This section covers the European countries that charge absolutely no fees – tuition or administrative – to European nationals. Out of these, the Czech Republic is the only place that offers free tuition to people from the rest of the world.
Of course, these fees aren’t the only costs you’ll encounter if you study a Masters abroad. You’ll also have to think about accommodation, health insurance and other living costs. But it’s certainly a big positive not to worry about paying some hefty tuition fees.
Denmark
Free for who: EU, EEA and Switzerland
Admin fees: None
Terms: Denmark offers free Masters to EU students, although people from the rest of the world will have to pay full tuition fees.
Whatever your nationality, you’ll be eligible for free Danish lessons – a pretty good way to settle into your new country!
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Denmark or search for Danish Masters.
Finland
Free for who: EU, EEA and Switzerland
Admin fees: There may be a small membership fee for the student union
Terms: Unfortunately, Finnish universities no longer offer free Masters to all international students. As of 2017-18, only EU, EEA and Swiss nationals qualify for free study.
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Finland or search for Finnish Masters.
Sweden
Free for who: EU, EEA and Switzerland
Admin fees: None
Terms: Like Denmark and Finland, Sweden operates a free tuition fee policy for domestic and EU students, but other international students will have to pay to study a Masters.
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Sweden or search for Swedish Masters.
Poland
Free for who: EU, EEA and Switzerland
Admin fees: Some universities pay charge an admin fee of up to €200 when you enroll
Terms: Polish universities offer free tuition to European nationals, making its historic universities a great choice for adventurous postgraduates.
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Poland or search for Polish Masters.
Czech Republic
Free for who: Everyone (if you study in Czech!)
Admin fees: You may be charge tuition fees if you take longer than expected to complete your degree.
Terms: If you fancy learning Czech, you could take advantage of the Czech Republic’s generous approach to tuition fees: Czech-taught Masters are free to all. Masters in other languages – English, French, German and Russian are fairly common – usually (but not always) incur some fees.
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in the Czech Republic or search for Czech Masters.
Austria
Free for who: EU, EEA and Switzerland
Admin fees: €20.70 per semester
Terms: Austrian universities extend free study to European nationals. The only catch is that you’ll have to pay if don’t complete your programme within two semesters of the usual duration – in these cases you’ll be charged €363.63 per term.
Although students from the rest of the world do have to pay tuition fees, they’re still pretty low at €726.72 per semester.
Whatever your nationality, you’ll have to pay €20.70 per semester for student union membership (student health insurance is included in this administrative fee).
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Austria or search for Austrian Masters.
Germany
Free for who: Everyone (except for universities in the state of Baden-Württemberg)
Admin fees: Between €50 and €250 per semester
Terms: Public universities in 15 out of 16 German states charge no tuition fees, regardless of nationality. The exception to this rule is Baden-Württemberg, which charges students from outside the EU €1,500 per semester.
You’ll also have to pay an administrative fee per semester. This varies from university to university, but will usually be between €50 and €250. The fee covers your registration and includes student union membership as well as a regional transport pass – pretty handy!
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Germany or search for German Masters.
Iceland
Free for who: Everyone
Admin fees: €500 annual registration fee
Terms: Icelandic public universities don’t charge any tuition fees, no matter where you’re from. However, you will have to pay an annual registration fee of around €500.
Find out more in our guide to Masters study in Iceland or search for Icelandic Masters.
