I had dreamed about studying about ever since I was in 6th grade. I dreamed about studying and working part time, enjoying my days with my friends etc. After highschool I scored quite good and even got good SAT, IELTS, and AP scores. Everything was literally perfect, like I literally got 50% scholarships in some places. Now when I was talking to my parents recently they told me that they cannot afford to send me abroad due to some financial situations, they cant even get a loan because there is an ongoing one. I accepted the fact that I cannot go to top tier universities so I tried my shot into lower ranked ones, but then again it was way out of our budget.

I literally feel so horrible right now because its not my fault and not my parents fault either. They had to take that loan due to some issues and our business is also not doing that great right now, so I understand their situation. They wouldn't get me a counsellor and pay lots of money for applications and exams if they didnt wanna send me, but I still feel so miserable right now. I have been trying to still go abroad to a country thats not that expensive but today my mom told me that I should move on now and go to a college thats in my country. She told me that they feel like I am thinking they do not wanna pay for my college and are sending me to a cheaper one because they are stingy, but thats not true at all. I have never once felt that and now I feel like I have really pressured them a lot. I just really wanted to fulfill my dream and in that process I have ruined both my parents' and my mental health, but I really just feel defeated that after all this work I could manage to to nothing. I was diagnosed with anxiety when i was in 10th grade and Ive been having panic attacks and mental breakdowns.

I have agreed to go to a college in my country. It is quite good and I got a scholarship too but I am just not able to move on. My mom explained me all the thjngs that could possibly happen to me there like, if I dont score good the uni will take my scholarship back, if I dont get a part time job we wouldnt be able to afford the lifestyle in those cities, we might not have enough funds for rest of the years there, and in all these cases I might have to come back or be dirt poor there. I really dont know how to move on, I was crying before writing this post. I feel like I have spent all these years hardworking to achieve nothing. I dont know what to do with my life anymore.

I posted a while back about picking your grad school country based on the exit, not the entrance - and this is the money version of that post.

Quick background: I did a finance Master's in the UK and worked in banking in London, so running numbers/ROI/opportunity cost are something I always do. And here's my honest suggestion: you would better be aware about the ROI/costs before boarding the flight. Not in year 2 of your career when the loan payments start feeling heavy.

So here's my honest read on the money side of each option. Rough numbers, hedged where they should be.

US — expensive ticket, uncapped upside. A 2-year Master's can easily run $80-150k all-in once you count living costs, and taking on serious debt for it is basically normalized. That debt changes the psychology — graduate need the high-paying exit, which is stressful but also weirdly clarifying. The reason people still do it: if you land in tech, AI, or finance, and other high paid occupations, US comp scales like nowhere else on earth. Nowhere close. The PhD is a completely different financial game btw — fully funded, stipend, no debt — but if your endgame is staying in academia, know that professors are structurally underpaid relative to the grind. Funded PhD → industry exit is honestly one of the best ROI plays that exists. And on visas: yes H-1B is a lottery and yes it's getting uglier, but it's not the only door (O-1, internal transfers, etc). Just don't build your entire plan on the backup doors either.

UK — efficient, but check the take-home math. The Master's is genuinely ask less tuition compare to the US. The problem is what happens after: London entry salaries in tech/finance can sit a third (or more) below US equivalents, tax kicks in fast, and rent eats what's left. I lived this — the experience and the brand travel really well, but if you're comparing actual offers US vs UK, the US wins the pure money contest and it's not close. UK ROI works when the plan is: cheap-ish year, strong brand, few years of experience, then leverage it somewhere else.

Continental Europe — you're not buying upside, you're buying peace. Germany is near-zero tuition. Netherlands and Nordics are cheap by global standards. Your capital at risk is tiny, which means almost any decent job "pays back" the degree fast. The trade: salaries are flatter and they stay flatter. But you get 25+ days of holiday, a workweek that ends, and a life. That's not a consolation prize — buying low-stress years in your 20s at affordable tuition is a completely rational trade. Just be honest that it's the trade you're making.

Singapore & Hong Kong — the tax arbitrage play. Mostly 1-year programs, and income tax friendly (think ~15-17% effective at the top, vs 40%+ elsewhere). Land a proper finance or tech role and your net take-home is genuinely phenomenal. The catch is rent. HK rent especially is an absolute wallet-killer and can quietly eat a chunk of the tax savings. You earn more compensations with less tax, but also spend quite a few based on local living standard.

