Cheapest Countries to Study in Europe for African Students

The cheapest countries to study in Europe, ranked

Ranked by published tuition for non-EU students, the top of the list is settled. Germany charges nothing at public universities — bachelor’s and master’s are both free — leaving only the semester contribution of €100–400 per semester.

Italy is next. Public fees there are tiered by country and family income at €200–4,200 per year, and all nine origin countries we work with fall in a reduced or middle band. France charges €178–2,902 per year for a bachelor’s, Austria a flat €726.72 per semester, Spain €757–8,186 per year, Poland €2,000–6,500 per year and Hungary €3,000–8,000 per year. Outside the EU, Türkiye’s public universities charge US$1,600–2,400 per year.

The expensive end is just as clear: Cyprus at €6,834 per year, Malta at €8,500–10,800 per year, Ireland at €9,850–27,000 per year and the UK at £11,400–38,000 per year. Tuition is only the first of three costs, and it is rarely the largest.

Tuition, living costs and proof of funds compared

Three figures decide what a first year costs: tuition, monthly living costs, and the sum you must show a consulate before the visa.

On living costs, Hungary is lowest at €500–600 per month, then France at €600–800 per month and Cyprus at €700–1,000 per month. Germany sits at €850–1,200 per month. The top of the range is Ireland at €1,200–1,800 per month, Austria at €1,250–1,500 per month and the UK at £1,171–1,529 per month.

Proof of funds reorders the list a third time. Spain asks €600 per month and France €877.50 per month, while Germany wants €11,904 per year sitting in a blocked account before the visa is issued. A country with low fees and a high funds bar can be harder to enter than one with higher fees.

Why Germany is the cheapest — and the honest catch

German public universities charge international students no tuition at either level. You pay the semester contribution of €100–400 per semester, which often includes a local transport ticket. Baden-Württemberg is the exception: its public universities do charge non-EU students tuition, so check the state before you shortlist a city.

What you actually pay is living costs of €850–1,200 per month, a visa fee of €75 and a blocked account of €11,904 per year — your own money, released back to you monthly once you arrive. You may work 140 full days or 280 half days per year (≈20 h/week), and after graduating you can stay on the §20 job-seeker residence permit for 18 months. Our Germany cost breakdown sets out the full year.

The catch is language: most English-taught degrees in Germany are at master’s level, and a free bachelor’s usually means German plus, often, a Studienkolleg foundation year.

After Germany: Poland, Hungary, Italy and France

Poland teaches widely in English and charges €2,000–6,500 per year at public universities, with living costs of PLN 1,500–2,500 per month. Student work is uncapped for full-time students at qualifying institutions. The national visa now costs €200 under the fee schedule in force since January 2026, so budget for it. See our study in Poland guide.

Hungary charges €3,000–8,000 per year and has the lowest living costs of the destinations we quote in euros, at €500–600 per month; students may work 30 hours/week. The fully funded Stipendium Hungaricum is the reason many African students choose it — the Stipendium Hungaricum page lists who qualifies.

Italy’s €200–4,200 per year sits with France’s €178–2,902 per year as the lowest real tuition in the EU after Germany, and unlike France it teaches at both levels in English, though the visa now requires €10,179.85 per year — see the Italy cost page. France is cheaper still on paper at €178–2,902 per year, and its visa costs €50–99, the lower rate applying through the Études en France route used by Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa and Morocco. Most French public degrees are taught in French.

The honest note: “cheap tuition” still needs proof of funds

Low tuition does not mean a low bar for the visa. Every destination makes you show you can fund your living costs, and that figure is usually the largest number in the application.

• Germany: €11,904 per year in a blocked account, in your own name, before the visa.
• Italy: €10,179.85 per year for the 2026/27 intake, up sharply on the year before.
• Ireland: €10,000 per year, on top of course fees.
• The UK: £10,539–13,761, held for 28 days.
• Poland: PLN 17,650.
• Spain: €600 per month, one of the two lowest bars of the twelve, alongside Cyprus at €5,000–7,000 per year.
• Hungary publishes no fixed sum; you evidence tuition, living costs, insurance and return travel instead.

Plan around the proof-of-funds figure, not the tuition — it is the real test of whether a country is affordable for your family. Our proof of funds guide sets out what each consulate accepts.

Best for a tight budget

• Germany, if you can study a master’s in English or will learn German for a bachelor’s. Tuition of free is decisive.
• Italy, for public fees among the lowest in the EU after Germany at €200–4,200 per year, and taught in English at both levels.
• Hungary, for living costs of €500–600 per month and a real chance at a funded Stipendium Hungaricum place.
• Poland, for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degrees and work rights with no hour cap.
• A scholarship, whichever country you pick: DAAD, Stipendium Hungaricum and Erasmus Mundus can take tuition and living costs to zero. Start with our guide to studying abroad for free.

Do not choose on tuition alone. Cyprus looks cheap at €6,834 per year, but no post-study permit is published for bachelor’s graduates there — only master’s and doctoral graduates get 12 months.

How to choose

Match the country to your tightest constraint rather than to a ranking.

• Tight budget, no scholarship, open to a master’s in English: Germany.
• Tight budget, set on an English-taught bachelor’s: Poland or Italy.
• Lowest monthly outgoings: Hungary, at €500–600 per month.
• Smallest sums to show a consulate: Spain at €600 per month and Cyprus at €5,000–7,000 per year.
• Longest stay-back after graduating: Spain at 24 months, or Ireland at 24 months for master’s graduates.
• Set on English-language teaching and a widely recognised degree: the UK or Ireland, with tuition of £11,400–38,000 per year to fund.

The cheapest country is the one whose total cost, language, visa odds and post-study rights fit your plan.