We are French living in the US and my kids are mainly interested in US colleges, because they were born here and didn't, or don't, feel ready to go far from the nest just yet. They're fine with going abroad for specializations and careers later, as our oldest is probably going to do - he has chosen a major that might make him work anywhere in the world. This despite the fact that they could in theory benefit from free French universities. In practice, it's a lot more complicated for French expats.

My oldest was accepted at McGill and St Andrews, before deciding to stick with an American university. I think those have a high recognition factor in the US. Our younger kids might be interested in McGill - since we're French, we benefit from Canadian tuition rates, not American ones, so that would be nice. The UK, apart from Oxbridge, has 3 year undergrad, so even though annual international tuition is on par with US tuition, it's one less year to pay.

If you want them to be exposed to serious study abroad programs while in US undergrad, in order to dip their toes in safely, you will need to do careful research. Most American colleges say they can send kids abroad - but those are usually fun cultural exchanges, instead of specialization in one's major. The former are not selective, the latter usually involve letters of rec, good gpa, or some other form of selection. Your kids would also need to reflect on what they want to do, and whether those majors and careers might benefit from a foreign perspective.

Notable European Universities by Country / Area
• Switzerland: ETH Zurich, EPFL
• United Kingdom: Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, King’s, etc.
• Germany: Technical University of Munich (TUM) ; Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) ; Heidelberg University ; Humboldt (Berlin)
• Belgium / Netherlands / Belgium: KU Leuven 
• Sweden / Scandinavia: Karolinska InstituteP

Anonymous wrote:So my sophomore is on fall study abroad and absolutely loving it. We found out the university is free for citizens and international students. We are paying $90k/year (though this semester is less). We have really also thought about European schools for our 2nd child.

And international policy/economics-Im not picking the Clemson kid like the other poster. I’m picking the kid that had the European internship/study abroad and fluency in more than one language.

So my sophomore is on fall study abroad and absolutely loving it. We found out the university is free for citizens and international students. We are paying $90k/year (though this semester is less). We have really also thought about European schools for our 2nd child.

I went to a small LAC that didn't really have a good alum network or funnel people to certain companies, or even have a good job center / counseling center. I think because everyone was wealthy and had connections already!

I just hustled. So I wouldn't look to colleges to provide all that because it can be done without that spoonfeeding funnel.

Honestly, as a hiring manager, if everything is equal between 2 candidates but one went to Clemson and the other at a university abroad, I'm picking the one who went to Clemson. This has nothing to do with Clemson's reputation but everything to do with the fact that I have heard of the school.

Anonymous wrote:There are many excellent public universities in the US that will end up being cheaper than the international schools you list above, even if you are OOS.

I know when we looked at Toronto two years ago for a STEM major it was going to be around US$62k/year. Cheaper than privates, but more than many public options in the US.

On the job front, it's really only the first job...but Toronto, McGill, UBC, Waterloo, Oxbridge, UCL (and like 10+ other UK schools), Zurich (the tech school that is like the MIT of Europe) et al are all generally known. I can't imagine your kid would really be looking at random European colleges anyway.

Right. I realize Toronto is expensive. Although I mentioned Canada, we really were not looking at Canada. EU prices are a fraction of that and considering English universities are just 3 years, they end up being much cheaper even with the current exchange rate. Unfortunately neither kid wants to stay in-state. So I’m trying to be open about this and get others perspectives with experience at colleges other than Oxbridge/Imperial/LSE.

OP, curious why you aren’t considering your instate universities? $250k is absurd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids from other countries clamor to come to the USA and attend colleges there. There is a reason. The universities and colleges are top-rate in the USA. This isn’t about price.

Op, didn't you say you partner has a degree from somewhere in Europe? Ask him. Lol.

Different perspective. He had an elite US undergrad degree first.

There are many excellent public universities in the US that will end up being cheaper than the international schools you list above, even if you are OOS.