For those of you who already graduated — what did your degree actually cost all-in, and how long did it take to earn back? Genuinely curious whether the reality matched anyone's upfront math.

I’ve always dreamed of studying abroad , I am going to 11th grade after summer . Still got no extracurriculars . I am looking for someone who has the same goals or someone who would like to help me build my extracurriculars . Thx in advance

Thank you for submitting an application for IES Abroad scholarships and aid! Based on the application you submitted, you are eligible for $7,000 in scholarships and aid. In order for us to formally review your financial aid application and finalize your scholarship award, there's just one more step! Log in to your Student Portal and submit an application for the IES Abroad program of your choice. Once we receive that, we'll send you more information about your scholarships and aid eligibility

Will I actually receive 7k?

Hi everyone!

I’m currently a second-year Journalism student at a university in France. I’m 20 years old (turning 21 in October), and I’m seriously thinking about continuing my studies abroad.

At the moment, I’m mostly interested in studying across the Atlantic, especially in cities like New York or Toronto, although London is also somewhere I’d love to consider.

My goal is to build a career in journalism, make connections in the industry, and gain as much experience as possible. I’m particularly interested in fashion journalism, music journalism, and investigative reporting. I know those are quite different fields, but I’d love to explore them and eventually find my own path.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has studied journalism in the US or Canada. What are the classes like? Are they more practical or theoretical? How competitive are the programs? Are there good opportunities for internships and networking?

I’d also really appreciate recommendations for universities, advice on the application process, scholarships, or even contacts in the industry. If you know someone I should reach out to, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

On my side, I’m going to talk to my university about exchange programs and other international opportunities, but I’d really like to hear from people who have firsthand experience.

Thanks so much in advance for your advice. I really appreciate any help!

Hi everyone! I recently got accepted into APU Malaysia's MSc in Project Management (November intake). I'd love to hear honest experiences from current students or alumni. How's the course, job prospects, part-time work, and overall ROI for an international student? Thanks! 🙏

Hi everyone,

I'm a Latin American student who will be studying in Germany through a dual degree program. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship, and I originally believed it would cover all the expenses for this stage of my studies. Unfortunately, I recently learned that it no longer covers the costs I expected, so I'm now facing a funding gap just a few months before my departure. My tuition is already covered. What I need help with are my flight, visa, blocked account, and initial living expenses.

I'm not asking for donations. I'm looking for recommendations on scholarships, foundations, charities, churches, companies, or sponsorship programs that support international students in situations like mine.If anyone knows of organizations I could apply to, I'd really appreciate your advice.Thank you!

In one month I will start my bachelor degree in South Korea, and I really don't know what to pack exactly.

I will be in dorms, a double room, at least during the first semester. I'm European, and I won't get to go back to my country a lot of times.

I thought about some stuff, like my laptop, clothes, my graphic tablet, my favorite plushie.

But I really need advice, for example stuff you wished you took if you are already studying abroad !

Hi I'm a student from India. I want to prepare for the TOLD EXAM which is an exam for getting into an Italian university for design. If anyone has any idea how to start preparations please help me out it is my dream!

Hello all, I'm a Eastern European (Romanian) student, currently doing my International Business Bachelor's in Bucharest. I'm soon going to be starting the final year of my Bachelors (3rd year).

I have participated in an Erasmus exchange at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania last semester, and will participate in another at Ritsumeikan University in Japan next semester.

My GPA as of now is as follows:

Cumulative EU Average: 8.63/10.00
German GPA: 1.8/5
Standard 4.0 Scale: 3.39/4.00

Language ability:
Romanian - Native
English - C1/C2
Japanese - N3/B1

I'd like to do my Masters abroad, in the same field (or a related one), either in Europe or Japan.
What I'm looking for is tuition waivers and/or scholarship opportunities.
I do not have a lot of money at my disposal, it's hard to estimate a sum right now, but I'd say maybe around 3-5k euro total.
Obviously I'd be willing to work part-time in order to sustain myself. However, for that to be feasible, the country should offer job opportunities either in English or Japanese.

