come from the country files in ../countries/ and the guides on fields of study, top universities, budget and admission chances ("these are my grades: what are my chances, and how can we improve them?"). This guide is the basis for a future "which country fits" questionnaire on uniacross.com.
The seven questions that decide
- Which languages can your child study in, at C1 level by the end of school? This decides more than anything else: almost all affordable public bachelor's programmes in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland (and many in the Netherlands) are taught in the local language.
- What's the realistic total budget for the whole degree? From under €40,000 (Germany, France) to over €200,000 (UK international, US sticker price). See How much will it cost?.
- Which field, and is it a regulated profession? Medicine and law tie the degree to a country. See Which field, which country?.
- What's your child's nationality (and fee status)? EU citizens pay EU fees across the EU, but international fees in the UK. Non-EU citizens pay more almost everywhere, need visas, and face extra rules. Dual nationals should apply with the most advantageous passport.
- What kind of student is your child? Strong exam grades (grade-based systems: DE, ES, IE, NL numerus fixus), a strong all-round profile with essays and activities (US, UK Oxbridge), or independent and resilient (open-admission systems with tough first years: DE, FR, CH, NL)?
- How sure are they of their subject? Most of Europe requires choosing at 17. The US, Dutch university colleges and Scotland allow later choices.
- Where do they want to live and work afterwards? Consider post-study work rights and where the degree is recognised.
Comparison at a glance (2027 entry)
| 🇬🇧 UK | 🇳🇱 NL | 🇺🇸 US | 🇩🇪 DE | 🇫🇷 FR | 🇮🇪 IE | 🇨🇭 CH | 🇪🇸 ES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | UCAS, 5 choices, essay | Studielink + university | Common App, essays, recommendations | Direct / uni-assist / hochschulstart | Parcoursup (EU) or DAP (non-EU) | CAO, 10+10 choices, points | Direct to each university | UNEDasiss + regional pre-enrolment |
| Main deadline | 15 Oct (Oxbridge, medicine) / 13 Jan | 15 Jan (numerus fixus) / 1 May | 1 Nov (early) / 1–15 Jan | 15 Jul (earlier for non-EU) | Mid-March (Parcoursup) / 15 Dec (DAP) | 1 Feb | 31 Mar (ETH) | June–July (PCE in May–June) |
| Selection by | Predicted grades, essay, tests (top) | Diploma; selection for numerus fixus | Holistic | Grade (restricted programmes) | File (selective tracks); open at university | Final points only | Diploma (+ exam); first-year exams | Grade out of 14 |
| Bachelor's length | 3 (Scotland 4) | 3 (applied sciences 4) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 (some 3) | 3 | 4 |
| Main teaching language | English | Dutch / English | English | German | French | English | German / French / Italian | Spanish (+ regional) |
| EU tuition / year | International fees (£17k–£35k) unless settled status | €2,771 | $45k average private / out-of-state $32k | €0 (+ fees) | €178 + €105 | €2,500 contribution | CHF 4,380 (foreign, ETH/EPFL) | ≈ €760–€2,000 public |
| Non-EU tuition / year | £17k–£35k | €12k–€21k | Same as EU | €0; BW €3k; TUM €4k–€6k | €2,902 + €105 | €18.5k–€30k | CHF 4,380 | Region-dependent; higher in Madrid |
| Living costs / year | £12k–£34k | €11k–€19k | ≈ $20k+ | €12k–€17k | €11k–€22k | €12k–€24k | CHF 21k–CHF 30k | €8k–€17k |
| Post-study work (non-EU) | 18 months (applications from Jan 2027) | 1-year orientation year ⚠️ | OPT 12 months (+24 STEM), uncertain ⚠️ | 18 months | 12 months (mainly master's) ⚠️ | 12 months (Level 8) | Up to 6 months ⚠️ | 1-year job-search visa (graduates, EQF level 6+) |
| Biggest trap | Fees since Brexit; predicted grades | Housing; first-year credits rule (BSA) | Cost; visa climate | Diploma recognition; German C1 | Procedure depends on nationality | No offer before August | Language; first-year exams | PCE needed for competitive degrees |
Profiles: what usually fits
1. English only, top academic profile, budget available (€150,000+) → UK (Oxbridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, St Andrews), US (and check need-blind aid first), Ireland (Trinity, UCD), Netherlands English-taught programmes. Apply to two systems in parallel (e.g. UCAS + Common App, or UCAS + Dutch programmes) to spread risk.
2. English only, limited budget, EU citizen → Netherlands (English-taught bachelor's degrees at €2,771) and Ireland (€2,500 + living costs). Also English-taught tracks in Germany (≈ 430 bachelor's programmes) and private or bilingual options in Spain. Avoid assuming UK home fees.
3. Bilingual (German or French) and strong in maths and sciences → ETH Zurich / EPFL, TUM / TU9, French grandes écoles via prépa: world-class engineering and science at low tuition. Budget for living costs (Switzerland, Munich, Paris).
4. Wants to study medicine → The home-language EU country first (cheapest, recognised across the EU), or an EU country whose language they master. UK/Ireland only with a large budget (international fees €200,000+ over the degree). Not the US for non-US citizens. See Which field, which country?.
5. Undecided about the subject → US liberal arts (major chosen in year 2), Dutch university colleges, Scotland (4-year flexible degrees). Avoid systems that lock the subject in at 17 with high switching costs.
6. Business, economics or finance career → UK (LSE, Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge) for London finance; Netherlands (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Tilburg, Maastricht) for value; Spain (ESADE, IE) for an international private-school experience; St. Gallen; Mannheim.
7. Law career → Study in the country of future practice. For international and EU careers: Dutch international/European law, or a UK or Irish LLB followed by an LLM.
8. US citizen family living in Europe → The US as a domestic applicant (federal aid, no visa, FAFSA) vs Europe's lower prices. Compare US net price calculators with EU options. EU dual nationals can get EU fees in Europe.
9. Non-EU family (e.g. American, British after Brexit) looking at continental Europe → Germany (free in most states, language needed), France (€2,902 public fees, French needed, new 2026 costs), Netherlands (English, €12k–€21k), Spain (affordable, Spanish needed, PCE). Plan the visa and proof of funds early.
A sensible application strategy
- Spread the risk across systems with different calendars: e.g. UCAS (January) + Netherlands (May) + home country, or Common App (January) + UCAS.
- Mind the earliest deadline: for a September 2027 start, the first hard deadlines were 15 October 2026 (UCAS Oxbridge/medicine) and 1 November 2026 (US early rounds); the next are 15 December 2026 (France DAP), 13–15 January 2027 (UCAS, NL numerus fixus, US regular), 1 February 2027 (Ireland) and 31 March 2027 (ETH).
- Language certificates and tests (IELTS/TOEFL, DELF/TCF, TestDaF/DSH, SAT/ACT, UCAT, PCE) need to be booked months ahead.
- Recognition first: check that the school-leaving diploma (and subject choices) is accepted before investing in an application (Germany's anabin, Switzerland's country list, Spain's UNEDasiss).
Open questions / to verify
- Post-study work rules in NL, FR, CH and ES (official sources). ⚠️
- A scoring model for the future questionnaire (weights per question). Product decision, not a fact.