To help students make informed financial decisions, The Mobile Bank N26 analyzed the cost of higher education in 50 countries around the world—including the cost of studying to become a Doctor, Nurse, Lawyer, Civil Engineer, Software Developer, or Teacher. Plus, the study features the typical local salaries for graduates of each degree and ranks 100 popular student cities for their livability and cost of living.
With classes disrupted and remote learning as the new norm, we all saw major changes in the world of higher education over the last few years. As pandemic restrictions loosen and the next generation of students prepares to start university, we’ve put together The Education Price Index: an in-depth analysis of how higher education costs differ around the world. It’s all to help students make smart financial choices when planning their futures. The study also compares data on the cost of living, tuition fees, levels of student debt, and graduate salaries, with a focus on six globally comparable degree subjects.
The higher education landscape
Around 40% of people globally now go on to higher education after finishing secondary school—the highest level ever. A university education can open doors to greater career opportunities and better remuneration, but it can also come at a significant financial cost. In some countries, university students receive free tuition or only pay admin costs, while in others they pay tuition fees that vary depending on whether the university is public or private. Add living costs and other expenses, and the price of getting a degree can rack up quickly.We looked at the cost of higher education in 50 countries, which we chose because of their renowned universities and comparable education data. Our research included looking at tuition fees as well as living costs and livability in different locations around the world.
The research process
To compare the cost of higher education in each country, we analyzed the tuition fees of six common degree subjects: medicine, nursing, law, civil engineering, software development, and teaching. For each subject, we researched the annual tuition fees and calculated the total cost of completing the necessary degree(s). We also wanted to gauge the financial implications of studying different subjects, so we determined graduates’ typical salary prospects.Since financial accessibility is a key topic in higher education around the world, we assessed the affordability of a university education in each country. We calculated how long it takes for someone on an average income to pay back their tuition fees, as well as for someone earning minimum wage.With high inflation affecting people’s spending power, we also evaluated student living costs in 100 prominent university cities around the world—an important consideration for students across the globe. We analyzed the cost of student housing, food, and other expenses in each city, to find out where it’s most and least affordable to maintain a typical student lifestyle.And because we know that a student’s university experience is about more than just studying, we also ranked the livability of each city for students. We considered factors like student safety, the quality of cultural attractions and nightlife, and the level of smart mobility.The final results compare the higher education landscape in countries and cities around the world.The full methodology explaining how we calculated each factor can be found at the bottom of the page.
The university price index
The table below compares the quality of universities in each country, as well as degree tuition costs, affordability, and the salaries that graduates usually earn after university. The icons indicate whether each column is presented as a score (all scores are out of 100, with 100 being the highest and 50 the lowest possible score); a metric of time (years or hours); or cost (£).Click on the top of each column to sort from highest to lowest.