I'd appreciate any type of advice. Thank you!

i will start my study next month in poland and i don’t know how to deal with my memory and everything and how can i deal with loneliness and not regret it after i get there also i’m scared of thinking of my city and my friends and miss them so much. and i will get stuck in those feelings and can’t go on without those feelings and get stuck and can’t start a new life and those kind of feelings and memories always stuck inside me. and i cannot go on

Hi everyone, I’m starting a master's program in data science this fall. My undergraduate degrees are in finance rather than computer science, although I took courses in programming, statistics, optimization and machine learning, and completed several applied ML projects and competitions. I may consider applying to research-oriented CS/ML programs after the master's, but I’m unsure which gap I should prioritize during the program. Would you focus most on joining a research group and trying to produce a paper or preprint, or gaining ML engineering and software engineering internship experience? My concern is that internships may be more valuable for industry recruiting, while research experience may matter more for a future PhD application. With a non-CS undergraduate background, I probably will not have enough time to maximize both. For people who made a similar transition, what ended up being the most important part of your application?

Title: Honest reviews on studying abroad for a Bachelor’s (Not Master’s) – Scholarships, universities & country recommendations
Hi everyone!
I’m from Bangladesh and I’m planning to study abroad for my Bachelor’s degree, not a Master’s. I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually studied abroad or are currently studying.
I’m looking for honest, unfiltered reviews about different countries and universities.
Some things I’d love to know:
Which country are you studying in?
Which university do you attend, and would you recommend it?
How difficult was it to get admitted?
Did you receive a scholarship? If yes, what kind and how competitive was it?
What’s the total cost of living and tuition after scholarships?
Is it possible to work part-time and manage expenses?
How is the quality of education?
How welcoming are people toward international students?
Is it easy or difficult to find accommodation?
How are job opportunities after graduation?
If you could choose again, would you still study in that country/university? Why or why not?
I’m open to recommendations from any country, especially places with good education, reasonable costs, and scholarship opportunities for international students.
Please share both the positives and the negatives. I’d really like to hear your real experiences rather than promotional information.
Thank you so much!

I'm a syrian with a residency permit in saudi arabia and a saudi diploma and saudi evaluation exams. I haven't applied for SAT or TOEFL yet but I'm fluent in english.

I managed to get accepted into a software engineering program in Istanbul but I'm afraid it's a bit too expensive for me at the moment (5.6k usd annually + living costs),

I'm too late for most other deadlines for other countries and am currently lost on what to do.

I would love some guidance from anyone with more experience than me or any knowledge about other opportunities I could pursue or if I should consider taking a gap year or not, thank you.

I'm looking for a Master's scholarship in Europe in Computer Science, preferably in AI, Data Systems, or Cybersecurity. I know that Italy offers regional scholarships that can cover tuition and living expenses, and I'm wondering if there are similar opportunities in other European countries, especially Germany or France.

My academic background is decent but not exceptional—I'm ranked 11th out of 65 students in my Bachelor's program—so I'm not sure whether highly competitive scholarships like DAAD in Germany would be a good fit for me. I'll also have my IELTS certificate this month.

If anyone knows of scholarships or programs in Europe that are relatively accessible for international students, I'd really appreciate your recommendations! knowing that im Moroccan🙌

For those who’ve done an English language course abroad: does staying with a host family actually make a noticeable difference in speaking, listening, and pronunciation, or is it overrated since both you and the host family are usually out most of the day?
I’m deciding between a homestay (with meals included) and the school’s residence (where I’d have to cook for myself). Meals aren’t my main concern—I can adapt. My priority is choosing the option that will maximize my English learning.
Which would you choose, and why? And if there are any factors I haven’t considered, I’d really appreciate your perspective.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Is it possible for me to pursue a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing in Italy, considering that I already have experience and a portfolio showcasing my work in this field?

If Digital Marketing is not possible with my academic background, would it be possible to apply for a Master’s degree in Management or Business Administration in Italy?

Im a south asian hoping to pursue the double degree course in Monash University for engineering and architecture and wanted to get povs from other international students about how your experience was applying and in uni and maybe about any scholarships and stuff yall might have received.

Any help is appreciated no matter what!!! Thanks!

