Countries where Americans can study at universities, in English, for free
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Have a 3.0? Dont have any drug arrests or convictions? Legal resident of Georgia/USA?
Then all of your tuition will be paid by the state unless you drop below a 3.0. The lottery is what funds this scholarship and its really great.
For example: if all black people in Georgia interested in higher education were forced to attend the two worst quality and most underresourced schools, they would probably rank amongst the largest.
Our largest school, University of Georgia, its a bit more. Something like $10,000 a semester but the tuition is the same at each school the fees are much higher at UGA.
*Georgia Tech - I am not 100% on tuition/fees for this school.
I feel you on the working while in school thing, thats the reason I lost my Hope Scholarship!
As an aside, I know of several states that have similar programs - I'd thought that in many states, so long as you scored sufficiently high on the SAT or ACT, you were eligible to automatically get a partial (if lower) or full (if higher) scholarship to in-state public institutions.
A really good question. I'd say the US does a very poor job of either providing that preparatory edu for those who need it or guiding those who fall out of the educational system into trade schools and other vocations, something that Germany also does very well. Not sure what the solution is for the US... we're so focused on the people at the top and the bottom that everyone else is left out.
So yes, if you were basically competent but didn't put the time in in highschool, for whatever reason, then sure - if you're willing to do the work no reason they can't succeed.
And given that high schools are such a mixed bag, I do think it's worth at least looking at giving more kids a shot. It might be interesting to have a slate of such scholarships reserved for students who wouldn't qualify on entry, but would after first semester/year.
Which isn't to say everyone should go, I really wish there were more real vocational options. But if they want it and can do the work, absolutely.
Free education for all!*
* not really
edit: If not from me, than from someone else, right? If that's not a vapid argument, you should be upvoting my entrepreneurship (even though it's in a well-trod space.) I also donate to open source projects...
(Taxes on lottery winnings are a different story, of course; not talking about that here).
I'm appalled that you would suggest that it is better that people be coerced into paying for something which is adequately funded by "donations" through the lottery system.
"These poor folk who play the lottery only do it because they're intellectually inferior to me."
The first two things are the reason why a lot of people I knew had to go to community college instead of directly to university. Florida has a similar program (Bright Futures) that has similar GPA requirements (and also community service and test scores). These programs are nice and all, but a far cry from actually making education beyond secondary school reachable for most people.
Interestingly, a report came out a couple of years ago recommending it be changed to a 2.5 minimum and a $100k income cap[1], to broaden access to lower-income students. Didn't happen, though.
Myself and many of my friends got our degrees with $0 debt.
http://www.osfa.state.la.us/MainSitePDFs/TOPS_OPH_brochure_8...
A bad idea, let's agree :)
It's weird going the other way (from Europe to USA). They told us we couldn't continue the studies if we got below B-, and we were like "???".
> Public university programs charge only a small tuition fee of about 200 dollars for most programs.
Public universities are indeed very cheap and they tend to offer more and more English programs to attract foreign students. However, they're usually not prestigious as there is very little selection to get in. The brightest students usually follow a different path.
> Other, more elite institutions have adopted a model that requires students to pay fees that are based on the income of their parents.
I think they refer to business schools which are mainly private and more expensive. However, the best scientific schools are public (and pretty much free) but there are very specific admission conditions, and teaching is mostly done in French.
How so? I studied at University of Amsterdam, everyone spoke English at graduate level and everyone published in English. Many faculty where not even Dutch. I would expect the same from any international class university.
I really doubt that. I am sure we can both provide anecdotal evidence, but there is no way 100% of papers are published in English. And you picked a very specific example, because an overwhelming majority of Dutch people speak English at a very good level.
edit: To clarify - the university requires you to have health insurance, but there is a special tariff for students. Students below 25 are mostly covered by their parent's insurance here, after that you need to cover yourself.
Anything you're wondering about specifically?
They are tuition free for students who are accepted based on a standardized test given in Portuguese called the vestibular. This test, similar to the SAT in the US, is the entire basis of admission. Students choose a major, then take the vestibular. Public universities will have X slots available for each major. If T = the total amount of students taking the test who chose the same major, then you would be accepted if you scored better than (T-X) other students of your same major. The article seems to imply you don't need to know the native language to study there tuition free. In this case it's simply not true.
The other way an English speaker could be permitted to study at those universities is through an exchange program from a university where one is likely already paying a tuition. Even then, exchange students are only permitted to study for up to a year.
Last, the tuition may be free, but the dorm conditions in Brazilian universities that have them are pretty dismal to my knowledge. Most students live off campus, so room and board would likely still be a pretty big expense.
For example I just picked Lund University in Sweden. No it's not free. It's $15K a year. [1] The University of Helsinki is indeed free though. [2]
In case of Germany, the entry requirements are quite hard. Not impossible but hard enough that many Germans end up studying in neighbouring countries because they cannot get in a German university for some courses were there is competition.