1
USA
100
19
12264
22637
49680
94645
226099
132936
43267
54398
190781
83305
106223
58469
61066
73640
88577
40059
2
UAE
87
14
25496
10474
36233
66735
109253
83411
16659
31616
55767
89400
55211
37553
29729
43521
25221
32722
3
England
96
12
3215
9530
31301
55822
55518
73471
32385
33999
52067
59874
40814
35847
32385
41858
41638
30324
4
Wales
90
9
2941
9053
39109
69758
45015
97244
31510
39080
45315
76429
42314
46070
31510
49229
39713
36307
5
Israel
87
14
4158
7890
24993
47613
44319
51987
28203
27380
42361
39618
38932
28709
24174
49296
32232
25524
6
Scotland
94
10
2897
7775
34357
61056
9103
79088
6372
38105
27979
67418
26864
39372
6372
43304
7282
34663
7
Canada
94
8
3642
7667
39968
76033
87381
104636
14544
45885
53766
70585
39692
44145
14526
50863
29269
38418
8
Singapore
96
10
7730
7613
36466
67020
100328
85629
20110
33386
46756
74921
31526
43963
24236
46385
15931
32356
9
Japan
92
9
3470
6795
31721
60218
85068
82128
20580
33445
31760
76158
39858
26671
27855
39714
26235
26624
10
Jamaica
87
28
30479
6731
11071
20532
22454
28264
16033
12164
34949
18552
34578
12547
20756
14181
7286
10287
11
Ireland
90
8
2455
6042
34765
65404
32918
102544
17170
33987
24762
51019
43313
38943
17483
43891
16199
32417
12
Australia
95
5
1490
4963
42655
80969
40047
108632
11391
44477
10821
69556
27026
54663
15405
57477
17790
44259
13
Chile
83
11
9004
4810
20868
38954
39090
52363
15408
18191
24115
35457
25751
26708
18359
25444
12730
24177
14
New Zealand
91
5
2017
4545
38448
73052
42869
97471
15606
40736
18772
69822
23784
46082
13252
50949
12818
36046
15
Brazil
86
13
12406
4440
14908
26862
77264
37403
10767
11775
25782
26720
27226
19715
11518
21421
11861
14426
16
Hong Kong
94
4
3629
4168
41508
76023
22925
98536
14588
40714
20841
97115
22925
41916
14588
43241
20841
39510
17
Spain
90
8
2453
4080
23350
42690
31939
44363
13395
29368
17624
39074
21164
33172
17448
28966
14600
24233
18
Northern Ireland
89
4
1393
3400
38562
68569
22907
87973
16035
41828
22907
74567
17071
45418
16035
51949
18326
37040
19
South Africa
89
8
10038
3227
18084
32804
24108
49762
8520
15237
16918
30156
20341
22530
7561
28056
9257
13964
20
Russia
87
17
12588
3158
7854
14772
17230
14520
2335
5982
15920
10757
20667
14085
9394
17421
14194
5243
21
South Korea
90
5
1537
3054
29128
53158
20678
79459
9108
29391
12098
55412
17690
36798
10084
34333
8820
25057
22
Malaysia
84
10
7901
2837
12443
23686
45081
28857
6138
10603
14301
23035
8494
14825
5499
18793
7771
15086
23
Mexico
79
10
13084
2810
11668
21755
31670
21426
10399
15332
9894
22602
15771
14199
10503
18946
3095
10310
24
Italy
92
4
1344
2368
24763
45770
11755
70688
9679
34117
11902
39296
12902
27537
9679
30206
9798
20367
25
India
87
16
32021
2353
6496
11893
35595
10351
3603
8949
4481
11192
23217
8800
31034
10981
3183
5994
26
France
92
4
932
2327
26064
49195
7577
53388
1413
31313
5080
47891
6704
36446
5055
35266
4535
25439
27
Indonesia
76
9
12885
1935
9219
17247
46066
19264
2975
10009
7026
19620
13629
10676
6164
13601
5121
8024
28
Netherlands
94
3
760
1846
33176
63362
10155
76108
6462
37222
9232
54658
10155
42004
6462
47774
7386
35349
29
Poland
82
4
1610
1409
14104
27469
38768
41092
4624
12401
5695
20117
3658
15132
4873
24168
2643
13510
30
Belgium
93
1
506
1300
42323
76258
6814
127766
4336
40361
6376
