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American thinking of studying overseas, Switzerland?

dpunk3

Member
Hello,

I was hoping someone from SwissGAF or even someone from the US whose done this could help me figure out if studying overseas is wise.

I am currently studying in the US, but it's looking like I'll have to drop out soon from school due to financial aid reasons. I'm short the amount I need for school, and I'm considering studying abroad due to
1) Lower costs
and (more importantly)
2) I want to get out of the US
What are the costs like for overseas students? How much is housing? Is there any kind of aid for foreign students? Are classes taught in English? I don't know a single bit of German, but I'd love to learn and take my time in the country to learn for sure.

Hopefully someone can help.
 
Hello,

I was hoping someone from SwissGAF or even someone from the US whose done this could help me figure out if studying overseas is wise.

I am currently studying in the US, but it's looking like I'll have to drop out soon from school due to financial aid reasons. I'm short the amount I need for school, and I'm considering studying abroad due to
1) Lower costs
and (more importantly)
2) I want to get out of the US
What are the costs like for overseas students? How much is housing? Is there any kind of aid for foreign students? Are classes taught in English? I don't know a single bit of German, but I'd love to learn and take my time in the country to learn for sure.

Hopefully someone can help.

You should strongly reconsider if this is a supposed reason
 
Hi, I'm not a Swiss or American, but an EU citizen. But if you really want to consider this as an option it is very doable.

The main thing is some European countries offer free or very cheap university studies for non EU/EEA students, and many universities also offer courses in English.

What you do have to sort out is the cost of living, which varies from country to country a bit. Also, the ability to cover the cost of living is usually a requirement for getting the visa (and again it varies). But once you get in it's also possible to work part time in many countries while studying.

Be warned, if you're on this early stage of just thinking about it, the process might feel a bit overwhelming. But focus on the process one step at a time.


We had a thread about studying in Germany last year: www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1191281

Here's some general resources:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe_en <- An European Commission's portal for general information about studying in Europe.
Most countries have their own "study in X" -sites which have University and programme searches as well as country specific information, you can find the links here: http://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/country-profiles_en

For Switzerland this is the only thing I could find: https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/higher-education-area/studying/studying-in-switzerland/

Other site that I found through simple google search:
https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/where-can-you-study-abroad-free
https://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/region/europe/guide
 
Why Switzerland? The cost of living is quite high compared to it's neighboring countries. Also it might not be the best place to learn proper German :p
 
Why Switzerland? The cost of living is quite high compared to it's neighboring countries. Also it might not be the best place to learn proper German :p

If you're studying engineering, EPFL and ETH Zurich are extremely good schools.

Not sure if that applies to OP though.
 
germany seems a good option. no tuition fees, comparatively cheap living costs if you avoid frankfurt, munich, hamburg etc (even berlin is relatively cheap). downside is language i guess as you need to learn german and nobody cares about that language skill.
 
I am currently studying in the US, but it's looking like I'll have to drop out soon from school due to financial aid reasons. I'm short the amount I need for school, and I'm considering studying abroad due to
1) Lower costs
and (more importantly)

the tuition fees for universities are very low here, around 1200-1500 USD per year.
However food and living costs are very high here, a cheap meal at the university is 5-6 USD, can go easily up to 10 USD. A room close to an university cost you 800-1000 USD

2) I want to get out of the US
What are the costs like for overseas students? How much is housing? Is there any kind of aid for foreign students? Are classes taught in English? I don't know a single bit of German, but I'd love to learn and take my time in the country to learn for sure.


the University I was did not have any courses in english in the first couple of years. All lectures were held in german, but some exercise groups had an english speaking tutor!
 
There are universities all over Europe that teach courses in English, but you'll need to check them on a case-by-case basis.
 
For the process on how to do it: https://www.study-in.de/en/service/studying-in-germany-in-ten-steps_40634.php

It's from "Study in Germany" site and is Germany specific, but the steps are applicable to other European countries too.


Step 1 - Find programme and university
Step 2 - Meet the requirements
Step 3 - Finance your studies
Step 4 - Apply for your programme
Step 5 - Enter and stay in Germany
Step 6 - Find accommodation
Step 7 - Get help
Step 8 - Enrol at your university
Step 9 - Take care of the formalities
Step 10 - Organise your studies
 
Switzerland is one of the most expensive places to live in Europe. For example, I recently had a simple lunch on Geneva airport (some juice and bread), I paid 17 euros.

That's in an airport. I've paid $15+ on stupid food in an airport in the US plenty of times. But I do recognize it is expensive, however they also have (generally) a high salary per person ratio as well.
 
I'm studying in Munich Germany. It's a LOT cheaper then Switzerland. Look into schools in Germany if you want a European school experience.
 
That's in an airport. I've paid $15+ on stupid food in an airport in the US plenty of times. But I do recognize it is expensive, however they also have (generally) a high salary per person ratio as well.
Well yes, but you'd be a student and you'll have to finance your stay there. I mean, going to Switzerland is very possible, but the financial hurdle might be a bit easier to overcome in other European countries. But, it's your call. There are great opportunities around Europe.
 
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