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.
The university price index
1
USA
100
19
12264
29153
63982
121890
291185
171203
55722
70058
245700
107286
136801
75300
78645
94838
114075
51591
2
UAE
87
14
25496
13489
46664
85946
140703
107422
21454
40717
71820
115135
71104
48364
38287
56049
32482
42141
3
England
96
12
3215
12273
40312
71891
71500
94621
41708
43787
67056
77110
52563
46165
41708
53907
53625
39053
4
Wales
90
9
2941
11659
50367
89838
57973
125238
40581
50330
58359
98430
54494
59332
40581
63401
51145
46758
5
Israel
87
14
4158
10161
32188
61320
57077
66952
36321
35262
54555
51022
50139
36974
31133
63487
41510
32871
6
Scotland
94
10
2897
10013
44247
78632
11723
101855
8206
49074
36033
86825
34597
50706
8206
55770
9379
44641
7
Canada
94
8
3642
9874
51474
97920
112535
134758
18731
59094
69243
90904
51117
56853
18708
65505
37695
49477
8
Singapore
96
10
7730
9805
46963
86312
129209
110278
25899
42997
60215
96488
40601
56619
31213
59738
20516
41670
9
Japan
92
9
3470
8751
40853
77553
109556
105770
26504
43073
40903
98081
51332
34348
35874
51146
33787
34289
10
Jamaica
87
28
30479
8668
14258
26443
28917
36401
20648
15665
45010
23893
44532
16159
26731
18264
9384
13249
11
Ireland
90
8
2455
7781
44772
84232
42394
132063
22112
43771
31890
65706
55782
50154
22515
56526
20862
41748
12
Australia
95
5
1490
6391
54934
104277
51576
139904
14670
57281
13936
89579
34805
70398
19839
74022
22911
56999
13
Chile
83
11
9004
6195
26876
50168
50342
67436
19843
23428
31056
45664
33164
34397
23644
32769
16394
31137
14
New Zealand
91
5
2017
5853
49516
94082
55210
125530
20098
52463
24175
89921
30630
59348
17066
65616
16507
46422
15
Brazil
86
13
12406
5718
19200
34595
99506
48169
13866
15165
33204
34412
35064
25391
14834
27587
15276
18578
16
Hong Kong
94
4
3629
5368
53457
97908
29524
126902
18788
52434
26840
125072
29524
53982
18788
55689
26840
50883
17
Spain
90
8
2453
5254
30072
54979
41133
57134
17251
37822
22697
50322
27256
42720
22470
37305
18803
31209
18
Northern Ireland
89
4
1393
4378
49663
88307
29502
113297
20651
53868
29502
96032
21985
58492
20651
66903
23601
47703
19
South Africa
89
8
10038
4156
23290
42247
31047
64087
10973
19623
21788
38837
26197
29016
9738
36132
11922
17983
20
Russia
87
17
12588
4067
10115
19025
22190
18699
3007
7704
20503
13854
26616
18139
12098
22436
18280
6753
21
South Korea
90
5
1537
3933
37513
68460
26631
102332
11730
37851
15580
71364
22783
47391
12987
44216
11359
32270
22
Malaysia
84
10
7901
3654
16024
30504
58058
37164
7906
13655
18418
29665
10939
19093
7082
24203
10007
19429
23
Mexico
79
10
13084
3620
15027
28018
40787
27594
13393
19746
12743
29109
20311
18286
13526
24399
3986
13278
24
Italy
92
4
1344
3049
31892
58945
15139
91037
12465
43938
15328
50608
16616
35464
12465
38901
12619
26230
25
India
87
16
32021
3030
8365
15316
45842
13331
4640
11525
5771
14414
29900
11333
39968
14142
4099
7719
26
France
92
4
932
2996
33567
63357
9759
68756
1819
40326
6542
61678
8633
46938
6510
45418
5840
32762
27
Indonesia
76
9
12885
2492
11873
22211
59326
24809
3832
12891
9049
25268
17553
13749
7938
17517
6595
10334
28
Netherlands
94
3
760
2378
42726
81602
13078
98017
8323
47937
11889
70393
13078
54096
8323
61527
9512
45525
29
Poland
82
4
1610
1815
18164
35376
49928
52921
5955
15971
7335
25908
4712
19488
6275
31126
3404
17399
30
Belgium
93
1
506
1674
54506
98210
8775
164545
5584
51980
8212
96217
9010
63311
5584
60322
8212
44060
31
Ukraine
79
8
4906
1524
9130
16786
7607
22408
2857
7959
9793
17763
7309
10718
4486
13279
4291
7236
32
Switzerland
95
1
198
1477
88001
157238
8125
215435
5170
87393
6648
171023
6648
101801
5170
114760
7386
84703
33
Lithuania
77
2
982
1178
23030
42461
5776
49739
3319
26811
5372
44895
6559
21057
3355
34725
5611
22832
34
China
94
1
2742
1085
33065
63434
4262
79134
2712
47285
4804
53038
5192
36277
2712
39820
5192
37226
35
Portugal
87
2
705
1067
23726
42516
4643
58668
2626
22305
4343
44385
4832
29405
2626
31320
4483
22951
36
Iceland
90
1
197
989
51316
109402
3187
167354
2028
63162
4738
108969
5181
68524
3101
75678
2897
49880
37
Romania
78
2
852
849
15442
28718
9700
36371
4573
15165
3919
28400
3593
16339
3048
25865
3190
12561
38
Argentina
71
2
925
592
13175
23601
4421
25661
1008
9451
4518
35108
4082
13450
2198
16421
1377
13368
39
Germany
95
1
166
537
34362
73069
2952
88335
1879
38311
2684
76147
2952
49816
1879
57631
2684
46573
40
Bulgaria
72
1
666
396
15514
28218
2799
37980
1387
16608
2201
31244
2118
15772
1733
24349
1458
12621
41
Greece
86
1
217
335
22028
39416
0
52636
0
22379
1938
39063
1076
28277
0
29788
0
21414
42
Nigeria
81
1
868
173
14082
26644
970
45733
617
13455
840
18588
970
20081
617
15512
588
9344
43
Norway
91
0
25
134
49069
104163
737
135388
469
58459
670
105091
737
77432
469
74713
670
57458
44
Austria
89
0
15
45
44761
81309
245
101788
156
53448
223
85235
245
49959
156
55485
223
36040
45
Turkey
84
0
41
26
10550
19301
178
23651
119
6837
148
23378
152
11922
119
15478
119
10288
46
Czechia
84
0
0
0
20590
37011
0
44998
0
19061
0
42353
0
22025
0
32897
0
21348
47
Denmark
92
0
0
0
56007
104623
0
122612
0
61336
0
105014
0
75124
0
74830
0
54973
48
Finland
91
0
0
0
46402
85797
0
119372
0
43585
0
77536
0
62561
0
58825
0
42160
49
Saudi Arabia
86
0
0
0
34871
63895
0
73024
0
27933
0
89469
0
38927
0
45373
0
30527
50
Sweden
92
0
0
0
37051
70559
0
82084
0
34052
0
66217
0
48000
0
57311
0
41088
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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