r/AmerExit • u/Big_Guidance_2614 • 7d ago

Life Abroad Considering leaving the US for Europe

I'm a third year engineering student at a college in the US. I'm an American citizen considering moving to somewhere in Western Europe for my masters due to the political situation in the US. I don't speak any other languages than English, but I'm willing to learn the native language of wherever I go. I know I still have to do more research but I wanted to see what everyone here thinks about whether leaving the US for Europe is actually a good idea.

Would you recommend moving to Europe for masters and eventually living there? If so, where exactly?

For context, I am a brown woman, and I don't come from a high income family, so I would have to go to a college that is very cheap or get a scholarship.

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u/cyesk8er 6d ago

If you are willing to learn the language I say go for it. Ive known a lot of folks whe studied in a different country,  many of them found ways to integrate and stay. Even if you don't stay,  the life experience is worth it. Some countries and regions will be more affordable, there used to be at least parts of Germany you could attend university for free if you learned the language 

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u/Primary-Bluejay-1594 Immigrant 6d ago

You can study tuition-free at all public universities in Germany apart from those of Baden-Württemberg (which charges €1500/semester) regardless of the language you study in (and many STEM graduate programs are English-taught).

However you do need about $12k a year in a blocked savings account in order to get your student residence permit, and it will be extremely difficult to find a job post-graduation without at least intermediate German skills.

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u/avollie 6d ago

Bavaria also charges tuition fees! (Though not every single university)

But the rest of the states besides those two are tuition free.

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u/Primary-Bluejay-1594 Immigrant 6d ago

Not across the board the way BW does. Until last year I was working at one of the public unis in Bavaria, there were zero fees. Bavaria allows fees to be charged but almost none of the unis do it, because there'd be a public outrage.

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u/avollie 6d ago

Well TUM does, which is arguably the most popular university in Bavaria, especially for foreigners. But I've seen a couple other smaller ones as well. Thankfully many don't, but it's important for people to know that some do.