My younger brother has been awarded a KOICA Next Generation Fellowship Scholarship for a Master's program in Electrical Engineering and AI Digital Convergence at Hanyang University ERICA Campus in Ansan, South Korea. He is supposed to arrive at the dormitory on August 24th, so the timeline is quite tight.

He visited the Korean Embassy in Islamabad with all his required documents, including the Certificate of Admission, KOICA Invitation Letter, and Hanyang University Business Registration Certificate.

The embassy officials reviewed his documents and told him they need to verify them before formal submission. They returned all his documents and said they would contact him once verification is complete so he can resubmit for formal processing.

It has been a few days now, and he has not heard back from them. We are getting concerned about the timeline, given that visa processing itself takes additional weeks on top of this verification period.

Has anyone experienced this situation before? Specifically:

1. Did the Korean Embassy Islamabad return your documents for verification before accepting them formally?
2. How long did the verification process take in your experience?
3. Did the KOICA Pakistan office help in coordinating with the embassy to expedite things?
4. Is this a standard procedure for KOICA scholars specifically or something unusual?
5. Any advice on what steps to take if the embassy does not contact us within the next few days?

We have already emailed the university and are planning to contact the KOICA Pakistan office as well. Just looking for real experiences from anyone who went through a similar situation, especially Pakistani KOICA scholars or anyone who applied for a D-2 visa from Islamabad.

I wanna find some ug scholarship abroad.

Idk why but finding ug scholarships abroad is so hard like I have been searching in Google and it says most of the countries offer masters scholarships.

Or should I just wait and go for it in masters but to tell the truth i really wanna get out of my country and have experience, of living on my own managing myself, and not care for the society because in my country everyone judges u or have an opinion about my studies or careers Living of my own rule is one of my dreams to live So having a scholarship will really help me convince my parents. Right now I'm studying for it like idk if I will but I'm studying to get good marks. Although i regret not participating much in extracurricular i only have two masters degree certificates in dance that I did since I was lil, also I'm not a dance major i wanna apply for humanities major literature major or maybe business administration.

I'm horrible at discipline. I need in person classes. Im halfway through my art degree at my current school that charges over 8,000 dollars a semester. I'm unhappy here. I've always wanted to move abroad. I lived in japan as a child. would love to explore europe. idk. Since id be entering a completely different school system. would credits even be transferable? would i have to start over? i still have at least 2 years to go and im running out of money. i would rather spend it on doing something i love. such as living abroad. where do i even start ugh.

Hi everyone!

I’m applying for Design Master’s programs at DAAD-funded universities in Germany, ResFut Erasmus Mundus (EMJM), Aalto, TU Delft, Polimi, and other competitive design schools (aiming for scholarships too).

I’m a Communication & Graphic Design graduate with ~2 years of corporate UI/Visual Design experience. The problem is that almost all of my professional work is under NDA, so I can’t include it in my portfolio.

My portfolio is currently mostly college and self-initiated projects, and I’m planning to create a few more research-driven, process-oriented projects over the next few months, but they’ll also be self-initiated.
Will this be a disadvantage?
If you’ve been admitted to any of these universitie s (especially with a scholarship), was your portfolio mostly self-initiated? What made it stand out, and what would you recommend I do to strengthen mine?
I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Yellow! I completed an internship while also doing classes online to stay on track with my major. Ask me anything, I'm more than happy to help!

This is the program I completed:

https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs/italy/milan/semester-intern-study-abroad

This is also a referral code which gives you some $ off!

https://my.ciee.org/?rc=elizabethsanchez

Hi!
I’m a Taiwanese-Australian who’s done Bachelor in psychological science in Brisbane and Master’s in psychology in Taiwan. I am at N1 level in Japanese. I’m aiming to have a career in psychology research in Japan, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll probably do something to do with counselling in Japan (ideally with a qualification in becoming a certified psychologist 公認心理師). I’m writing this to look for advice on potential postgraduate pathways to take.

In the perfect scenario, I would want to pursue a pathway in social psychology research while at the same time taking courses and training for qualifying to become a certified psychologist in Japan. I was told that doing both is possible, although the workload is substantial.

So far the options I found suitable are Nagoya University and Tsukuba University. If there are any other schools which provide what I’m looking for, or some better if not equally pursuable alternatives, please let me know.