74710
6996
49160
4336
46839
6376
34212
31
Ukraine
79
8
4906
1183
7089
13034
5907
17399
2219
6180
7604
13792
5676
8322
3484
10311
3332
5619
32
Switzerland
95
1
198
1147
68331
122092
6309
167281
4015
67859
5162
132796
5162
79046
4015
89109
5735
65770
33
Lithuania
77
2
982
915
17883
32970
4485
38621
2577
20818
4171
34860
5093
16350
2605
26963
4357
17729
34
China
94
1
2742
842
25674
49255
3309
61446
2106
36715
3731
41183
4031
28168
2106
30919
4031
28905
35
Portugal
87
2
705
828
18423
33013
3605
45554
2039
17319
3372
34464
3752
22833
2039
24319
3481
17821
36
Iceland
90
1
197
768
39846
84948
2474
129947
1575
49044
3679
84612
4023
53207
2408
58762
2249
38731
37
Romania
78
2
852
659
11991
22299
7532
28241
3550
11775
3043
22052
2790
12687
2367
20084
2477
9754
38
Argentina
71
2
925
460
10230
18326
3433
19925
783
7338
3508
27260
3170
10444
1707
12751
1069
10380
39
Germany
95
1
166
417
26681
56736
2292
68590
1459
29747
2084
59126
2292
38681
1459
44749
2084
36163
40
Bulgaria
72
1
666
307
12046
21910
2174
29491
1077
12896
1709
24260
1645
12246
1346
18906
1132
9800
41
Greece
86
1
217
260
17104
30606
0
40871
0
17377
1505
30331
836
21957
0
23130
0
16628
42
Nigeria
81
1
868
134
10935
20689
753
35511
479
10448
652
14433
753
15593
479
12045
456
7256
43
Norway
91
0
25
104
38101
80881
572
105126
364
45393
520
81601
572
60124
364
58013
520
44615
44
Austria
89
0
15
35
34756
63135
190
79036
121
41501
173
66183
190
38792
121
43083
173
27984
45
Turkey
84
0
41
20
8192
14987
138
18364
92
5309
115
18153
118
9257
92
12018
92
7989
46
Czechia
84
0
0
0
15988
28738
0
34940
0
14800
0
32887
0
17102
0
25544
0
16577
47
Denmark
92
0
0
0
43488
81238
0
95205
0
47626
0
81541
0
58332
0
58104
0
42685
48
Finland
91
0
0
0
36030
66620
0
92690
0
33843
0
60205
0
48577
0
45677
0
32736
49
Saudi Arabia
86
0
0
0
27077
49613
0
56702
0
21690
0
69471
0
30226
0
35232
0
23704
50
Sweden
92
0
0
0
28770
54788
0
63736
0
26441
0
51416
0
37271
0
44501
0
31904
City livability
The table below compares the cost of living and livability of cities around the world for students. The ‘Cost of Living’ columns are presented as a deviation from the dataset median. A lower deviation from the median indicates a cheaper price, while a higher deviation from the median indicates a higher price.The ‘Livability’ columns are presented as a score (all scores are out of 100, with 100 being the highest and 50 the lowest possible score).Click on the top of each column to sort from highest to lowest.
Student City Livability and Cost of Living
1
Prague
Czechia
-14
-33
-28
90
96
100
89
100
2
Tokyo
Japan
16
6
27
89
100
91
87
96
3
Amsterdam
Netherlands
80
16
20
88
94
92
96
96
4
Madrid
Spain
1
-9
-14
85
97
91
89
95
5
Reykjavik
Iceland
65
55
48
100
83
91
91
95
6
Berlin
Germany
3
-14
-1
82
97
92
92
95
7
Edinburgh
Scotland
32
5
15
86
89
94
90
94
8
Tallinn
Estonia
-39
-20
-20
96
88
89
78
94
9
Vienna
Austria
-8
6
-8
89
85
91
92
93
10
Copenhagen
Denmark
83
45
26
94
84
82
100
93
11
London
England
173
22
56
79
95
96
92
92
12
Barcelona
Spain
3
-6
-10
80
98
84
92
92
13
Athens
Greece
-50
-16
-16
78
95
97
77
92
14
Paris
France
43
28
9
77
94
93
89
91
15
Singapore
Singapore
115
19
27
98
93
77
81
91
16
Lisbon
Portugal
-10
-33
-22
85
93
81
87
91
17
Vilnius
Lithuania
-40
-33
-26
91
88