I know when we looked at Toronto two years ago for a STEM major it was going to be around US$62k/year. Cheaper than privates, but more than many public options in the US.

On the job front, it's really only the first job...but Toronto, McGill, UBC, Waterloo, Oxbridge, UCL (and like 10+ other UK schools), Zurich (the tech school that is like the MIT of Europe) et al are all generally known. I can't imagine your kid would really be looking at random European colleges anyway.

Anonymous wrote:The kids from other countries clamor to come to the USA and attend colleges there. There is a reason. The universities and colleges are top-rate in the USA. This isn’t about price.

Op, didn't you say you partner has a degree from somewhere in Europe? Ask him. Lol.

More and more people are doing this , OP. I know several people in Sweden and Holland, every class in English.

I have a degree from a solid British university that you’ve never heard of. I’ve had no problems getting jobs in the US. And as a hiring manager I care much more about experience and presentation of a candidate than what college an applicant attended. The don’t even remember the colleges any of the people I’ve hired attended.

The kids from other countries clamor to come to the USA and attend colleges there. There is a reason. The universities and colleges are top-rate in the USA. This isn’t about price.

Hey everyone,
Following up on the conversations I see around here and other places about why more US students are looking at universities overseas. I've been going down the rabbit hole on this with my husband and my kids. My son is a Junior and daughter a Freshman. Thye have both brought up the possibility of maybe going abroad for college. My husband went to grad school in the UK and Italy so he is all for it. I’m not yet sold on it.

While it's tempting to focus on the positives, I think it's smarter to start with the real-world downsides. The biggest one for me is the career question. Let's be honest, if you go to Oxford, Cambridge, or LSE, your degree will open doors anywhere. But what if you go to a really solid, but less famous, university in the UK, Netherlands, Italy or Canada? How do grads from those schools do when they try to find a job back in the States? I worry that a hiring manager in, say, Chicago might just toss a resume because they don't recognize the school's name.

You're also thousands of miles away from US-based career fairs and the alumni network that helps people land their first job. A college consultant who specializes in EU/Canadian and UK schools actually told us that outside of Oxbridge and LSE/Imperial, we should focus only on the top 12 schools in the UK or the top 3 in each of the other EU countries. Her reasoning was that all US grad schools and the vast majority of top US companies know these specific schools, even if the general public doesn't. She said the real issue is with local or regional employers who won't recognize the name. But her point was, if your goal is to work for a local company back home, then why go abroad in the first place?

Beyond that, you're obviously giving up the traditional "American college experience." The whole campus life, dorm culture, college sports, and clubs are just a different world over there. And we can't ignore the personal side. It's a huge move. You have to deal with visa paperwork, international banking, and the very real possibility of getting homesick and not having your support system a quick flight away. It’s a serious trade-off that goes way beyond academics. This mom is a little concerned.

Now with the scary stuff out of the way, the pros are still massive. The most obvious is the cost, which is just staggering. We're talking about the potential to get a degree for a price that's less than a single year at some private US colleges. The math is pretty compelling: with many EU public universities having tuition at a fraction of US schools, the savings are life-changing. Specially if you are able to invest that savings on behalf of your kids for when they graduate. But beyond the practical stuff, I realize there's the huge benefit of actually living in a different culture for three or four years. I have to imagine that navigating a new country, becoming more independent, and seeing the world from a completely different perspective forces you to grow as an individual in a way that staying in the US just can't replicate. For kids with an interest in global business, History, Languages or international relations, this experience seems like a no-brainer. You'd be living and breathing cross-cultural communication and could potentially pick up another language, skills that can really set you apart.

But the last piece of the puzzle I was curious about was the return plan. It seems like coming back to the US for a graduate degree is a well-worn path. US Master's programs and even J.D. programs are very used to seeing applicants with international degrees. I wonder how many kids simply stay in Canada/EU/UK after graduation. Would love to hear from parents here who have had this experience before with their kids.

Sorry for the long post.