EUNICAS, European University Central Application Support Service

From 2014, Lower Saxony will be the last of Germany’s 16 states to abolish tuition fees for undergraduate students at public universities. Both national and international undergraduate students at public universities in Germany will get free tuition from next year, and will only need to pay a small “semester fee” towards administration [approx. Eur 100-150] plus a further sum of about Eur100 for a “Semesterticket”, which covers public transport

These low charges certainly help to make Germany attractive as a study destination, with recent figures showing it to be the fourth most popular country for international students (after the US, UK and Australia). And a recent HSBC report puts Germany at the bottom of a table of 13 countries in terms of the cost of studying abroad, with an average cost of just  €4,564) per year, breaking down €461 for fees and €4,103 for living costs. Note thay these are just averages – the cost of living in Germany is more expensive in some areas than others.

There is a Federal Student Financial Aid Programme (BAföG: Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz) and an Education Loan system [Bildungskredit] in Germany but entitlement to these supports, for UK and Irish students is limited.

Dutch Education minister Jet Bussemaker confirmed yesterday that she will revise her plans to replace student grants with loans and has confirmed the new system will not come into effect in 2014 [as she had hoped] but in 2015.The cabinet does not have majority support for the plans in the upper house of parliament and the minister has agreed to rethink her proposals.

Free public transport for students will also now continue until 2017, the minister said>

EUNiCAS has been advised that if you start university under the current finance arrangements you can continue under these arrangements until you graduate, in the event of the reformed arrangements being introduced during your programme.

Under current rules, Full-time students, if they are EU citizens, are entitled to the following financial support in the Netherlands: 1. a Tuition Fee Loan 2.a Basic Grant 3. a Supplementary Grant and 4. a Top Up Loan. Your entitlement to items 2-4 [but not your entitlement to a Tuition Fee Loan] are dependent upon you working 56 hours a month [this is the equivalent to two or three evening shifts, a week, working in a restaurant]. Entitlement to the Supplementary Grant is calculated with reference to family income.

Please contact EUNiCAS at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like our Information Sheet containing our Guidelines to Student Finance in the Netherlands.

University of Groningen, one of seven Dutch Universities in World's Top 100

Straight-A students are being turned away from medicine degrees at British universities due to government quotas. The news comes as the NHS recruits foreign doctors in record numbers, some of whom have ‘little or no knowledge of British culture’.

For 2013-2014, English universities were allowed to recruit just 6,071 medicine students, even though the General Medical Council registers 13,000 doctors each year and the NHS struggles to recruit enough staff.

An estimated 6,000 newly-registered doctors each year are foreigners who trained overseas. It is alleged that a proportion of these doctors have poor English and are not always familiar with drugs used in this country. Also, some these doctors – 40% of the country’s annual registration of doctors - have no knowledge and experience of British culture or its Health Service – and this in the most people-centric occupation of all.

[condensed from Daily Mail]

Above: Jagiellonian University, Cracow, a centre of excellence in Poland, one of many Central & Eastern European Universities experiencing a surge in applications from UK and Irish students this year

Swedish universities are looking to build on the first signs of recovery in the international student market, following the collapse in overseas applications when ‘full-cost’ tuition fees were introduced for non-European students in 2011. But they face a massive uphill task. The number of international applicants fell dramatically, from 132,000 in 2010 to 15,000 in 2011, after students from outside the European Union and European Economic Area – EU-EEA – were told to find around €10,000 (US$13,300) a year in fees. A fall in foreign student enrolments was fully expected in the wake of introducing these fees.  

However, the latest applications data shows signs of recovery. In 2012, there was a 24% increase in the number of applicants compared to 2011. One  important change is in the way Swedish universities promote themselves abroad, with a new focus on attracting non-fee paying students from other EU-EEA countries to make up for some of the shortfall from Asia and Africa.



[above: Lund University]

Germany is the top European country in terms of students being offered places this year, with 624 admitted students. Greece is next with 451 being admitted, followed by the UK with 429 students offered a place this year. Note that figures only show the country from which the students have their bachelor degree and not their citizenship. For example, of the 429 admitted students from Great Britain in 2013, 395 were not required to pay because they were EU-EEA citizens, while 34 had to pay.

[extracted from University World News]

Come and take part in our popular Study in Europe seminar, at a city near you. Forthcoming seminars are being offered in:#

Belfast 13th September Methodist College
Dublin 18th-20th September Higher Options, RDS
London 3rd October Global Study Exhibition, Olympia
Manchester 12th October The Student World, Event City
London 13th October The Student World, Emirates Stadium
Cork 15th/16th October Cork Options, Rochestown Park

Please check with us for further details and for other events we have lined up in additional cities.

In addition to exploring the many opportunities open to you, and how studying abroad adds to your employability, we will also look at the nitty gritty stuff such as entry procedures and financial matters.

EUNiCAS also has a stand at all of these events, so that you can talk to us on a 1:1 basis.

We look froward to meeting you soon