87
77
91
18
Riga
Latvia
-49
-31
-24
85
88
85
86
90
19
Helsinki
Finland
31
22
15
97
78
82
87
90
20
Brno
Czechia
-34
-41
-32
89
88
75
88
89
21
Bologna
Italy
-25
-3
-9
78
92
90
83
89
22
Rome
Italy
17
9
-6
77
97
92
77
89
23
Valencia
Spain
-29
-15
-21
86
84
81
89
89
24
Florence
Italy
-8
2
-9
80
88
88
85
88
25
Zurich
Switzerland
96
88
71
92
80
81
94
88
26
Cologne
Germany
-11
-5
0
81
94
81
84
88
27
Oslo
Norway
51
60
43
92
80
84
86
88
28
Glasgow
Scotland
4
-11
12
82
88
83
87
88
29
New York
USA
216
66
69
77
93
94
84
88
30
Dresden
Germany
-40
-20
-14
84
79
87
87
88
31
Dubai
UAE
70
27
35
97
95
68
79
88
32
Milan
Italy
19
9
-1
79
86
87
88
88
33
Osaka
Japan
-32
-12
4
86
89
82
78
88
34
Dublin
Ireland
87
13
47
86
90
87
76
87
35
Toronto
Canada
77
23
37
85
91
86
78
87
36
Stockholm
Sweden
31
17
14
89
78
80
90
87
37
Gothenburg
Sweden
-3
7
2
88
82
80
86
87
38
Nantes
France
-37
2
-10
73
89
87
86
87
39
Bristol
England
45
-1
14
83
80
83
90
86
40
Sofia
Bulgaria
-59
-45
-43
80
96
78
74
86
41
Warsaw
Poland
-36
-47
-43
86
90
83
67
86
42
Saint Petersburg
Russia
-50
-40
-36
72
86
97
73
86
43
Hamburg
Germany
35
1
15
80
80
87
87
86
44
Munich
Germany
38
9
2
88
80
85
78
86
45
Montreal
Canada
-8
25
15
88
75
83
83
85
46
Raleigh
USA
32
13
3
81
81
89
80
85
47
Cardiff
Wales
-11
-8
-8
84
79
81
83
85
48
Krakow
Poland
-42
-50
-44
85
90
81
63
85
49
Belfast
Northern Ireland
-4
-3
9
82
81
83
80
85
50
Seoul
South Korea
-4
5
-14
88
80
77
81
84
51
Ottawa
Canada
16
9
20
88
74
82
84
84
52
Vancouver
Canada
78
44
32
86
77
85
82
84
53
Tel Aviv
Israel
74
43
25
88
87
77
75
84
54
Aachen
Germany
-28
-13
-9
84
69
79
94
84
55
Lyon
France
-7
17
0
78
78
87
84
84
56
Brussels
Belgium
2
12
6
82
80
82
81
84
57
Montpellier
France
-19
4
-5
76
80
84
83
84
58
The Hague
Netherlands
24
11
-3
90
68
76
90
83
59
San Francisco
USA
228
61
48
75
91
86
81
83
60
Santiago
Chile
-56
-29
-36
74
90
79
77
83
61
Lviv
Ukraine
-71
-63
-63
76
78
78
87
83
62
Newcastle
England
-6
-12
8
80
78
80
86
83
63
Buenos Aires
Argentina
-71
-36
-45
70
94
85
69
83
64
Washington
USA
136
45
41
74
94
84
77
83
65
Manchester
England
28
-4
6
77
78
78
91
83
66
Beijing
China
-1
-22
-7
73
92
73
82
82
67
Columbus
USA
15
1
5
78
67
85
91
82
68
Los Angeles
USA
136
49
37
77
94
88
63
82
69
Miami
USA
113
40
27
75
92
79
78
82
70
Stuttgart
Germany
0
-3
-8
85
72
81
75
81
71
Chicago
USA
86
26
39
70
76
92
82
81
72
Sao Paulo
Brazil
-47
-37
-20
60
88
92
73
81
73
Leeds
England
33
-12
14
82
76
76
81
80
74
Seattle
USA
101
40
36
77
73
85
84
80
75
Bucharest
Romania
-58
-41
-41
81
85
79
60
80
76
Auckland
New Zealand
35
17
49
84
75
82
72
80
77
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
149
30
19
85
83
67
81
80
78
Denver
USA
89
38
33
78
75
86
77
80
79
Melbourne
Australia
41
27
61
80
76
80
76
79
80
Boston
USA
152
38
34
81
67
84
81
78
81
Sydney
Australia
91
17
71
83
75
81
68
78
82
Bangkok
Thailand
-45
-28
-27
67
94
68
73
78
83
Philadelphia
USA
43
32
29
72
69
86
80
78
84
Atlanta
USA
60
8
20
72
69
84
81
77
85
Istanbul
Turkey
-69
-55
-56
71
71
87
67
77
86
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
-50
-41
-41
73
92
63
64
76
87
Kingston
Jamaica
-59
-18
-24
76
61
68
84
73
88
Shanghai
China
0
-1
-10
73
66
68
82
73
89
Detroit
USA
0
6
9
68
62
82
76
72
90
San Jose
Costa Rica
-43
-32
-24
76
62
70
