Planning your future can be difficult. More so if you plan to study abroad, with costs in different countries being quite difficult to estimate, the cherry on top of the very expensive cake that is your plan. Fees for universities overseas can be astronomical, so, before you Google what organs you can afford to live without and proceed to sell them, we thought it would be wise to let you in on a little secret, so come close. Ready? Well, there are countries in which you can study for free, or at a very nominal cost.

Germany

Although public universities in Germany are free, they might reintroduce fees for international students. The cost of living there is also very high.

Now if you’ve been following our articles recently (Of course you have!), you’ll know that it’s completely free to study in Germany, even undergraduate programmes, although that’s only at public universities. Even though the cost of living is high over here (you’ll need to prove you have around USD9,230 annually to obtain a visa), it will still amount to less than tuition fees, which explains the ever-booming interest in studying here. Word of caution: Some universities are going to re-introduce fees for international students, so you better be quick!

France

The courses in France are, of course, conducted in French. Most of the people prefer to speak in French than English so it’s best to pick up the language.

Ooh la la! Little known fact, it’s practically free to study in France as well (The small matter of USD195 annually). Most undergraduate courses are in French though, so you may want to start picking up the language (No, watching Ratatouille doesn’t count!). Living expenses aren’t too high as well, around USD10,180 annually, although Paris is more expensive (It was voted the Best Student City).

Norway

With its amazing landscape and northern lights, there’s also more to Norway than just free higher education.

The first of a few Nordic countries to appear on the list, university study in Norway is available for free to all students, regardless of study level or nationality. The majority of courses are in Norwegian though, so once again, you may want to use this free time to pick up one or two languages.

Be prepared, Sweden and Denmark have really cold and long winters so you might want to bring thick winter clothes that can keep you warm.

Okay, so they do charge students outside the EU for their courses. Then why did we put them on the list? (No, we haven’t gone crazy) Both these countries are on here because they offer exceptional PhD candidates a chance to obtain their degree for free AND they pay you a salary (Getting your cake and eating it too).

Iceland

Iceland may be cold, but their hearts are one of the warmest ones around. They don’t charge tuition fees, with an annual registration fee of USD425 being the only charge. But here’s the catch, notice we didn’t talk about the living costs for all the countries in Northern Europe? Well, you need to know that it’s going to cost a lot to live there, the costs being among some of the highest in the world (A healthy economy means expensive stuff). But hey, you can’t put a price on a warm heart!

Czech Republic

Ma Vlast, a famous symphonic cycle by Bed?ich Smetana, is about his homeland, Czech Republic. It is home to one of the world’s well-known classical composers.

Most of you may know this country as the home of Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros. Students who speak the native language are able to study for free, here. If you are, however, uninterested to learn Czech, then you’ll pay a modest USD4,260 per year for their courses. Living costs also amount to around USD4,200-9000 a year.

Argentina

Lionel Messi, a famous footballer is from Argentina.

What’s a pirate’s favourite country? Arrrrrr-gentina of course! Public universities charge international students a small, nominal fee to enroll, whereas if private institutions tickle your fancy, you’ll have to fork out upwards of USD5,000 annually.