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Scholarships to Study in Europe

Updated: Mar 16, 2023

At this point, we've definitely established that university in Europe is far more affordable than in the US. From tuition to living expenses, making the move is well worth it. But even universities that are affordable when compared to the US are still out of reach for many. So here's your game plan for getting your degree in Europe for free.

In case you don't know me...

I'm Liza, an American student who took my education abroad after graduating high school. My initial motivation was avoiding the crippling student debt that has, unfortunately, become so normalized in the US.

Four (debt-free) years later, I have graduated from Anglo-American University in Prague with a Bachelors in Humanities, Society and Culture, and have just started grad school at Vrije Universiteit Brussel studying New Media and Society.


Skip ahead:

Before I explain how I did it, let's look at some numbers;

Undergraduate Degree: $ 25,700 total ($ 4,283 per semester)

Graduate Degree: $18,338 total ($ 4,584 per semester)

Definitely read my whole blog post about this (linked above) but here's an uber brief overview.

Rent: 10,000CZK ($428)

Food: 2,400-4,000CZK ($100-$181)

Transportation: 120CZK ($5.15)

Drug Store Stuff: about 500-750CZK ($21-$32)

Entertainment: 400-2,400CZK ($17-$100)


Non-EEA Undergraduate Degree: € 3,247 - €3,850 per 60 credits (one year)

Non-EEA Graduate Degree: € 961 - € 3.850 per 60 credits (one year)

and keep in mind you may have to take a few preparatory classes which might add €10 to €40 per class.

Living Expenses per Month in Brussels:

As far as living expenses go though, I have been here exactly one month and can't accurately say the total costs but heres what I know so far.

Rent: €410 plus €100 in utilities

Renters Insurance: about €100 for the year depending on your coverage options

Transportation: €1 (students get a €12 pass for the year!)

yup thats what I know for sure thus far (but sign up for emails so I can notify you when I write the full updated blog!)


Okay so now that you know how much it costs to live abroad for uni...

Let's talk affordability.

I paid my tuition and living expenses three ways:

Student Jobs:

Throughout my time in Prague and Brussels, I have always had a job or two. In Prague, I was an ESL teacher at Kids&Us. I loved every minute of it and it paid higher than most student jobs in Prague. However, hours were limited in my first year so I was thankful to have savings and working definitely helped me stretch my savings out much longer.


Savings:

Savings are absolutely essential before moving abroad. I am privileged to have parents who set up a 529 college savings plan when I was born. However, any interest accrued on your savings will be lost if the money isn't spend on tuition at a college in the US. Still, we decided it was worth it to pull the money out of that account to fund my education abroad. Thanks to this account and my savings from high school jobs, I moved to Prague with $12,000.


Scholarships for International Students:

There are so many scholarships out there that will help you cover the whole cost of your degree. So, here is the list of scholarships I have found (and let sit in my notes app) over the years that are available to international students.

Skip to the section you need:

Non University Specific Scholarships:

  • Merit-Based Scholarship

    • 100% off tuition

    • Available starting your second semester based on your performance in your first semester

      • you must complete 5 courses before qualifying

    • GPA > 3.9 or UK numerical GA > 68

  • Afghan Refugee Scholarship

    • Full cost of tuition and fees and an additional 60,000czk support allowance

    • Afghan citizens evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021

    • No deadline

  • Milena Jesenská Journalism Scholarship

    • Tuition for the program’s 4 core courses

    • For a dedicated member of the school newspaper

    • June 1st

  • Ministry of Education Accommodation Scholarship

    • 540czk per month in cash (about $300 a year)

    • Literally every foreign student gets this, you apply in like two seconds on your computer and it's just given to you twice a year

  • Bring a Friend Program

    • $500 for every student who enrolls and references you on their application

    • p.s. if you don't know anyone to write down feel free to write me :) I'm not a student anymore but because of my blog and TikTok and all that I'm technically a recruiter now so I'd appreciate it <3

  • Master Mind

    • Reduction of tuition to that which is paid by Flemish scholarship student (I think this is only like $300 but I'm not certain)

    • Deadline: February 25

    • Granted to 20 students

  • VUB Scholarships for Master of Science in Photonics Engineering

    • 10.000,- EUR/academic year

    • For the Master of Science in Photonics Engineering program

  • VUB B-PHOT Excellence Scholarships

    • 5.000,- EUR/academic year

    • For the MSc. in Photonics Engineering

  • VLIR-UOS

    • Award:

      • Waves International student fees reducing tuition to about $1,000

      • Health insurance

      • Pays for your flight to Belgium & return home

      • Logistic allowance and indirect travel costs

    • Requirements:

      • For students from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin-America

      • For MSc. in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management

      • For Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources Engineering

And don't limit yourself to this list! Your nationality, as well as the country and school you study at, will change what you qualify for.


Edited by Sophia Pedigo

Emergency Second Passport

Updated: Jun 21, 2022

In the event that your travel date is approaching and your visa still hasn't been approved, you can apply for an emergency second passport.


Not just anyone can apply to have two passports, it's actually usually illegal. But, if you meet certain criteria, an exception will be made for you.


