If you want to earn a degree abroad but haven’t gotten around to starting your application yet, fear not. There’s still time to apply to some undergraduate programs in Europe that start in the fall.
Students from all over the world choose to earn a bachelor’s degree in Europe for many reasons, including the availability of three-year bachelor’s programs, lower-cost tuition and an opportunity to explore another part of the world.
One country in Europe with later application deadlines is Germany.
Upward of 301,000 international students studied in Germany during the 2013-2014 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education’s Project Atlas. The number of international students in the central European country has grown by more than 25 percent in recent years, according to the institute.
[Explore the 2016 Best Global Universities rankings.]
For students seeking an English-taught degree program in Germany, the University of Freiburg’s liberal arts and sciences program, sometimes called LAS, is one option. The application period is between June 1 and July 15, and classes begin in October for first-year students.
The June-July application period is pretty much the standard for bachelor’s programs at public universities in Germany, says Paul Sterzel, managing director of University College Freiburg.
Two international students currently enrolled in the Freiburg program, Katy Ridsdill-Smith and Jeremy Webb, say they thought the application process was pretty straightforward.
But the application timeline was actually challenging for Ridsdill-Smith, who hails from England. “I had to accept places at other universities before I had the response for LAS,” she says, “just because it’s so much later.”
One detail to note about the Freiburg liberal arts program is it lasts four years, while most other German undergraduate programs are three years long.
The German Academic Exchange Service has a tool students can use to determine whether their secondary education qualifies them to study in Germany. The organization also has lots of information on English- and German-taught degree programs at universities throughout the country.
[See if you are ready to earn an undergraduate degree overseas.]
Besides Germany, other countries in Europe with schools still accepting applications for various English-taught programs include Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus, says Jennifer Viemont, founder of Beyond the States, an advising service for students who want to study in Europe.
“These off-the-beaten-path countries often offer more affordability and some really cool cultural aspects,” Viemont says.
Additionally, there are schools located elsewhere in Europe that have later application deadlines than their in-country peer institutions.
“Application deadlines are often decided upon by the universities themselves, and less so by the governments, so they vary a lot,” Carmen Neghina, head of intelligence at StudyPortals, an organization that collects information on degree programs around the world, said by email. Students can check university websites to determine exactly when applications are due.
When looking to study abroad, students should take into account time needed to apply for a visa, experts say.
Viemont says students will probably want to budget at least 60 days for the visa process: “I would say if you’re under two months, you’re going to have a hard time — you’re going to be stressing.”
[Learn about the four types of students who should consider international universities.]
Students interested in attending college in the English-speaking U.K. can look for schools still accepting applications via UCAS, a regional admissions services provider. The organization has a searchable database of programs in the U.K., which contains information about application deadlines. But students should contact any university they are interested in before applying to make sure it is still considering candidates, according to UCAS.
The deadline for late applications submitted through UCAS is June 30.
Another place to search for European schools is the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual College Openings Update. The list includes the organization’s member institutions that still have space for freshmen and transfer students, and while it focuses primarily on schools located in the U.S., there were 21 U.K.-based institutions included, such as the University of Glasgow, as of Tuesday. The list will be available through July 1.
The timelines may seem tight for admission to some of the European schools still taking applications. But that’s all right, says Viemont, because European university applications are generally simpler than their U.S. counterparts.
For example, to apply to Freiburg’s liberal arts program, international students need to submit information about their high school education, a letter of motivation (1,000 words maximum), proof of having completed an online orientation and, in some cases, evidence of English proficiency. Students from EU countries are asked to do an admissions interview, but those from non-EU countries don’t have to.
“The admissions procedure is so much easier there,” Viemont says of Europe. “I mean, it blows me away.”
See the complete rankings of the Best Global Universities.
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It’s Not Too Late to Apply for a Bachelor’s Degree Program in Europe originally appeared on usnews.com
