About Visa and Varsity

Three friends, one move to Canada, and one question nobody could answer: what does it really cost to study abroad?

How it started

Ruth, Peter and Daniel started Visa and Varsity after doing what many of our readers are doing now. We planned to study in another country, and we all chose Canada. We did not take the same road there. One of us went for a master degree, one for a graduate certificate and one for a nursing bachelor degree. Peter and Ruth still live and work in Canada today.

Before any of us booked a flight, we searched deeply into how to study in different countries. Every country could tell us its tuition. Very few could tell us the real cost.

The problem we could not get past

Tuition is only one part of the bill. The visa fee, the proof of funds, the insurance, the deposit on a room and the first month of bills are all left out of the tuition figure. Each one comes from a different office, and nobody adds them up for you. So when we tried to compare two countries, we were comparing a full price with a partial one. It was hard to compare countries, and it was harder still to find the real cost of any one of them.

We worked it out for ourselves, the slow way. Then we asked a simple question. If it took the three of us this much effort, what is it like for a student with less time, a smaller budget and nobody to ask?

What we built

Visa and Varsity is the guide we wished we had. Each country guide splits the cost into three stages: before you apply, while you get your visa, and after you land. Every stage ends with a cost table, so you can see where the money goes and when you pay it. Our calculators then add the stages up for your own choices, so you get one total for your first year.

We put in the costs that are easy to miss, such as refundable deposits, compulsory insurance, new taxes and the bills that arrive in your first week. In our calculators we also separate money you spend on your qualification, money that stays yours, money you get back and money you never see again, because those four feel very different when you are the one paying.

How we work

• We link to official government, central bank and university pages, so you can check every figure yourself.
• Each guide shows the month we last checked it, because fees and rules change often.
• When a number is our own estimate, or when an official page did not give us one, we say so.
• We show ranges, not false precision. A range that is honest is more useful than a single figure that is wrong.

What we believe

A cost you cannot see is still a cost. Compare totals, not sticker prices. And the cheapest country on paper is not always the cheapest country when you arrive.

Where we are now

Because Peter and Ruth live and work in Canada, we know that country from the inside. For every other country on the site, from Germany to Japan to Malaysia, we do the same careful research and the same checking, and we tell you plainly what we could not confirm.

Our guides are budgeting guides, not immigration advice. Always confirm your figures with your institution and the official government pages before you pay anyone.

Talk to us

If you want a country costed next, or you spotted a figure that has changed, write to us at contact@visaandvarsity.com. Your questions help decide what we write next.

Ruth, Peter and Daniel