Also If you go on course aggregation websites and filter for English you will get like a hundred courses taught in English, but then you realise that they are mostly humanities. It's much harder to find English taught natural science BSc programmes.
1. http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lubas/i-uoh-lu-NGNAT-FYSI/tu... 2. http://www.helsinki.fi/studying/fees_and_costs.shtml
Tuition isn't free, but affordable. Around 3000 euro per year for non-EU students (subsidized through taxation). Admission requirements are not strict. When i was studying CS we had a few foreign students and accomodations were made for them so they could study in english. Living costs are reasonable, lower than london, amsterdam or paris. The city itself is very international. We have more nationalities living here than live in New York. Most people speak english, and in fact i have a ukrainian coworker who isn't even bothering to learn dutch because english is sufficient. You can be in amsterdam or paris in two hours, and cheap travel to anywhere in europe is available. The city has a rich history and culture. You can drink beer in bars which are half a millenium old, and visit buildings which were centuries old when columbus discovered the americas.
In fact, even if you don't come to study, come anyway, for a vacation :)
There is a lot of Universities with a great student life en Belgium (Ghent, Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve, Liège...). Price are very low and a lot of programs are starting to be taught in English.
Brazil has free education if you study in portuguese. There are much more countries not mentioned that also have free education for foriegners.
Germany is very difficult country to study. Very compatative even for Germans. The foriegn students will be accepted only after German. Admission to programs is different from US and difficult.
As far as I know, all universities in Germany are more or less equivalent. In Germany no one will ask what university you went to, when you apply for a job. Unless it's an applied university (Fachhochschuhle).
With that in mind, I would recommend you to choose your mayor first and then figure out which university has English speaking programs for that mayor. In Germany you have to choose your mayor before you apply to University.
So start with the subject you want to study, or with the kind of city you want to live in. Do you want to live in a big city or a small city? Do you prefer a big university? What's your level - do you need general teaching or do you want to get into specialities? In the first case, any university that offers the course is fine, in the second, look closer.
if you like seeing your universities in ranking form
Does anyone care to comment on Germany or Scandinavia for computer science programs at the PhD level?
No idea about your visa, but if you are enrolled somewhere that shouldn't be a problem.
Application process: will vary widely, for many human sciences you can just enroll (Sociology, History, Gender Studies, all that stuff). You might even be able to just enroll for Business in some places.
For CS degrees sometimes you have to apply formally and show what projects you have done, submit your grade sheet, sometimes interviews. For my M.Sc. I was allowed to interview via Skype because I was abroad at the time. They gave me proper coding and interview questions and grilled me for 45mins. Some proof of A-Levels will be required.
Living costs: Will vary depending on where you go. Berlin will be dead cheap, so will be many places in the former GDR, while southern cities like Munich or Stuttgart will be more expensive. Hamburg is also fairly expensive. Nothing like the Bay Area or NY though.
A very nice resource for German Universities is: http://ranking.zeit.de/che2014/en/
No idea about the other mentioned countries, but I was surprised that Scotland didn't show up, but they might be only free for non-english EU citizens.
According to which ranking?
Does not appear at top 500 in the Shanghai list ranking: http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html
#164 on the new US News international ranking [2].
Around #400 on the QS rankings [3].
[1] http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-ranki...
[2] http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/us-news-global-t...
[3] http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-uni...
This year is in 100 too.
The education language is English. The campus is located in Ankara. Designed by Americans, during cold war, in shape of a gun, pointing Moscow.
Edit: to further clarify, it appears that graduate rate is only for "research" graduate programs. "Professional" programs can be much more.
6 1.) middle level college - NO 7 2.) Stanford or Columbia U because they have 8 plenty of scholarships. 9 2b.) avoid Cooper Union, NYC. Although with 10 zero tuition for now, THEY ARE BANKRUPT.
11 3.)low level college, cheap community and 12 learn how to weld. Then, get a job for 13 $200 thousand per year in the fracking 14 oil industry. Boss chooses between a middle 15 level 'state college' and C grade at top college, 16 I PREFER THE top college.
17 http://www.alternet.org/education/looking-escape- 18 high-cost-college-these-7-countries-will-educate-you-free 19 insert the missing countries and the URL for the 20 calculator as to DETERMINE YOUR LIFE COURSE.
21 Oh, me? I chose #2 with very little student debt. 22 Thanks friends for letting me doing the illegal 23 apt roomie thing at Columbia Engineering. 24 Perfect for me, as I was not as 'hard-core geek' 25 as M.I.T.
26 1.) Germany. the problem is that you must think in 27 Math AND GERMAN. No exceptions. Key advantage is 28 the real deal the Chaos Club makes Defcon look like wimps. 27 Math AND GERMAN. No exceptions. Key advantage is 28 the real deal the Chaos Club makes Defcon look like wimps. 29 German practicality places this as a higher choice.
