Graduation cap on books in front of a university

Country guides

How each system works for families from abroad: applications, deadlines, entry requirements for foreign diplomas, languages, costs, funding and visas, for 2027 entry.

Radcliffe Camera, Oxford, at dusk

United Kingdom

  • One application for (almost) everything: undergraduate applications go through UCAS, one online form, up to 5 choices, one personal statement for all of them.
  • Apply early: for 2027 entry the main deadline is 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time. Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary science closed on 15 October 2026.
  • You pick the subject up front. Most degrees are 3 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 4 years in Scotland, and students study one subject (or two) from day one.
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Netherlands

  • One national portal: every bachelor's application starts in Studielink. Most programmes then ask for documents through the university's own portal.
  • Two national deadlines: 15 January 2027 for selective ("numerus fixus") programmes and 1 May 2027 for all other bachelor's programmes (23:59 Dutch time). Many universities set earlier dates…
  • Low fees for EU citizens: the statutory fee is €2,771 for 2027/28 (€2,694 in 2026/27). Non-EU students, including UK and US citizens, pay an "institutional" fee of about €9,000–€21,000 a ye…
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University campus with cherry blossoms in spring

United States

  • Holistic admission: colleges weigh grades, course rigour, test scores (where required), essays, teacher and counsellor recommendations, and activities. No national exam, and no major is cho…
  • One platform for most colleges: the Common App (opened 1 August 2026, up to 20 colleges). Some use their own application or the Coalition (e.g. University of California).
  • Deadlines come early: Early Decision / Early Action around 1 November 2026, Regular Decision around 1–15 January 2027, and the answer to colleges is due around 1 May 2027.
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Germany

  • Almost free: public universities charge no tuition in 14 of the 16 states, only a semester contribution of about €100–€350, which often includes a public-transport ticket. The exceptions ar…
  • Your diploma must be recognised as university entrance qualification (*Hochschulzugangsberechtigung*). Some foreign diplomas give direct access; others (e.g. a US diploma without APs) requi…
  • Admission is mostly by grade: many programmes are open to all qualified applicants; popular ones have a local *numerus clausus* (ranking by school-leaving grade). Medicine is centralised an…
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Graduates in front of the Eiffel Tower

France

  • Two routes, decided by nationality: Parcoursup (the national platform) for French, EU/EEA, Swiss, Monaco and Andorra nationals, and for students in French lycées abroad. Non-EU applicants w…
  • Very low public fees for EU students: €178 a year for a *licence* (bachelor's), plus €105 CVEC (the student-life contribution) in 2026–27. Non-EU students pay €2,902 for a *licence* and €3,…
  • Mostly in French: only about 70–100 bachelor's programmes are taught fully in English; most English-taught degrees are master's or business-school programmes.
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Ireland

  • One central application: most undergraduate places for EU applicants go through the CAO (Central Applications Office). Applications open 5 November 2026; the normal closing date is 1 Februa…
  • Offers depend on final results only: the CAO does not accept predicted grades or a personal statement. Places are allocated by points after the results arrive, in August.
  • The only English-speaking EU country: popular with EU students wanting an English-taught degree since Brexit.
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Switzerland

  • Admission depends on the diploma, not on an essay. Each university applies the swissuniversities country list: a foreign school-leaving certificate must broadly match the Swiss *Maturität* …
  • Early deadlines: ETH Zurich 1 December 2026 – 31 March 2027 for foreign certificates; EPFL mid-November 2026 – 30 April 2027 (with an entrance exam in January 2027 for some non-EU certifica…
  • Teaching in the local language: bachelor's programmes are mostly in German (Zurich, Basel, Bern, St. Gallen, ETH), French (Geneva, Lausanne, EPFL, Neuchâtel, Fribourg in part) or Italian (U…
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Spain

  • Two very different sectors: Public universities: cheap for EU students (about €700–€2,500 a year), mostly taught in Spanish (or Catalan, Basque, Galician), and admission ranked by a grade o…
  • For foreign students, the key is UNEDasiss: it turns a foreign diploma into a Spanish admission grade (the *credencial*). The optional PCE exams (*Pruebas de Competencias Específicas*) rais…
  • Apply region by region: public universities take pre-enrolment (*preinscripción*) per autonomous community, mostly in June – early July 2027. Places go to the highest grades first. Medicine…
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