<p>I’m an American currently in the processing of securing my Polish citizenship. My father was from Poland, and according to Polish law he passed on his citizenship to me. Since I will shortly have Polish citizenship, I will also have EU citizenship by default. </p>
<p>Now comes the question…</p>
<p>As an American citizen/Polish citizen/EU citizen where can I study other than the U.S.? Are there any major benefits (financial or otherwise) to studying at a EU University as opposed to a U.S. University? Can anyone recommend some good websites to research this? </p>
<p>It should be noted that I already have a Bachelors Degree from a U.S. University. I’m looking to get my Masters. </p>
<p>Tuition at European universities (outside of the UK) is usually cheaper than tuition in the US. However, if you can get financial assistance (e.g. a tuition waiver or TA position) from a US university, it might be cheaper to stay in the US.</p>
<p>Other considerations:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Do you want to pursue a Master’s degree in the same field as your undergraduate degree or in a different specialty? European universities usually require a Bachelor’s degree in the same or a very closely related field (e.g. math to statistics) for admission to a Master’s program.</p></li>
<li><p>Do you speak any European languages or are you restricted to Master’s programs taught in English? If the latter, are there good programs taught in English? Could you see yourself living in a country whose language you don’t speak? (Imagine going shopping with a dictionary, etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>Does your field lend itself to a foreign degree? You can study physics overseas, but not the American health care system.</p></li>
<li><p>Where do you see your future? It’s usually better to get your terminal degree in the country you want to work and live in afterwards. You would miss out on a lot of networking opportunities while living overseas, and applying for jobs (or internships) in a different country is tricky, especially if the employers are unfamiliar with the university your degree is from.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I doubt there will be any financial benefits to you becoming an EU citizen. Assuming other EU countries operate in the same way as the UK (I have no idea), cheaper home fees are not determined by your citizenship but by how long you’ve lived and paid taxes in the country.</p>
They usually don’t. That’s why I explicitly excluded the UK in my previous post. </p>
<p>Some European countries offer cheap tuition to all students, often below $1,000 per semester. The Polish citizenship might entitle you to some sort of financial assistance, but I am not familiar with postsecondary education in Poland and I don’t know to what extend the Polish government funds degrees at non-Polish EU universities. This varies significantly between EU countries.</p>
<p>Citizens certainly enjoy more privileges than non-citizens, some of them financially. You would not need to apply for (and pay for) a visa, you can work without restrictions, you might be entitled to cheap healthcare or financial aid for college, you might pay fewer income taxes than foreigners, etc. Most of these are only advantages compared to non-citizens overseas though, and not advantages over staying in the US.</p>
<p>Many EU countries will only give you the cheap tuition if you have lived in the EU for the three years proir to your attending. You might want to check ERASMUS to see where you fall. Neverthless, it is still cheaper, and worthwhile if you plan to stay in the EU.</p>
<p>Hey I was born in the US but have lived my whole life in France. I have two citizenships (france+US). Thus I also have an EU citizenship. That means that you can study in the US or go through Europe without having to go through all the normal process if you use your polish passport: visa, resident adress. Its much simpler if you want to study in Europe or just study abroad there for a year.</p>