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Why Study in Europe?

Universities in Europe have long been known for their high academic standards, their cutting-edge research and their value for money. Thirty-one of the world’s top 100 universities, as listed by The Times in its 2012 World University Rankings, are located in Europe, making it the second biggest bloc of universities after the USA.

In all, there are over 4000 Higher Education Institutions in Europe offering a wide range of courses at Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate level. With more and more of these institutions introducing English as the language of instruction for at least some of their degree programs, universities in Europe are now better placed than ever before to offer a warm welcome to international students and to deliver a course of study that meets their career needs in today’s global market. This is particularly noticeable at graduate level: the number of English-taught Masters in mainland Europe has increased massively from just over 1000 in 2007 to over 5000 today. Degree courses taught in English are available in a huge array of disciplines from Business and Economics (currently the most popular, representing about 28% of English-taught Masters in Europe) to Engineering, Life Sciences (including medicine), Social Sciences and Humanities subjects.

The Bologna Declaration of 1999 has led to higher education systems throughout Europe becoming aligned to a 3-cycle system of Higher Education as follows:

  • Bachelor Degree (3-4 years)
  • Masters Degree (1-2 years)
  • Doctorate Degree (3 years)

As part of this process the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) has been introduced which permits students attending a European Higher Education Institution to transfer to another university within Europe or indeed further afield and to easily transfer their credits. The ECTS helps students to transfer between universities during the course of one cycle (normally just at bachelor degree level) or to transfer upon completion of one cycle to another university for further studies (for example, to switch from one university after completing a Bachelor degree to another university for a Masters program).

Universities in Europe have long welcomed students from other countries. With its unique combination of a modern and high quality way of life allied to its rich historical heritage, Europe offers a study experience like no other.