Poland and Portugal head-up top-five most affordable destinations outside the UK to study for a university degree

UK students would be over £5,000 better-off each year at the country's University of Warsaw

Aftab Ali
Friday 31 July 2015 08:09 BST
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Thinking of studying abroad after George Osborne announced plans to scrap the student maintenance grant and raise tuition fees? There’s only one place to go: Poland.

The eastern European country has come out on top as being the most affordable place in the world to study per year, according to research undertaken by HSBC.

Total costs for a year at the University of Warsaw – including accommodation, cost of living, three return flights to the UK, and the cost of return travel to the nearest country comes to a grand total of £4,119.16.

With a sizeable funding amount of £9,353.27 up for grabs, a UK student would be left with a spare £5,234.11 to spend as they wished on travelling around the country, visiting home, books, or other expenses.

Portugal’s University of Lisbon came in second. A total cost of £5,640.35, plus a funding sum of £9,459.27, would leave a UK student better-off by £3,818.92.

Head of foreign exchange at HSBC UK, Oliver Cook, described how spending a year abroad whilst at university has become more and more popular amongst students.

He added: “As students begin to look at options for studying abroad for the 2015/2016 academic year, it is worth researching all the available grants and exchange rates, to give them a better idea about how they might manage their money at home and abroad.”

Here are the top-five most affordable destinations to study in outside of the UK:

1) Poland – University of Warsaw

Cost of accommodation: £828.81

Cost of living for an academic year: £1,675.35

Cost of three return flights to UK: £189.00

Cost of language course (if applicable/one-off): Free

Cost of return travel to nearest country: £76

TOTAL: £4,119.16

Total funding available: £9,353.27

Money left over: £5,234.11

2) Portugal: University of Lisbon

Cost of accommodation: £2,038.23

Cost of living for an academic year: £1,914.12

Cost of three return flights to UK: £258.00

Cost of language course (if applicable/one-off): Free

Cost of return travel to nearest country: £80

TOTAL: £5,640.35

Total funding available: £9,459.27

Money left over: £3,818.92

3) Turkey: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul

Cost of accommodation: £1,878.75

Cost of living for an academic year: £1,957.77

Cost of three return flights to UK: £579.00

Cost of language course (if applicable/one-off): Free

Cost of return travel to nearest country: £140

TOTAL: £5,905.52

Total funding available: £9,629.27

Money left over: £3,723.75

4) Germany: Freie Universitat, Berlin

Cost of accommodation: £1,399.05

Cost of living for an academic year: £3,008.88

Cost of three return flights to UK: £170.64

Cost of language course (if applicable/one-off): £233.37

Cost of return travel to nearest country: £76

TOTAL: £6,237.94

Total funding available: £9,459.27

Money left over: £3,221.33

5) Spain: University of Granada

(Elliott Brown via Flickr

Cost of accommodation: £1,748.79

Cost of living for an academic year: £2,798.91

Cost of three return flights to UK: £176.94

Cost of language course (if applicable/one-off): £690.77

Cost of return travel to nearest country: £190

TOTAL: £6,955.41

Total funding available: £9,459.27

Money left over: £2,503.86

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