AppId is over the quota
Meanwhile, the number of international universities, mostly in Europe, which offer courses exclusively in English has soared from 560 in 2002 compared to around 3,700 in 2011, the most recent figures available.
In Sweden, one of the most popular destinations for UK post-grads, there are currently 700 courses taught in English, while in Finland there are 246 masters programmes taught in English, compared to 42 in 2007.
French and Dutch postgraduate courses are heavily subsidised, with a master’s degree at a leading French institution costing as little as £225 a year in fees.
The University of Maastricht in the Netherlands has seen a ten-fold increase in the number of British students studying for masters degrees in recent years, while in Belgium, where fees are around £500 a year, there are 252 English-taught courses.
In France, earlier this year the government approved plans to allow universities to teach some classes in English, despite claims it would have a detrimental effect on the use of French.
Previously, a 1994 law stipulated French must be used in universities, all but banning lessons in another language.
Among the graduates who have gone abroad is Will Lobo, 23, who decided to go overseas because he would get more teaching time compared to at a university in the UK.
He is currently part way through a masters in public policy and development at the Paris School of Economics. Fees are 250 euros (£140) while a comparable course at the London School of Economics has fees of £25,000.
“It was mainly the strength of the course, with small, interactive classes, together with the opportunity to live in such an exciting city that drew me to Paris for my masters,” said Mr Lobo, from Sheffield, who graduated in economics with French at the University of Nottingham last year.
Alice French, 26, who is in the second year of a PhD at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, said the prospect of a new langague and culture had been daunting, but valuable.
Miss French previously studied zoology at Newcastle University, followed by a masters in medical and molecular biosciences.
“I would definitely recommend studying abroad, its a great opportunity to meet new people, learn a new language and experience a different culture,” she said.
“That is not to say it hasn’t been hard. The beginning especially, I started out feeling very lonely but after some time I made some friends, mostly other foreign students, so things got better.”
Izzy Gibbin, 21, an English literature student at the University of Birmingham, is considering applying for a masters in literature and culture in Sweden.
Miss Gibbin, who is originally from Swindon, said she was attracted to the Swedish culture and way of life. “I feel that the emphasis there is not purely on making money or training people for the job market, but on educating people and teaching them to think critically regardless of their financial background,” she said.
“This is something which is quite rare in England, where higher education has become increasingly unattainable for those who do not come from rich families, and many universities seem to value money over education.”
Mike Hill, chief executive of Graduate Prospects, the graduate careers service, said those who did chose to study abroad could reap the benefits when they started looking for jobs, as employers were increasingly looking for candidates with “international experience”.
He said: “Postgraduate fees are considerable. There are some people who are concerned about that cost if they are wanting to go an do a masters, but if I was 21 and I was thinking about doing a masters and spending a nice amount of money, I might want somewhere with a slightly better climate.
“We know that it is happening, let’s not get out of proportion, but we are talking about a significant minority who are giving themselves a little bit of an advantage in the recruitment market afterwards.”
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