This passport will have limited validity, usually one or two years (mine was issued for four years. I don't know why - possibly because they wanted it to last for my entire degree? not entirely sure, but I appreciate it!) It will also have fewer pages than a normal passport. Otherwise, it acts the same as a normal passport.


What are the requirements?

The Department of State specifies four situations when it is allowed.

  1. "A foreign country will deny a visa or entry to you because your passport has stamps showing travel to certain countries."

  2. "You need multiple visas on an ongoing basis because of frequent international travel."

  3. "You need a U.S. passport for urgent international travel but your application for a foreign visa is delayed or cannot be processed in time for your travel."

  4. "When you need a special validation for travel to a restricted country or area."

Mine was issued because of the 3rd situation. My visa was still processing, but my travel date was in less than 3 weeks. I guess school was considered "urgent travel," so the Department of State allowed it.


Also, I almost had a second passport issued when I lived in Malaysia because of situation 2. The Malaysian government required that I hand in my passport to cancel my visa a month before leaving. However, at the same time, I had to be applying to renew my Czech visa. (It ended up working out that I didn't need it, but I'll make a post about that mess of a situation another day.)


Customs & Immigration

This is totally legal, but when you're going through immigration in the airport and they ask you your purpose of travel, they could be thrown off when you say to study because you don't have a visa (it's illegal to study in a university abroad without having a visa).


There are two options:

  1. This is totally legal, so just tell the truth. When they ask where your visa is, refer them to the last page of the passport where there will be a stamp that says, "This passport expires [date] and was issued by the Department of State under 22 CFR 51.2.B." Explain that it was issued because your student visa is still in processing, but your studies start soon. I would keep on hand your confirmation of visa submission, confirmation of study at your university, and any other official documents that they might ask for. And tell them that once your visa is approved it will be mailed to you and you will check in with the foreign police after its arrival.

  2. I probably shouldn't give this advice, but you can lie. Sometimes it's just easier to say you're a tourist visiting for less than 90 days. Usually, it's no questions asked and they let you go. But, lying to the immigration police is illegal so, pick your battles.

Getting the Visa Once it's Approved

Once your visa is approved, you are only allowed to pick it up in the specific embassy or consulate that you applied in or from your address in your home country. Unfortunately, they will not mail it to you abroad.


Again there are two options here, both legal this time.

  1. Have a family member (or maybe a close friend if you tell the embassy/consulate in advance) pick up the visa and mail it to you. Mailing a passport is kind of sketchy, but this is the cheapest option. I recommend sending it with a really secure service (I used DHL) and have it overnighted.

    1. Also, don't miss the package! It will more likely get lost if you do. I spoke to my university reception and they agreed it would be okay if I sent it there since it was important documents. Since someone is always sitting at the reception desk, it was very unlikely that the delivery would be missed.

  2. Go back to your home country to pick up the visa and passport. This is the safest option so I guess if you have the money for it, go for it. But, overnight shipping with DHL is $90 and a round trip flight is about $500, so it's up to you.

How can I apply?


Edited by Sophia Pedigo


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Cost of Living in Prague

Updated: Jun 21, 2022

This differs for everyone, but generally, this is what my friends and I have for monthly expenses as students living in the city center.


Quick Breakdown of my Monthly Expenses:

Rent: 10,000CZK ($428); this is typical rent for a room in Prague

Food: 2,400-3,600CZK ($100-$154); I go grocery shopping every other day or every three days and spend about 300CZK ($12.50) each time

Transportation: 120CZK ($5.15)

Drug Store Stuff (Toiletries & Cleaning Supplies): about 500-750CZK ($21-$32)

Entertainment: 400-2,400CZK ($17-$100); depends on what you like to do for fun and how often you go out but a night at a club usually costs me 400-600CZK ($17-$25)


If you're someone who looks at numbers and your mind goes blank, here are some easily comparable prices for things:

(I'm from Connecticut, so that's my basis of US prices, just fyi)

Prague US

Cappuccino: 60CZK ($2.50) $4

Cocktail: 100CZK ($4.30) $12

Beer: 30CZK ($1.30) $6

Dinner at an average restaurant: 150CZK ($6.50) $20

Additional costs that don't occur monthly but you should factor in:

Health Insurance: 1,000CZK ($42); each month of coverage with Uniqa, most students have this plan. You need to prove you have it for the duration of your visa, so for a year visa, it's 12,000CZK ($514) paid upfront.

Flights: $375 round trip from Prague to New York. It depends on where you live, but this is what it will cost for me to visit home this Christmas

Visa fees: 2,500CZK ($107) each time you apply, usually yearly or half-yearly

Also, keep in mind that when you apply for your visa you have to provide proof of funds. For 6 months its 55,000CZK ($2,400). For one year, I believe, it is $4,000. However, you just have to keep that money in your account for 24 hours in order to get the paperwork from the bank. What I do, along with most students is borrow money from a parent, family member, or friend for a day, transfer it into your account, wait a day, get the paperwork from the bank, and transfer it back to whomever you borrowed it from.

Tuition: Obviously, this depends on the university. Public universities are like $300 a semester, and private universities are like $3,000 a semester.


Hope this helps you figure out if living in Prague is financially feasible!

xx Liza

Edited by Sophia Pedigo


enjoy a photo of me and my new plant because my phone is broken so I can't make a Pinterest cover


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