How Much Does It Cost to Do My Degree Abroad?

The tuition figure on a university website is only ever half the story. By the time you've added rent, flights, a visa, insurance and the deposit you didn't see coming, the real number can be double what the prospectus quotes. That gap is where a lot of students get caught out.

This guide breaks the whole thing down honestly, country by country, so you can build a budget that survives contact with reality. The figures below are current for 2026, but visa fees and financial rules change often, sometimes twice a year, so always confirm the latest numbers on the official immigration and university sites before you commit.

1. Tuition fees: the number everyone starts with

Tuition varies enormously by country, university and subject. Arts and humanities tend to sit at the lower end, while medicine, engineering and business sit at the top. As a rough annual guide for international undergraduates:

• Ireland: around €9,000 to €26,000
• UK: around £11,000 to £38,000
• Australia: around AU$20,000 to AU$45,000
• Canada: around CA$15,000 to CA$30,000
• USA: around US$20,000 to US$60,000, with community colleges much cheaper than private universities

Treat these as ballpark. The only figure that matters for your budget is the one on your specific offer, so check the exact course page. If you're weighing a couple of destinations against each other, our roundup of the best countries for international students in 2026 is a useful starting point, and there's a detailed Ireland tuition fees guide if that's on your shortlist.

2. Living costs: the part that actually runs your month

Tuition is a fixed, predictable cost. Living expenses are where your day-to-day budget lives, and they swing hugely depending on the city. London, Sydney and Dublin are expensive. A smaller university town in the Midwest or regional Australia is a different world.

As a monthly guide for a student sharing accommodation:

• Ireland: roughly €900 to €1,400 (Dublin at the top end)
• UK: roughly £800 to £1,300, well over that in London
• Australia: roughly AU$1,500 to AU$2,200
• Canada: roughly CA$1,200 to CA$1,800
• USA: roughly US$1,000 to US$1,800 depending on the city

Rent is the biggest line by far. Sharing a house or a student residence brings it right down, and living slightly outside the centre can save you hundreds a month if the transport works. If accommodation is your main worry, this guide to finding student accommodation covers how it works in practice.

3. Visa fees and proof of funds: the costs people forget

This is the section that catches most people out, because it's changed a lot recently and the numbers have gone up sharply.

Visa application fees (2026):

• Ireland: roughly €60 to €100 for the entry visa
• USA: US$185 visa application (MRV) fee plus the US$350 SEVIS I-901 fee, so around US$535 in mandatory government fees before you add anything else
• UK: £558 for the Student visa (increased in April 2026), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge at £776 per year of your course
• Canada: CA$150 for the study permit
• Australia: from AU$2,500 for the student visa as of 1 July 2026, one of the highest in the world (a lower rate of around AU$2,050 applies to English-language and non-award courses)

Australia's fee alone is worth pausing on. It sat at a few hundred dollars only a couple of years ago and has climbed steeply, so budget for the current amount, not an old figure you saw quoted online.

Proof of funds is separate from the fee, and it's not money you hand over, it's money you have to show you have. Most countries want evidence you can support yourself for the first year:

• Ireland: access to at least €10,000 for living costs, plus tuition (usually at least €6,000) paid or accounted for
• UK: £1,171 a month outside London or £1,529 a month in London, for up to nine months (so roughly £10,500 to £13,800), plus any outstanding tuition. The funds must sit in your account for 28 straight days
• Canada: proof of around CA$22,895 for living costs per year plus tuition, often shown partly through a Guaranteed Investment Certificate of about CA$20,635
• Australia: you'll need to show you can cover tuition, travel and living costs under the genuine student requirements

These figures move, and the rules around how recently the money must have been in your account are strict. Check the official immigration site for your destination before you apply.

4. The one-off costs that sneak up on you

Beyond monthly living and the visa, budget for a chunk of upfront spending in your first few weeks:

• Flights and airport transfers
• Health insurance, which is required in most countries (Ireland, for example, wants private cover in place before you arrive)
• An accommodation deposit, often one or two months' rent
• Setting up a room: bedding, kitchen basics, a winter coat if you're heading somewhere cold
• Textbooks, a reliable laptop and study materials

It's worth keeping a separate "arrival fund" of a few hundred to a couple of thousand, depending on the country, so those first-month costs don't wipe you out before your student job starts.

5. Scholarships and funding: bringing the number down

The headline cost is rarely the final cost, because most students fund their studies through a mix of savings, family support, scholarships and part-time work.

Every destination runs scholarship schemes for international students, from government programmes like Chevening and Commonwealth in the UK to Government of Ireland scholarships, Study Australia awards, and university-specific funding almost everywhere. There's a dedicated guide to scholarship options for studying in the US if that's your target, and if you're looking at loans, can I get a student loan to study abroad walks through what's realistic depending on where you're from.

Apply early and apply widely. Many scholarships have deadlines months before term starts, and smaller university awards get far fewer applicants than the famous national ones.

6. Working while you study

A part-time job won't cover your whole degree, but it takes real pressure off living costs, and the rules differ by country:

• Ireland: up to 20 hours a week during term, full-time during holidays
• UK: up to 20 hours a week during term for degree-level students
• Canada: up to 24 hours a week during term (raised from 20 in late 2024), full-time during scheduled breaks
• Australia: up to 48 hours per fortnight during term, unrestricted during holidays
• USA: on-campus work only in your first year, with off-campus work needing CPT or OPT authorisation

Stick to the limit exactly. Going over it is a visa breach and can cost you your student status, which is never worth a few extra shifts.

7. Tools to build your own budget

Rather than trust a single estimate, cross-check a few sources for the city you're moving to. Numbeo and Expatistan are good for comparing cost of living between cities and countries. Many universities publish their own cost-of-living estimators, which tend to be realistic because they're built for their actual students. And WiSH is where you can read honest accounts from students already living in the place you're considering, which is often the fastest way to sanity-check whether a budget is optimistic.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to study abroad in total?

For a full year, most international students spend somewhere between roughly £15,000 and £50,000 or the local equivalent once tuition and living costs are combined, depending heavily on the country, city and course. The US and UK sit at the higher end; Ireland, Canada and regional Australia can be more moderate.

Which country is cheapest to study in?

Among the major English-speaking destinations, community colleges in the USA, and smaller cities in Canada and Ireland, tend to offer the best balance of cost and quality. Germany and parts of mainland Europe are cheaper still on tuition, though living costs vary.

What is proof of funds and how much do I need?

Proof of funds is evidence that you can support yourself for your first year. Requirements in 2026 run to roughly €10,000 in Ireland, £10,500 to £13,800 in the UK, and around CA$22,895 in Canada, plus tuition in each case. Always confirm the current figure on the official immigration site.

Can I cover my costs with a part-time job?

Partly, not fully. Work limits (20 to 24 hours a week during term in most countries) mean a job can meaningfully offset living costs but won't pay your tuition. Plan your budget assuming work is a top-up, not your main funding.

Are there hidden costs beyond tuition and rent?

Yes: visa and health-surcharge fees, insurance, flights, an accommodation deposit, and the cost of setting up your room. These one-off costs land in your first month, so keep a separate arrival fund.

The bottom line

The real cost of a degree abroad is tuition plus living costs plus a stack of fees and one-off expenses that the sticker price never mentions. None of it is a reason not to go, but going in with a clear, current budget is the difference between a stressful first year and a good one.

Wherever you're headed, Dublin, Sydney, Toronto, London or a smaller town you've barely heard of, the students already there are your best source of honest numbers. On WiSH you can read what studying in those places actually costs from the people living it, and if you've done it yourself, sharing your own experience could save the next student a nasty surprise.