How to pay for studying abroad
Funding a degree abroad is a sequence, not a search. Done in the wrong order it costs a year; done in the right one it costs less money.
Last updated: 5 September 2026
There are four sources of money for a degree abroad: what you have, what someone gives you, what you borrow, and what you earn while you are there. They are not interchangeable, and the order you approach them in changes the total you end up paying.
The order
1. Money you do not repay, first
Scholarships, grants, assistantships and fee waivers. This is where the largest avoidable losses happen, because the deadlines sit before the point most people start thinking about money. Across our catalogue, 1125 of 1794 course records (63%) note scholarship or funding options for international students — the opportunity is not rare, but it is time-boxed.
Four categories, roughly in order of how much they pay out:
- University merit awards. Applied for with admission, often automatically considered. Usually a percentage off tuition rather than a cash grant.
- Government and bilateral schemes. Run by the destination country or a joint commission. Larger awards, earlier deadlines, more paperwork.
- Departmental assistantships. Teaching or research work attached to a postgraduate place. Common at doctoral level, less so at master's, and frequently including a fee waiver as well as a stipend.
- External foundations and employers. Subject-specific or demographic-specific, often overlooked because they are not listed anywhere central.
2. Money you repay, second
Loans are a real tool and worth using deliberately rather than defaulting into. What to compare:
- Total repayment cost, not the monthly figure. A longer term with a lower payment is usually more expensive overall.
- Currency risk. If you borrow in one currency and pay tuition in another, a 10% move is a 10% change in what the degree costs you. Nothing about your loan agreement protects you from that.
- Cosigner requirements. Some international lenders operate without a local cosigner in specific country corridors; most home-country lenders want one.
- When repayment starts. Whether interest accrues during study, and whether there is a grace period after graduation, matter more over the life of the loan than the headline rate.
3. Money you earn, last
Term-time work is a supplement. Most student visas cap it around 20 hours a week; at typical student wages that lands somewhere between a third and a half of living costs in a mid-cost city, and nothing towards tuition. Vacation periods usually allow full-time work, which is where the meaningful earnings actually are. Every destination page on this site lists the permitted term-time hours.
Proof of funds: a separate problem
Affording the degree and satisfying the visa are two different tests, and people fail the second while passing the first. Most student visas require you to demonstrate access to roughly a year of living costs — sometimes plus tuition — held for a defined period before you apply. In several countries it must sit in a blocked account that releases a set amount each month after arrival.
Practical consequences: a loan that disburses after enrolment does not help you satisfy a proof-of-funds test before it. Money that appears in your account the week before you apply may be questioned. Plan this backwards from the visa appointment, not forwards from the offer letter.
Where funding is most commonly recorded
Share of the courses in our catalogue that note scholarship or funding options, by destination. It is a rough signal of how normal funding is in that system, not a probability that you personally will receive it.
| Destination | Courses with funding noted | Share | Total cost/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 61 of 78 | 78% | $33,400 |
| Ireland | 57 of 75 | 76% | $34,300 |
| New Zealand | 17 of 24 | 71% | $37,100 |
| Belgium | 16 of 23 | 70% | $19,900 |
| Sweden | 20 of 29 | 69% | $27,800 |
| India | 25 of 36 | 69% | $9,000 |
| Canada | 104 of 155 | 67% | $35,700 |
| Germany | 73 of 111 | 66% | $17,700 |
| Saudi Arabia | 13 of 20 | 65% | $10,600 |
| United Kingdom | 145 of 226 | 64% | $55,700 |
| France | 30 of 47 | 64% | $22,200 |
| Australia | 76 of 120 | 63% | $49,500 |
A timeline that works
- 12–18 months out. Shortlist countries and courses. Note every funding deadline attached to them — this is the step that determines everything after it.
- 10–12 months out. Sit your English test. Line up references. Start government scholarship applications, which close earliest.
- 8–10 months out. Submit applications, with scholarship sections completed rather than deferred.
- 4–6 months out. Offers arrive. Compare on net cost after funding, not on sticker price. Begin assembling proof of funds.
- 2–4 months out. Loan drawdown if you are using one. Visa application. Housing.
Start from a real number
Funding a figure you have not calculated is guesswork. Work out what your actual shortlist costs first — the matching quiz returns total annual cost per course against your grades and budget, and the cost guide breaks down where the money goes. Then fund that number, in the order above.
Which of these actually fits your grades and budget?
Answer a few questions and we score every course against your marks, budget, English score and career goal, then rank them.
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