this research to see the opportunities available. I also find it very interesting how the cost of tuition in these countries is so much different than here in the United States. If this is something that interests you I suggest researching it, because there is so many new things about college tuition you can learn.