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[rachel83az]

Bear in mind that the free ones in Germany aren't actually free-free. There are often fees for American students that do not exist for students from the EU. (EU pays for school with taxes, Americans have paid no EU taxes.) Much like US college resident/non-resident rates.

There is a lot of paperwork associated with going to a German university. You need a student visa and, unless you live in LA or DC, you're going to incur travel expenses going to the right embassy or consulate to get that visa. You need to have about $12k ready to plunk down ahead of time for each year that you'll be there to prove that you can support yourself while in Germany. Accommodations in and around the cities that have these universities tend to be expensive and/or scarce. For much of Germany, it's not unusual to spend 6 months trying to find an apartment. It's slightly easier for some students, but not by much.

Also, that $12k is probably not enough to live on but (depending on your visa) you're probably not allowed to work while in Germany unless you're an EU citizen.

I don't know about Norway, but I believe the situation is similar. I'm not saying this to discourage everyone from studying abroad, but it's not free-free like a lot of people tend to assume it is. As long as you realize that, you'll be a-okay.