If you are thinking about studying in an exotic country, you might want to consider Luxembourg as well. There is no need of going far away or in countries you do not know much about in order to study abroad. Luxembourg is situated in the middle of west Europe. It is surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium. Approximately half a million people live in this one of the smallest countries in the world. Official languages are French, German and Luxembourgish, however, English and Portuguese are also widely used. This country stands out as a unique amalgam of Germanic and Romanic cultures.
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| Luxembourg - an exotic country in the middle of west Europe |
Luxembourg has only one university. It was established in 2003 and nowadays consists of three faculties (The Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication; The Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance; The Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education) and two interdisciplinary centres (The Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust; The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine). Based on the Bologna Accords, the University offers 11 bachelor degrees, 32 master degrees and a couple of doctoral programs which are usually bilingual. However, there are also trilingual programs, as well as those who are taught only in English. Prospective students should, therefore, first inform themselves about the language(s) certain programs are taught in - in order to being able to follow and pass the desired program properly. This is especially important for international students who think knowing English will be sufficient. The reason behind this somewhat unusual politics is not only the fact that these are official languages of the country but is also a result of a belief that fluency in languages greatly helps on the international market and gives the young academics superior position among other candidates for a certain job position. The University also offers vocational trainings and lifelong learning programs.
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| University of Luxembourg's Logo |
Costs of living in Luxembourg are in general extremely high in comparison with most of the countries of the world. One dozen of eggs will cost you the same as a cup of coffee - around 3.4€. A dozen eggs in near-by Germany would cost you only 1€. That being said, it is time to reflect on all other expenses a student in Luxembourg who is not sponsored by a third party will have. Expenses can be generally divided into two groups - those who must be paid at the beginning of the academic year and monthly expenses. At the beginning of studying, every student should have at least 1500€ to cover expenses regarding registration, health insurance, fare ticket, rent guarantee, first rent, rent insurance and alimentation. Each following month will cost approximately 1100€ and that includes the rent, meals, telephone, free-time activities etc. Didactic material costs around 400€ per year.
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| Expenses of studying in Luxembourg can (easily) be covered by working during studies! |
As a student of University of Luxembourg, you are able to work during studies (10 hours per week) and holidays (40 hours per week) under a student contract if you are not older than 27. If you are older than 27, you can work only under a fixed-term contract. Note that different rules apply to EU and non-EU citizens. If you are a non-EU citizen, there is an amazing thing about finishing your studies in Luxembourg - once you graduate, you are able to work over there for 2 years if the job you have accept is related to your education. Another way of working in Luxembourg as a student or as a young graduate is becoming a trainee, i.e. getting an internship. This is a great opportunity even for those who wish to become experts in some other fields. As a trainee in a company you will usually be provided with a lot of practical work and a mentor to guide you. Sites such as Indeed.lu are full of such offers and many others! A part-time job, also sometimes called as "minijob" in this part of Europe, usually brings around 400€. This means if you work during your studies, almost half of your planned expenses can easily be covered.
Vill Gléck! Viel Glück! Bonne chance! Good luck!
Source: The University of Luxembourg's Official Sites
Source: The University of Luxembourg's Official Sites