30 2.)Finland. Some of the strangest friends I have ever known. 31 Lack of sun and Vitamin D means most as well as you will be 32 depressed. Cheer up with the better than Poland math skills. 33 Easy to get a job on Wall Street.
34 3.)Why avoid Poland? World War III ring side seat with Russia, 35 Poland, Ukraine, etc.
36 4.)France. Spend most of the time eating and dating. Much more 37 woman friendly and family friendly by MANY MEASURES. 38 Forget about manufacturing expertise, but the cryptography/math 39 seems to rock.
40 5. Norway: We LOVE the freezing cold and time spent on oil rigs. 41 The minature Germany, except for lack of good beer.
42 6. Slovenia: Skype and other software starts in Eastern Europe 43 or the former USSR.
44 7. Sweden: Could be a one way trip to Sweden. Good for learning 45 communitarian and cooperative work process, which is not taught 46 in the USA. 47 this is not in order. mileage will vary greatly.
48 8.) Brazil. Untold wealth and you too can play anthropologist/ 49 miner in the Amazon jungle. Assumes you live to tell the tale. 50 The sugar/ethanol industry means they are an oil wealth producer. 51 More effective chemical engineering than US ethanol 52 relying on 'king corn.' 53 9.)China. Third world poverty country with billionaires. 54 Like Brazil, likely the best way to become a billionaire, 55 unless you are a math genius. Teaching English while doing school 56 could be an exercise in sleep deprivation. 57 Plenty of entrepreneurs, unlike Germany. Due to the 'culture' 58 or German beer vs Chinese 'stinky socks' mao-tai? 59 hey Asians, I am Asian. Please do not flame me.
60 10.)Russia. Included for political incorrectness. Likely a 61 one-way ticket, since Russia is on the present enemies lists. 62 But if you are into nuclear engineering or natural gas pipelines, 63 for they are building the world's largest ...
64 11.) Florida, listed as 'separate country' Do the work program 65 at the yacht club and get a backer for the Donut franchise. 66 Donut franchise creates millionaires (for select few)
82 12.) Gaming the system? Women who got some money apply to Barnard 83 College. Major in basket weaving or physical education. 84 Take all the worthwhile courses like business, egineering at 85 Colubmia University, which cross lists courses.
86 After all you want a great experience and REAL education, 87 not a fake piece of paper, right HN? 88 bon voyage from old man Odysseus.
We've all gotten the best local scholarship from our high school so far (4/4), most of us got additional scholarships, and also some aid from the school.
All of us have had to take out loans.
EDIT: Going a bit further, I went to school in-state, and the semester I spent abroad in a world class city was cheaper than a semester staying in central Illinois.
Even throwing that out as a valid alternative simply continues the position of only those who have money are worthy of getting knowledge.
Hell, it might not even work to transfer from one university to another! I transferred after 2 years at a satellite campus of Penn State (where the curriculum is identical to the main campus) to a state school, stayed in Computer Science, and had to cram 4 years of CS at that school into 3 years just to be able to cut some of my losses because apparently taking intro to CS at a school that does it in C means you have to take it over again in a school that does it in Java.
Well, you certainly can't do it willy-nilly - you need to have a idea of where you're going after community college and what your major is. Generally, most community colleges work with local universities to ensure that their programs will transfer wholesale if you take the prescribed courses, which do not necessarily match up with what the community college recommends for other students.
I have indeed heard a lot of horror stories about transferring credits in general between universities or colleges - if the institutions don't have a relationship that keeps transfer students in mind it seems you're pretty much boned.
I did this, following community college direction, and all my courses transferred and I wasn't set back at all, though I was highly front-loaded on general education rather than CS-specific courses. At the time community college tuition and fees was $800/semester, while university tuition and fees was $5000/semester. That would have been a substantial savings! As it was, I really lost money, because I would have qualified for a full scholarship to my university academically anyway, but I lost it since transferred in and ended up paying the next three years (one year of grad school) out of my minimum-wage-earning pocket.
My personal experience at a couple schools is the smaller the school the more often exceptions will be granted. Or maybe rephrased across all sizes of school the (someone) will grant 10 exceptions per year and maybe 1% of students will try to get an exception, which is awesome odds if its a 500 person private college, not so awesome odds at a larger 5K person school. So even if on paper, calculus won't transfer, if you make a bit of a pest of yourself the dean or dept chair will eventually sign off. Also you can game the system, OK you won't accept my calculus transfer credits, very well, I will get instructor permission to take diffeqs without pre-reqs and when I pass diffeqs I will petition the dept head yet again for calc credit.
Many other wealthy elite institutions have followed suit.
My state school is like $300M in debt. If you don't have enough income, you take out student loans and hope the in-state tuition makes it bearable.
In my case, I got two associates degrees essentially free: I had a scholarship that covered all but about $3000 my first year. The second year, my parents income had dropped to the point where government grants kicked in - the grants not only covered the remainder of my tuition, but also gave me about $3000 in stipends.