I went to Canada for university – I saved £40,000 and found a job easily

Rory Maddinson had already completed a full UCAS application and was in the final months of studying for his A-levels when, through a chance discovery, he realised he could do university very differently. An avid young historian, he was searching his school library archives in Cheltenham when he stumbled across the details of a century-old scholarship programme which twinned his sixth form with the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver. The opportunity was not advertised, and none of his friends knew anything about it – but he didn’t let that put him off. Though he’d never been to Canada before, or even considered studying abroad, Maddinson jumped at this sudden opportunity. He filled in an application directly to the university, including a personal statement about his achievements, and within weeks he had an unconditional offer to study an arts bachelor’s degree. It was a relaxing prospect compared to the three A grades he needed to meet the entry requirements of his UK choices. Shorts Not only that, the scholarship award covered the whole cost of his four years of study: tuition fees (worth around $47,000 a year for international students), flights, visas, accommodation and a stipend for living costs too. “It was a ridiculous bursary,” he says. “Because it was so ridiculous, my mum was worried. She thought it was some sort of organ harvesting scam, but I was willing to take the risk.” On moving day, his flight was delayed and he turned up to campus late and had to find a porter to help him access his accommodation. But after that hair-raising start, he quickly settled into his course and made friends, particularly among other international students studying at the university. He enjoyed the structure of a Canadian degree, which allowed him two years of general study in arts and humanities, before specialising in history as a major. He even managed to secure a funded placement year at a partner university in Singapore, all expenses paid. Maddinson worked as a barista while studying and, now 22, has returned to the UK with a degree and £20,000 in savings – and no student debt. “If I were in the UK I would have been taking out a loan for tuition and a maintenance loan, so I think I’ve saved around £40,000,” he says. During the pandemic and after Brexit the numbers of UK students studying abroad dropped rapidly, but the trend is now reversing. More and more young people are looking at overseas alternatives to cut costs or take a different approach to higher education. Statistics are only recorded for students enrolled in UK universities who choose to take a placement year abroad, but last year that option was taken up by 31,225 students. It’s no wonder, given that research shows a direct correlation between studying overseas and having a better academic experience: academics at Queen Mary University of London found that students who study abroad are more likely to gain a 1st or 2:1 in their degree, are 24 per cent less likely to be unemployed after graduation and earn 7 per cent higher wages. Experts also cite confidence-building and the chance to learn a new language as benefits. According to Iona Murdoch, a policy advisor at Universities UK International, word of mouth means that these opportunities are becoming more popular among today’s students. The world also feels smaller to young people who are digital natives, so taking up an overseas study placement may feel less daunting. “Social media makes the world feel more connected. People are more aware of other countries. This generation has grown up with social media and YouTubers making this kind of travel content,” Murdoch says. Although we don’t know how many UK students choose to study for a full qualification overseas, as that data is not gathered centrally, academic experts say that number is starting to rise – particularly among more privileged young people. “Leading independent schools have been pushing some people towards the Ivy League under the impression that their students are not always treated fairly in the UK,” says Nick Hillman, chief executive of the Higher Education Policy Institute. Although the USA’s Ivy League has more expensive fees than the UK, there are a plethora of scholarships available for international students, from Study USA by the British Council, to Sutton Trust Fulbright US Programme, to the individual schemes offered by the majority of American universities. Rory Maddinson returned to the UK debt-free and with £20,000 in savings (Photo: Reith Humphreys) Some academics project that the fees burden on UK students will prompt students to give foreign universities more thought. The UK has always been a net importer of students, but higher education consultant Dr Mark Edwards warned colleagues on LinkedIn that a shift is coming. “Studying at a high-quality university in another country has been a key vehicle through which many non-UK students sought advantage over the last couple of decades. Combined with the prospect of finishing your studies with £60k+ debt, we could well see more UK students to look [at] cheaper international study destinations in the coming years,” he warned. Saving money was the main factor in Amy Booth’s decision to study for a master’s degree in Buenos Aires in her late twenties. She had been travelling and working across South America, and as a language graduate who was already fluent in Spanish there was no language barrier. “I’d had one eye on studying a master’s in the UK at some point, but it was basically unaffordable. I would have had to be able to finance student fees up to £28,000, which was more than I was making in a year in my job. It was out of the question,” she says. In Argentina, the cost is tiny by comparison. For a course in politics and social theory, Booth paid the equivalent of £150 a semester to register as a student, plus a monthly fee of around £90 to partake in the course. “You do have to pay, but it’s very affordable. And in Argentina inflation is really high, so what it actually costs gets less and less. It started out at maybe £90 [a month], but then it would go down to £60 over the course of the year,” she says. She also found living costs manageable by working alongside study. “The cost of living in Argentina is all over the place. It’s known internationally as an economic basket case: you’ve got inflation that can be anywhere between 30 per cent and 290 per cent. Sometimes it’s so cheap it’s getting flooded with digital nomads, and there are times when it’s as expensive as living in the cheapest parts of the UK,” she says. “I had to adjust for that. There were times I was able to save a lot and there were times when I was living on a very short leash.” Booth, now 37, is pleased that she took the chance on an international master’s, saying she got “really rigorous training” in Argentina, equivalent to an MPhil in the UK, but without the heavy debt. “If you’re interested in living abroad, I would recommend it,” she says.A new graduate and now back in the UK, Maddinson is working for his old university as an international recruitment advisor and is planning a career working in global higher education. He wants more young people to find out what opportunities are available overseas and consider the possibility of saving money and gaining experience by studying abroad. “At the age of 17 it’s really hard to envisage yourself other than where your parents went, or whatever else is put in front of you,” he says. “There’s actually a lot of funded opportunities that British students would qualify for as long as they have the guidance and confidence to look for them.”