With tuition and living costs increase rapidly in more developed countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia, more Indian students are choosing to pursue their higher education in European countries. According to a source’s article, countries like Austria, Malta, Portugal, and Spain are growing in popularity as tourist destinations because of its affordable tuition, living costs, and work opportunities after studying there.
These European countries provide a number of advantages, such as a variety of educational programs, easier visa requirements, and English-taught courses. Engineering, social sciences, IT, health sciences, business, data science, and management are among the subjects in which students can enroll. Portugal’s University of Lisbon and University of Porto, Spain’s University of Barcelona and Complutense University of Madrid, Malta’s University of Malta, and Austria’s University of Vienna and Technische Universität Wien are a few of these nations’ prominent universities.
The low cost of living in these nations is a big factor in the migration of Indian students. In Austria, off-campus apartments in places like Vienna and Graz cost between €250 and €700 a month and on-campus housing costs between €250 and €1,000. In a similar vein, off-campus apartments in Malta range in price from €300 to €1,200 per month, while on-campus housing costs between €250 and €700. Affordable accommodation choices are also available in Portugal and Spain and on-campus housing costs between €150 and €800 per month and €200 and €700 per week, respectively.
These nations provide beneficial post-study employment prospects in addition to reasonably priced living expenses. During their studies, students are permitted to work 20 hours a week. Once they graduate, they can apply for visas or permits to look for work. While Malta offers a one-year internship visa that can be extended with a job offer, Austria gives a Jobseeker’s Residence Permit that lasts for 12 months. Spain permits a one-year post-study permission with the possibility of extension for high-demand jobs and Portugal grants an 18-month employment search permit. To assist students who want to create tech companies after graduation, Portugal now provides a start-up visa.
Compared to other international education hubs, these countries are more affordable because of their monthly living expenses, which range from €675 to €1,400. Austria, Malta, Portugal and Spain are presently leading the way in higher education options for Indian students due to their reasonably priced education, promising career opportunities, and lenient visa regulations. More Indian students are probably going to look toward these European nations for their higher education needs as the trend keeps rising.
