Applying for university can be expensive.
In the US, application fees range from US$40 to US$275; in Canada, it’s between CA$50 to CA$250 (US$35 to US$177); and in Australia, it’ll be from AU$50 to AU$100 (US$31 to US$62).
Those applying to UK universities in 2025 via UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, will need to pay an application fee of 28.50 pounds (US$19.80) for up to five choices for the year’s entry too.
However, you’ll find that various European universities with free application fees let you save up to hundreds of euros and pounds — money which can be spent on exploring the likes of Paris, London, and Berlin instead.
3 European universities with free application fees for undergraduates
Technical University of Munich, Germany
The number one university in Germany according to QS World University Rankings 2025, the Technical University of Munich doesn’t require international applicants to pay an application fee.
Here, you can choose from their range of programmes covering engineering, natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, political and social sciences, and management. Of the close to 53,000 students in the university, 45% of the student body comes from abroad — proof of TUM’s excellence in education.
Some steps to take when applying for your studies at TUM include:
- Checking your higher education entrance qualification
- Providing proof of your language skills within the application period
- Applying for your preliminary documentation via uni-assist
- Learning about the specific requirements for applicants from certain countries
- Being aware of possible visa requirements
You don’t have to search too far in the Netherlands for European universities with free application fees — Tilburg University is where you’ll find an answer. Source: AFP
Tilburg University, the Netherlands
Established in 1927 as Roman Catholic Business School, Tilburg University has grown into a thriving, multi-disciplinary university oriented towards the humanities and social sciences. The best news? No application fee is charged for those interested in pursuing their studies here.
International applicants applying for a bachelor’s programme at Tilburg University should meet the diploma, English language proficiency, and certain math requirements for selected programmes. Application to certain programmes might also require a cover letter, resume, essay, or an interview with the faculty.
Some of the university’s most notable rankings include:
- Top 40 worldwide in Business and Economics and Law, Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2024.
- #47 worldwide in Public Administration, Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024.
- #88 worldwide in Social Sciences and Management, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.
University of Vienna, Austria
While the University of Vienna doesn’t charge an application fee, it does charge a 50 euro (US$52) administration fee for an entrance exam and sporting aptitude admission test for those keen on joining its programmes as a specific regulatory measure.
As the best university in Austria, ranked #137 worldwide according to QS World University Rankings 2025, the University of Vienna is a place of international opportunities. Students from over 140 nations account for a third of the student body across its 178 degree programmes.
Beyond that, you’ll benefit from the university’s links and partnerships with 70 other institutions worldwide, as well as about 370 ERASMUS partner universities for better international mobility.
3 European universities with free application fees for postgraduates
Be sure to punt the River Cam in Cambridge once your application goes through. Source: AFP
University of Cambridge, UK
The University of Cambridge needs no formal introduction. Known as the fourth oldest university in the world, the University of Cambridge was started by students from Oxford who settled in Cambridge upon escaping riots of “town and gown.” Since then, it has become the birthplace of some of the brightest minds in history, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
But this illustrious reputation comes with an acceptance rate of 21%. This means only one out of five people get accepted.
The university is making efforts to widen access for postgraduate students both across the region and internationally. Those looking to pursue a master’s degree can apply for an application fee waiver. However, this waiver is only given to students who meet specific requirements as below:
- UK applicants from low-income households
- Applicants with asylum seeker or refugee or humanitarian protection status
- Overseas applicants from any of the following countries
- Applications to the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences
Programmes offered at the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences (which combines the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Clinical Medicine) include MPhil in Biological Sciences, MPhil in Biological Science (Genetics) by thesis and MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience.
University of Oxford, UK
Similarly, the University of Oxford is a prestigious university ranked #1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2025. At 17%, the university has a lower rate of acceptance than the University of Cambridge.
Choose from more than 350 graduate courses across many disciplines. This includes taught courses and research courses available for full-time and part-time study, and at every level from diploma to doctorate.
Like the University of Cambridge, postgraduate students can apply for free to the University of Oxford. This waiver only applies to those who meet the specific requirements below:
- Applying from a low-income country
- Refugees and displaced persons
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds
- Graduate Access Programme applicants
- Applying for readmission (for current Oxford postgraduate students)
- Applying to related research courses
The regular application fee for a taught course (MPhil, MSc, MSt, PGDip, PGCert and MPhil + DPhil Economics) is 75 pounds (US$93), while it only costs 20 pounds (US$24) per research course application (CDT, DPhil, MSc by Research, DPhil Neuroscience (1+3), MPhil Socio-Legal Research and MPhil Law).
One of the European universities with free application fees is none other than Ghent University in picturesque Belgium. Source: AFP
Ghent University, Belgium
At Ghent University, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes cater to Dutch and English speakers, spanning biotechnology, aquaculture, microelectronics and veterinary medicine. Though most of their undergraduate programmes are in Dutch, there are some English courses that international students can apply for.
Apart from that, Ghent University is the first European university to have a global campus in Incheon, South Korea. It has been accredited by both the Ministry of Education (South Korea) and by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium).
Ghent University is one of the few European universities with free application fees. You don’t have to pay anything, but you may have to submit a copy of your diploma together with a translation of it into Dutch, French, German or English, among others.
Disclaimer: This article was last updated on January 6, 2025.