72
71
91
Bogota
Colombia
-63
-58
-51
57
80
75
66
71
92
Mexico City
Mexico
-42
-35
-35
57
74
75
68
69
93
Chennai
India
-79
-54
-63
63
59
68
77
67
94
Nanjing
China
-51
-35
-40
78
55
52
81
67
95
Cape Town
South Africa
-31
-40
-32
54
69
66
74
65
96
Cairo
Egypt
-80
-60
-57
71
60
56
69
65
97
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
-27
-39
7
79
50
50
81
65
98
Jakarta
Indonesia
-59
-42
-40
68
56
62
65
63
99
New Delhi
India
-76
-53
-56
56
58
55
68
58
100
Lagos
Nigeria
-6
-46
-41
50
55
55
50
50
Methodology
The Education Price Index 2022 reveals the cost of a university education in countries around the world, with a special focus on six common degree subjects: medicine, nursing, law, civil engineering, software development, and teaching. It also analyzes the livability for students of 100 cities in the countries under consideration.
The countries in the study were chosen as a result of their renowned universities and comparable price information. Every continent is represented in the selection.
University fees for specialist degrees were collected for six career paths: Medical doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Civil Engineers, Software Developers and Teachers. For all specialist degrees:
The fees were collected for citizens of the country; in the case of the USA the fees were collected for residents of the state in which the universities are located;
Only tuition fees and university administrative fees were collected, and do not include dormitory fees or other costs of living.
Additional training costs (e.g. training at a hospital or law firm) were not taken into account.
For each country considered, the country's tertiary education system was classified as either:
Nationally regulated university fees
Fees set by each institution, primarily public universities
Fees set by each institution, mixed public and private universities
For countries with nationally regulated university fees, the fees for each specialist degree was established through review of the guidance provided by the responsible national educational bodies and by the universities themselves.For countries where fees are set by each institution, a sample of up to six universities were selected from internationally competitive universities. Internationally competitive universities were identified through well-established university ranking directories Times Higher Education and QS Top Universities.For countries with primarily public universities, the sample of universities was selected from public universities. For countries with a mix of public and private universities–defined as a country where more than 20% of students are enrolled with private universities–an additional sample of up to six private universities was selected and typical university fees were separately established for public and private universities.A full list of universities and educational bodies used as sources can be provided on request.To calculate the overall education cost of each career path, the typical length of study for each country was provided by the World Higher Education Database (UNESCO/International Association of Universities). The overall costs assume that students graduate without repeats or extensions.
