©iStock.com/pavlen If you do not win a fully funded university scholarship, studying in a country with free or low tuition can still make a degree affordable. Public universities in Germany are mostly tuition-free, Austria charges students from outside the EU only a few hundred euros per semester, and Iceland’s public universities charge only a registration fee for now. Finland and Sweden charge non-EU students tuition fees but offer many tuition fee waivers, while Norway is no longer tuition-free. scholars4dev.com explains the costs in each country below. Free Tuition in Germany »   Most public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees to any students, including students from outside the EU, for Bachelor’s and most Master’s programmes. All students pay a semester contribution, usually a few hundred euros, which often includes a public transport ticket. There are exceptions: Baden-Württemberg charges students from outside the EU/EEA €1,500 per semester (but not doctoral students), and Bavaria lets its universities set their own fees for non-EU students. The Technical University of Munich (TUM), for example, charges non-EU students about €2,000 to €6,000 per semester and has announced higher fees from winter semester 2027/28. Some non-consecutive Master’s programmes and private universities also charge fees. Doctoral studies are generally free, and many PhD students in Germany are employed on paid research positions or hold scholarships. Students from outside the EU must show that they can cover their living costs, usually through a blocked bank account. See the list of German Universities and Colleges and the Scholarships in Germany for International Students   Low Tuition in Austria »   At Austria’s public universities, students from the EU/EEA pay no tuition within the standard length of their degree, and most students from outside the EU/EEA pay €726.72 per semester. All students also pay the student union (ÖH) fee, which is €26.20 per semester in 2026/27. Universities of applied sciences can charge non-EU students more. Some students, such as those from certain developing countries or on exchange programmes, can be exempted from fees or have them refunded, so check the rules with your university. See the list of Higher Education Institutions in Austria   Free Tuition in Iceland (until 2027) »   Iceland’s public universities, such as the University of Iceland, the University of Akureyri, the Agricultural University of Iceland and the Iceland University of the Arts, do not charge tuition fees. Students pay only an annual registration fee, which is ISK 100,000 at the University of Iceland for 2026-2027 and ISK 75,000 at some other public institutions. This may change soon: Icelandic law now lets public universities charge tuition to new students from outside the EEA/EFTA and Switzerland from autumn 2027, and the amounts had not been set by October 2026. The University of Iceland says it does not offer funding to prospective international students, and applicants from outside the EEA also pay an application processing fee. See the Study in Iceland website for the list of universities and current fees   Tuition Fee Waivers in Finland »   Since autumn 2017, students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland have paid tuition fees for English-taught Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Finland, usually €9,000 to €20,000 a year. Programmes taught in Finnish or Swedish and all doctoral programmes are tuition-free. There are no Finnish government scholarships for Bachelor’s or Master’s studies, but many universities and universities of applied sciences offer their own scholarships or tuition fee waivers, which usually cover tuition partly or fully but not living costs. The EDUFI Fellowship for doctoral researchers was discontinued in October 2025. The Finnish Immigration Service requires proof of at least €800 a month for living costs, and Study in Finland recommends budgeting €900 to €1,200 a month. See the Study in Finland funding guide and the list of Scholarships in Finland for International Students   Tuition Scholarships in Sweden »   Students who are not citizens of an EU/EEA country, a Nordic country or Switzerland pay application and tuition fees for Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Sweden. However, the Swedish Institute offers fully funded SI Scholarships for Global Professionals for Master’s studies to citizens of 34 countries, and most Swedish universities offer their own tuition fee waivers for high-achieving international students. PhD positions in Sweden are usually paid positions, so doctoral candidates do not pay fees and receive a monthly salary. See the list of Scholarships in Sweden for International Students   Norway is no longer tuition-free: since autumn 2023, its public universities have charged tuition fees to students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. See our guide to Tuition Fees and Scholarships in Norway for International Students   Tuition-Free Online Universities »   University of the People is a non-profit, accredited online university that charges no tuition. Students pay a one-time application fee of $60 and an assessment fee for each course, $180 per undergraduate course, so a full Bachelor’s degree costs about $7,260 in total. It offers online degrees in fields such as business administration, computer science, health science and education, and scholarships are available for students who cannot afford the fees. Platforms such as edX also offer online courses from universities around the world, many of which can be audited for free, with a fee for a verified certificate. See the list of Free Online Courses and Scholarships   See also the list of Top 25+ Scholarships in Europe for International Students The post Top 5+ Countries with Free or Low Tuition for International Students first appeared on Scholars4DeV.