Country Comparison: France, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden

Most popular courses - Most international students prefer enrolling for business courses in France, followed by Art, and Tourism & Hotel Management.

Major spoken languages - French is the national language although English is widely understood and used, even within classrooms.

Average Cost of living - Rs. 6 Lakhs per year

Visa interview – No

Part-time work allowance - Allowed, up to 20 hours per week

Minimum years of education required - 15 years

Exam required - GMAT and GRE scores are recommended for MBA and MS courses respectively, English tests are not compulsory

Stay back duration - One year

Top Universities - INSEAD, HEC Paris, ESSEC Business School, EMYLON Business School, ESCP Business School, Grenoble Graduate School of Business, EDHEC Business School, Audencia Nantes School of Management, NEOMA Business School, Toulouse Business school

Major industries and companies - Major industries: Aerospace, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Machinery, Food and Drink, Tourism.
Major companies: AXA, BNP Paribas, Carrefour, Crédit Agricole, EDF, GDF SUEZ, L'Oréal, Orange, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Saint-Gobain, Sanofi, Société Générale, Vivendi.

Selling points –

• Economical tuition fee costs
• Paris is one of the best Student Cities in Europe
• Outstanding research and development opportunities
• French is the third most common business language, so being fluent in the language is always a strong addition to your CV

Most popular courses - Computer Science courses are the most popular in Ireland, along with Language & Literature and Business Studies.

Major spoken languages - English is used for all types of communication in Ireland.

Average Cost of living - Rs. 6  Lakhs per year

Visa interview – No

Part-time work allowance - Allowed, up to 20 hours per week

Minimum years of education required - 15 years

Exam required - GMAT scores are required at top colleges, English test scores are important for visa purpose

Visa interview - No

Stay back duration - One year

Top Universities - Trinity College, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Galway, University of Limerick, University College Cork, Dublin Institute of Technology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Royal College of Surgeons, Cork Institute of Technology

Major industries and companies - Major industries: IT, Software/Hardware, Accounting and Auditing, Innovation and Intellectual Property Related Enterprises, Green Sector Jobs, Business Services and Medical/Health

Selling points –

• A better alternative to studying in the UK, where student visa is really difficult to obtain
• The only English speaking member country of the European Union
• The Irish govt. invests over €782 million annually in research for higher education institutions
• Ireland is ranked 7th in the 2016 Global Innovation Index

Most popular courses - Students going to Netherlands choose Engineering courses, especially those related to the Mechanical field.

Major spoken languages - Natives speak Dutch but are fluent in English as well.

Average Cost of living - Rs. 7 Lakhs per year

Visa interview – No

Part-time work allowance - Allowed, up to 20 hours per week

Minimum years of education required - 15 years

Exam required - GMAT and GRE scores are recommended for MBA and MS courses respectively, English test are compulsory

Stay back duration - One year

Top Universities - Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Maastricht University, Leiden University, University of Groningen, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, VU University Amsterdam, University of Twente

Major industries and companies - Major industries: IT, Finance, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, Healthcare, Education, Food processing, Chemicals and Petroleum Refining.

Major companies: ING Group, Royal Dutch Shell, ABN-AMRO Group, Unilever, Aegon, Philips, Heineken, Amstel, Rabobank, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, KPN.

Selling points –

• Affordable costs of study and living
• All Dutch degrees are internationally recognized
• Scholarships are easily available for international students
• The country is generous with national holidays, which means more time to explore and relax
• 2,100+ courses are currently being in English

Most popular courses - Sweden is an upcoming study destination for courses like Mechanical Engineering, Design, and Social Sciences.

Major spoken languages - Swedish and English are commonly spoken across Sweden.

Average Cost of living - Rs. 7.3 Lakhs per year

Visa interview – No

Part-time work allowance - Allowed, up to 20 hours per week

Minimum years of education required - 15 years

Exam required - GRE scores are recommended at top universities for MS courses, English tests are compulsory

Stay back duration - 6 months to one year

Top Universities - Lund University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Stockholm University, Uppsala University, University of Gothenburg, Linkoping University, Umea University, Stockholm School of Economics.

Major industries and companies - Major industries: Services (Telecommunications, IT, Biotechnology), Manufacturing (wood pulp and paper products), Machinery and metal products (iron and steel), precision equipment (telephone parts), processed foods and the automotive industry.

Major companies: AstraZeneca, Volvo Group, IKEA, Ericsson, Electrolux, H&M, Atlas Copco, Scania, Skanska, Tetra Pak

Selling points –

• There is a large number of multinational companies in Sweden
• Most Swedish universities offer a range of scholarships
• The main intake is September
• Sweden is considered one of the most innovative and digitally connected country
• Recent Swedish inventions include Spotify and Skype
• Swedish universities offer English Taught Programs
• Sweden is moving for 6-hour working days