Warnings about foreign grad programs?

[Ideas]

What should someone know before applying to and enrolling in a foreign cert/degree?

I would only consider ones from countries with a lot of English speakers.

I would guess there may be no Financial Aid options, including loans.

(I probably wouldn't be applying for a year, but I wonder if I should even consider it anymore. Lack of loans is an issue for me.)

[leland.kirk]

I remember looking at the University of Iceland a while ago, which does offer courses in English. At the physical campus you don't pay tuition, but an annual fee of about $750. I don't think I ever found out if the fee is different for online or not, but it'd probably be something we'd have to contact them about. But since their school isn't EU I don't think there'd be extravagant fees for Americans/Canadians.

University of Glasgow offers a Master's of Letters in Creative Writing which I found interesting, but for international students it'd be something like 25-30k in USD.

I'm sure there are some good foreign options, we'll just have to find them!

[Ideas]

I remember looking at the University of Iceland a while ago, which does offer courses in English. At the physical campus you don't pay tuition, but an annual fee of about $750. I don't think I ever found out if the fee is different for online or not, but it'd probably be something we'd have to contact them about. But since their school isn't EU I don't think there'd be extravagant fees for Americans/Canadians.

University of Glasgow offers a Master's of Letters in Creative Writing which I found interesting, but for international students it'd be something like 25-30k in USD.

I'm sure there are some good foreign options, we'll just have to find them!

I'm considering an MPH from a UK school (that I probably wouldn't start until Fall 2019 because I don't think most of them let you start at other times). Just not sure if I can pay without a loan, and if there are other reasons I shouldn't consider it (compared to the NA MPH).

But I would also consider a cheap grad certificate in a few subjects. I feel like $4000 is expensive if foreign, unless the school is great.

All EU schools don't have high fees for us?

[leland.kirk]

...
All EU schools don't have high fees for us?

I forget what the name of it actually is, but in Iceland, Norway, Finland, (and maybe Sweden, I can't remember,) tuition is technically free, for both residential and international students. Since their public universities aren't technically European Union schools. But fees still exist, as well as textbooks and the like, so it's not totally free. And it's not exactly clear what their policies are for distance learning. I'd say it varies by school. Some of them may require entrance exams.


I don't know much about schools in the UK, but knowing everything you'd need is in English is probably less of a gamble. The fees seem to be pretty similar to schools in the US, but it may still go by faster. Like their undergrad programs usually take three years instead of four, and many master's programs take one year instead of two.


I'd also imagine GRE tests are exclusively American?

[Ideas]

Oh, that would be so cool to attend a free tuition school, just on principle.

Speed is my concern more than the money, they do have more quick ones. Although, if they do start only in the Fall, then I'm losing 6 months to that.

[leland.kirk]

I feel like all the UK schools I've seen start around September. Some of the Nordic schools start in early August if I'm not mistaken, but that doesn't save much time.

As far as self-paced/accelerated programs in general, I think I've only really seen MBAs, and education related stuff, but maybe I've just never looked in the right places. I'm sure something will show up!

[Ideas]

I feel like all the UK schools I've seen start around September. Some of the Nordic schools start in early August if I'm not mistaken, but that doesn't save much time.

As far as self-paced/accelerated programs in general, I think I've only really seen MBAs, and education related stuff, but maybe I've just never looked in the right places. I'm sure something will show up!

I looked hard for a fast enough U.S. MPH program with little or no in-person requirements and reasonable price. Only found the NA one. But in the UK I see some that meet all requirements. Waiting to start is a downer, but I would have other things to do while waiting. So I'm really considering it.

[leland.kirk]

I looked hard for a fast enough U.S. MPH program with little or no in-person requirements and reasonable price. Only found the NA one. But in the UK I see some that meet all requirements. Waiting to start is a downer, but I would have other things to do while waiting. So I'm really considering it.

Are most of them in the UK pretty similar as far as tuition/fees?

[Ideas]

I looked hard for a fast enough U.S. MPH program with little or no in-person requirements and reasonable price. Only found the NA one. But in the UK I see some that meet all requirements. Waiting to start is a downer, but I would have other things to do while waiting. So I'm really considering it.

Are most of them in the UK pretty similar as far as tuition/fees?

It seems like they are about the same proportionally to the time, but cheaper in proportion to credits. Like say both programs are 30-36 credits, but in the UK it would be 12 months for $18,000 and in the US it would be 18 months for $24,000. This is my estimate but I haven't looked at the UK programs a lot yet.

Grad certs are hopefully also lower in that way. I think I saw a couple which were lower, but I was mostly looking at degrees.

[Sagan]

A starting point would be to determine if the school in question is recognized as a degree-granting institution by its central government. Another would be its world ranking by the Times Higher Education.But you won't fully know without getting the degree and putting it through a foreign credential evaluation.

As far as English-speaking countries go, you can be assured that degrees issued by recognized institutions in the UK, Australia, Canada, and South Africa will be accepted as equivalent to US degrees. That's not a guarantee, however.

Many non-US schools have a FAFSA number. This means they're recognized by the US Department of Education so students can participate in Pell Grants, student loans, etc. But be advised that these do NOT apply to DL students. You have to be on campus at the school in question. You can't study from the US and get federal financial aid.