Students look to college abroad for cheaper tuition
For 18-year-old Liza Miezejeski, choosing the right college meant balancing her desire for adventure and her fear of debt.
“I didn’t want to stay at home, in my hometown, just to save money,” says the Connecticut native, referring to community college. “I still wanted to get out there and do something.”
But as she toured U.S. campuses, none excited her enough to justify pricey tuition. “I don’t want to be in debt for my entire life,” says Miezejeski, who describes her family as “very middle class.”
So she set her sights overseas. Her mom, Laura, heard an NPR story about tuition-free schools in Germany, and together, they began researching European institutions. They landed on Anglo-American University in Prague, where Miezejeski is now a first-year student.
AAU’s tuition isn’t free, but at about $3,600 per semester, it’s roughly half that of her state’s flagship public school, the University of Connecticut — making it worth the roughly 4,000-mile trip. Plus, as is common in Europe, her program is three years, saving her at least one year’s tuition. Read more…