Eurostat data

Studying in Europe, country by country

34 European countries on the figures their statistical office actually publishes: how many recent graduates are in work, what the state spends per student, and how many international students each country hosts. No per-university salary data exists in Europe — where that is missing, we say so.

#CountryGraduates in workDegree holders 25–34Public spend per studentInternational students
1 Studying in Hungary 92.7% 32.6% €7,003 60
2 Studying in Iceland 92.7% 44.8% €21,906 83
3 Studying in Netherlands 92.7% 56.1% €18,029 82
4 Studying in Malta 92.3% 47.7% €8,284 70
5 Studying in Norway 92.1% 56.8% €31,371 94
6 Studying in Poland 92.1% 45.2% €6,044 79
7 Studying in Sweden 92.1% 53.6% €25,205 84
8 Studying in Bulgaria 91.6% 41.2% €3,838 70
9 Studying in Ireland 91.6% 66.8% — 89
10 Studying in Lithuania 91.6% 60.8% €6,938 74
11 Studying in Luxembourg 90.4% 65.0% €47,672 21
12 Studying in Germany 90.3% 40.9% €17,746 74
13 Studying in Portugal 90.3% 42.5% €5,291 75
14 Studying in Belgium 90.2% 52.7% €18,468 80
15 Studying in Slovakia 90.2% 36.3% €9,785 54
16 Studying in Switzerland 90.2% 50.6% €36,492 72
17 Studying in Romania 90.1% 23.0% €4,447 55
18 Studying in Slovenia 90.0% 42.8% €12,084 79
19 Studying in Croatia 89.8% 42.0% — 78
20 Studying in Estonia 89.6% 44.3% €10,457 67
21 Studying in Austria 89.2% 43.7% €19,226 88
22 Studying in Finland 89.2% 38.2% €15,919 100
23 Studying in Latvia 88.9% 44.7% €4,004 85
24 Studying in Cyprus 87.6% 60.0% €5,000 100
25 Studying in Denmark 87.6% 52.5% €30,068 77
26 Studying in Spain 86.8% 52.5% €8,048 94
27 Studying in France 86.4% 55.8% €11,175 73
28 Studying in Italy 83.4% 31.1% €8,482 78
29 Studying in Serbia 82.9% 37.1% — 74
30 Studying in Greece 80.3% 42.8% €2,299 100
31 Studying in Bosnia and Herzegovina 79.2% 27.5% — —
32 Studying in North Macedonia 78.3% 35.9% — 54
33 Studying in Czechia 78.2% 36.0% €6,389 67
34 Studying in Türkiye 71.1% 44.8% €2,935 100

What these numbers mean — and what they do not

Graduates in work is the share of 20–34 year-olds with a degree who are employed and no longer studying. It reflects the national labour market far more than the quality of any one university, so read it as "how easy is it to start a career here", not "which university is best".

Public spending per student is what the state puts in per head. A high figure usually means small teaching groups and well-funded facilities — and often that domestic tuition is low because the state is paying instead. It says nothing about what an international student is charged.

International students counts those who came from abroad to study. A large number means established support systems, English-taught programmes and visa routes that work in practice.

Common questions

Which European country is best for graduate jobs?
Hungary leads on the Eurostat measure, with 93% of recent tertiary graduates in work. Employment rates say more about the labour market than about the universities themselves.
Is university free in Europe?
It varies by country and by nationality, and Eurostat does not publish tuition, so we do not quote a fee here. Several countries charge little or nothing to EU students while charging non-EU students full fees — always check the specific university and your nationality.
How is this different from the US pages on this site?
The United States publishes earnings and debt for every institution, so we can grade universities individually. Europe publishes nothing equivalent, so these pages compare countries on what is actually measured and do not pretend to rank European universities on salary.
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Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_24, edat_lfse_03, educ_uoe_fine09, educ_uoe_enrt08). Aggregates for the EU and euro area are excluded.