Foreign students in Europe - by number and by share

CC graph, reproduced after NI_blog

 The European countries with the most foreign students are, according to Eurostat, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Austria and the Czech Republic. It is about the share of foreign students, not their number. According to the number of students, Germany, France and the Netherlands are the countries that attract the most students from across the border.

See more

• for share of students from abroad: In the blind spot
• for the numbers and updates: Eurostat

There are many opportunities for foreign students in Europe. The European Union (EU) project called “Study in Europe” aims to showcase what higher education in Europe has to offer to students worldwide and provide information about organizing and funding study and research periods abroad in Europe. It also helps European higher education organizations connect with potential students and partner organizations.

There are many universities in Europe that are popular among international students. The University of Granada in Spain is one of the best universities in Europe for international students. The city of Granada is one of Spain’s most beautifully energized cities.

The European Commission also provides scholarships and student finance for international students. You can find out more about research and other costs, scholarships for international students, grants for interpretation students, and how to get a scholarship in Europe on their website.

Numbers

The most numerous students are in Germany – 3.3 million, France – 2.7 million, Spain – 2.1 million and Italy – 2 million. Although the European Union's target is one related to the population, namely 40% of young people between the ages of 25 and 34 to be graduates of higher education, the number of students in European countries does not necessarily correspond to the share of the population. The Netherlands, with a population of 17 million inhabitants, has almost a million students. Greece - under 11 million inhabitants - has 800,000 students.

In EU. there are 17.5-18 million students - almost as much as the population of Romania. They study in 2725 officially recognized universities. According to the uniRank database, the vast majority of them, 1922, are publicly funded – nationally, state (in the case of federal states) or local. 777 are privately financed. For the remaining 26, the form of financing could not be determined. According to the same source, 2122 are non-profit and 171 are organized as commercial companies.

By cities, total number of students

1. Paris, 698.000 total students / 365.000 fem.
2. Madrid, 362.000 total students
3. Barcelona, 291.000 total students
4. Rome, 287.000 total 
5. Berlin, 199.000 total students

see more: Which cities have the most students?

video: foreign students in Europe - top 10 destinations