The rising cost of college has been a constant worry for many ambitious students. Considering we live in the 21st century, college expenses and student loans shouldn’t hinder your ability to earn a degree in higher education. Let’s find out, Is College Free In Most Countries?
With that being said, a question that naturally arises is, is there a better, more affordable way to earn your degree?
And there is! Some countries, mind you, not most, offer free higher education to their public, and occasionally, even international students. But before we get into what countries offer the option of Free College, let us understand what Free Education actually means.
What Is Free Education?
Free Education is a system of education where students do not have to pay tuition to study or advance their studies.
Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights guarantees the right to free primary education and the progressive adoption of it in secondary and higher education.
Free Education is generally funded by the government or charitable organizations. A great example is Argentina, where free education has been a thing since 1949 for the country’s people. The whole program is financed by the Ministry of Education.
It is also great to see many rapidly developing countries like China take steps to implement free education as soon as possible.
So, what countries offer Free Education/College?
Considering over 45 million Americans currently have student debt totaling about $1.56 trillion, countries offering free education are a godsend.
There are 23 countries so far that provide the choice of free education, and they are:-
- Austria: Not completely tuition-free but has very low tuition for its citizens and European students and a slightly increased fee for non-European students.
- Argentina: provides free education to its citizens and undergraduate-level education to foreign students.
- Brazil: One of our favorite places to visit; they offer university-level education to its citizens and international students! The only downside is all the classes are taught in Portuguese.
- The Czech Republic: offers free education to its people. International students can attend for free if the enrolled classes are in the Czech language.
- Denmark: offers free education and scholarships with aid to its citizens, European students, and students with particular visas.
- Egypt: offers free education to its citizens as part of its poverty eradication scheme.
- France: offers free education for all citizens of the European Union.
- Finland: Finland offers free education to all its citizens and only charges non-citizens when they take classes in English. Though, living expenses are not covered by the college.
- Germany: The majority of the country’s universities offer free education to its people and even international students! They might ask for a small fee each semester, but it’s nothing compared to a private university’s tuition.
- Greece: provides free education to both citizens and international students, but all the classes are taught in Greek.
- Iceland: Apart from an annual registration fee of €500, public universities offer education with no tuition fees for both, European and non-European students.
- Kenya: Offers free tuition to its citizens. International students who do good, academics-wise, in secondary school are offered free tuition at public colleges and universities!
- Luxembourg: provides free education to all though you will have to pay extra if you want to study in English.
- Malaysia: offers free education to its citizens.
- Morocco: Free tuition for their citizens but doesn’t extend to international students.
- Norway: free tuition for both citizens and foreigners but has ridiculously high living expenses.
- Panama: offers free education to everyone regardless of nationality!
- Poland: provides free education to its citizens.
- Slovenia: offers free tuition to all citizens of the European Union.
- Spain: offers free tuition for its citizens and EU nationals but has some of the lowest tuition rates of any European country.
- Sweden: free tuition for citizens of the EU, but Ph.D. courses in Sweden are free for all international students!
- Turkey: is free for citizens toll the 12th grade and has some excellent scholarship programs that offer almost free tuition to both international students and citizens.
- Uruguay: offers free education to all its citizens.
Many other countries like Fiji, Malta, Iran, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Russia are working on extending their public education programs to include free college which is pretty great.
Now that we know what countries offer Free College, we feel like it’s only natural to ask – if we don’t pay for college, who does?
So, Who Pays For Free College?
The simple answer – Taxpayers.
In Most of the countries mentioned above, higher tax rates allow them to extend the offer of free education and healthcare to their citizens and others.
Most of the countries in the European Union have a sales tax rate of a whopping 20%!
If you observe the tax wedge, which is a measure of the amount of money a government reportedly receives from taxpayers, of America when compared to the countries in the EU that offer free college, the EU has a much higher tax wedge, starting with Norway at 36.2%.
Other countries require students to pay for their education through military service. So, when we look closely, free is a very relative term.
What are the Benefits of Free College?
The following listed are some of the benefits of free college:-
Low-Income Students Would Actually Graduate
What usually happens is that most of these students tend to take part-time jobs or drop out of college completely because of the financial strain.
If there’s no tuition, there are more chances that low-income students, including non-white folks, actually graduate!
Student Loans Would Decrease Immensely
There’s more risk associated with a costly degree because you can never guarantee a higher-paying job than something you’d get without one.
With a tuition-free college, the pressure of student loans is considerably diminished, leaving more money to get a mortgage, buy a car, travel, and essentially contribute to the economy!
You’d Have More Freedom With Your Major
We’re not sure if it’s the pressure of the adult world or the expense of a higher degree, but students are more inclined to choose a major that is practical and would yield a good salary.
When provided with free tuition, students might start to choose majors they’re genuinely interested in without any regret of wasting money or time.
With all that being said, there are also cons to a free tuition college, as there are with everything, but the benefits are worth it. After all, our future lies with our youth
Is Free College Better Than Private College?
This completely depends on your expectations, long-term goals, and financial situation.
Nonetheless, to help you choose, here are some of the differences you should consider:-
- The cost of tuition – is usually considered an important factor.
- If they provide Financial Aid
- Demographics and Diversity
- Prestige – Private colleges are more widely recognized when compared to public ones.
- Degrees offered – Public institutions have a wider variety to choose from.
- Campus/Class size – Free colleges generally have more students enrolled meaning their lectures are usually packed with students as compared to the few students approach taken by private institutions.
Conclusion
So far, we’ve talked about Free Education – a scheme extended by the government to provide tuition-free education, from primary to higher studies, to its citizens and sometimes international students.
We’ve talked briefly about the countries that offer tuition-free colleges and how said countries can afford to provide these services, which is essential because of their taxpayers