Typical salaries were collected for six professions: Medical doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Civil Engineers, Software Developers and Teachers. Official data on wages were collected from:
USA: BLS (US. Bureau of Labour Statistics)
Europe: Eurostat
Other OECD countries: OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
Other countries: ILO (International Labour Organization)
The industry and professional definitions used for each profession are outlined below in the per-factor notes.From the broad official data on wages, granular estimates of specific professions, as well as junior/senior wage differences, were developed using aggregate estimates from salary comparison websites Glassdoor, Payscale, SalaryExplorer, SalaryExpert, Teleport, Gehalt.de and Salary.com.Junior Salaries are defined and calculated as a weighted average of the salaries after 0-2 years of experience (80% weight) and 2-5 years of experience (20% weight). Senior Salaries are defined and calculated as a weighted average of the salaries after 10-15 years of experience (25% weight), 15-20 years of experience (50% weight) and 20+ years of experience (25% weight). For each profession, Junior and Senior salary coefficients were calculated from the ratio of Junior and Senior salaries against average salaries presented on salary comparison websites. The final Junior and Senior salary estimates were calculated by applying the coefficients against the average salaries of each profession.Overall Junior Salary Levels: an aggregate of Junior salaries was constructed as the average of the Junior salaries of the six professions.Overall Senior Salary Levels: an aggregate of Senior salaries was constructed as the average of the Junior salaries of the six professions.
A score that reflects the presence of top-ranked universities in each country. A higher score means the country has a greater presence of top-ranked universities. The score is constructed from three underlying indicators:
The highest scoring university present in each country;
The total score of high scoring universities in each country;
The average score of high scoring universities in each country, adjusted for the number of enrolled students.
Sources: Times Higher Education; QS Top Universities; World Bank Education Statistics.
The typical cost of tuition and administrative fees for one academic year. The results show the representative cost of studying for one year, and is the mean of the six degree subjects covered in the study. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of Education for each Specialist Degree is estimated using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
The number of years it takes a graduate to pay back the full university tuition fee, as an indicator of the Burden of Student Debt. The calculation assumes a student earns a typical Junior level salary and allocates 5% of their post-graduate income to paying off tuition fee debt. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of one year at university is defined above; typical course length of each career path is collected using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
The number of hours a person earning the minimum wage must work to be able to pay for a full university degree. The indicator imagines that a student’s parent, and family’s sole breadwinner, works to finance the tuition and administrative fees of their child’s university education. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of one year at university is defined above; typical course length of each career path is collected using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”Hourly Minimum Wage for each country was collected from ILO. For countries that do not have a legally mandated minimum wage, the salary of an entry level services profession such as cleaners or fast food cashiers were used instead.A full list of estimated minimum wage for countries without legally mandated minimum wage can be provided on request.
- Junior Salary Level: The aggregate of Junior Salaries of all professions considered; overall Junior Salary Levels are estimated using the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession".- Senior Salary Level: The aggregate of Senior Salaries of all professions considered; overall Senior Salary Levels are estimated using the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession".
- Cost of Becoming a Doctor:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for medical doctors were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 5.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery” (e.g. MBBS, MB ChB, MB BCh).
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly (in the case of the US, 4 years for a Bachelor’s degree and 4 years for a degree titled medical doctor).
- Salary of a Doctor:The typical salary of a doctor was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 29-1210-Physicians.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category Q86-Human health activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 7-Health and welfare.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category Q.-Human health and social work activities
- Cost of Becoming a Nurse:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Nurse were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 5.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Nursing”.
- Salary of a Nurse:The typical salary of a Nurse was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 29-1141-Registered Nurses.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category Q86-Human health activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 7-Health and welfare.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category Q.-Human health and social work activities.
- Cost of Becoming a Lawyer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Lawyers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Arts degree like “Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)” and a consecutive 1.5 year Master of Arts degree like “Master of Arts (LL.M)”.
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Lawyer:The typical salary of a Lawyer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 23-1011-Lawyers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category M69-Legal and accounting activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 3-Social sciences, business and law.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category M.-Professional, scientific and technical activities.
- Cost of Becoming a Civil Engineer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Civil Engineer were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
In many countries, there are several ways of becoming an engineer: This study typically takes into account a 4 years Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering” and a Master of Science degree such as “Master of Civil Engineering” (1.5 years).
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Civil Engineer:The typical salary of a Civil Engineer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 17-2051-Civil Engineers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category F42-Civil Engineering.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 5-Engineering, manufacturing and construction.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category F.-Construction
- Cost of Becoming a Software Developer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Software Developers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Computer Science”.
- Salary of a Software Developer:The typical salary of a Software Developer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using the professional category 15-1252-Software Developers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category J62-Computer programming.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 4-Science.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category J.-Information and communication and P.-Education.
- Cost of Becoming a Teacher:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Teachers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Arts degree like “Bachelor of Education” and a consecutive 1.5 year Master of Arts degree like “Master of Education”.
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Teacher:The typical salary of a Teacher was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using the professional category 25-0000-Educational Instruction and Library Occupations.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category P85-Education.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 1-Education.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category P.-Education
City SelectionThe cities in the study were chosen because they are home to prominent universities, based on university rankings. Each city has a minimum population of 250,000 people.Scoring ProcedureMultiple indicators were used as contributing components when factors are presented as a “Score”. The underlying indicators were first standardized using a Z-Score [z = (x-μ)/σ; μ=indicator mean; σ=indicator standard deviation] normalization procedure. The final score was computed as a weighted average of the component Z-Scores, and the resulting score normalized to a scale of 50 to 100 using min-max normalization [(value - min)/(max-min)*50+50]. The floor of 50 for the scale was chosen to emphasize that the locations presented in the final dataset represent the highest ranking locations chosen from a shortlist of high-ranking locations.
- Cost of Student Housing: A percentage that reflects the cost of student housing in each city. The cost is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates more expensive student housing. A negative percentage indicates the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.- Cost of a Student Food Basket: A percentage that reflects the cost of a student food basket in each city. The cost is composed of the typical prices of groceries and restaurants. It is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates a more expensive food basket. A negative percentage indicates the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.- Cost of Other Student Expenses: A percentage that reflects the cost of other student living expenses in each city. The cost is composed of living expenses such as utilities, hygiene products, public transport, and personal care. It is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates more expensive student expenses. A negative percentage indicates that the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.
- Student Safety: A score that reflects the level of safety and security that students have in each city. The score is composed of data on crime, climate risks, infrastructure risks, perceptions of security, domestic stability, transport risks, and natural disaster risks. A higher score indicates a safer environment.Sources: Germanwatch; Hudson's Investment Migration Consultancy; Igarape Institute; The Economist; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; World Health Organization.- Nightlife: A score that reflects the nighttime entertainment available to students in each city. The score is composed of data on the number of bars, pubs and nightclubs in absolute terms and per 100k inhabitants. A higher score indicates more nighttime entertainment.Sources: Google local listings, TripAdvisor- Culture: A score that reflects the cultural infrastructure available to students in each city. The score is composed of data on the number of museums and theaters in absolute terms and per 100k inhabitants. A higher score indicates more cultural offerings for students.Sources: UNESCO; UNWTO; Google local listings; OpenStreetMap- Smart Mobility: A score that reflects the quality of the mobility infrastructure available to students in each city. The score is composed of data related to congestion levels, commute times, government technology adoption, electrical mobility and public transport infrastructure. A higher score reflects a greater degree of mobility for students in the city, characterized by greater density, efficiency and digitalisation of public transport services, and greater adoption of e-government practices.Sources: International Energy Agency; Institute for Management Development; OpenStreetMap; TomTom; United Nations.
Press Media Enquire
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