Total Cost of a Degree Compared Across Australia, the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, Japan and Korea for ASEAN Students

What "total cost" means in this comparison

This guide adds tuition for a full bachelor's degree to the living cost minimum each government sets for its student visa. The living cost figures come from the numbers immigration officers use to check your proof of funds, so they give you a realistic floor rather than a guess. Real spending depends on your city, lifestyle and course length.

Degree length changes the total bill. UK and German bachelor's degrees run 3 years. Australian bachelor's degrees mostly run 3 years too, though some run 4. Canada, the US, Japan and Korea mostly run 4-year bachelor's degrees. Compare the per-year cost first, then multiply by your program's actual length.

Graduate study changes these numbers again. A master's degree usually runs 1-2 years, so total cost drops even where the annual tuition looks similar to a bachelor's program. Use the annual figures in this guide as your building block for either level, and multiply by the actual number of years your specific program requires.

Total cost by destination

Australia

International undergraduate tuition ranges from AUD 20,000 to AUD 45,000 a year, with medicine and other specialist programs going well above that. The Department of Home Affairs set the minimum financial capacity for a student visa at AUD 29,710 for 2025, the amount you show for living costs on top of tuition and travel. A 3-year bachelor's degree at a mid-range university totals around AUD 150,000-225,000.

United Kingdom

International tuition runs GBP 15,000-25,000 a year for classroom-based degrees, with medicine and some specialist courses above GBP 30,000. The student visa money rules require GBP 1,529 a month if you study in London or GBP 1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months. Add that to tuition and a 3-year UK bachelor's degree costs GBP 87,000-129,000 in total, with London campuses at the top end.

Canada

Average international tuition sits at CAD 20,000-35,000 a year depending on the province and program. From September 1, 2025, IRCC raised the minimum proof of funds for a single study permit applicant to CAD 22,895 a year for living costs. A 4-year Canadian bachelor's degree totals roughly CAD 172,000-232,000.

United States

US tuition covers the widest range in this list. Out-of-state public university tuition runs USD 25,000-35,000 a year, while private universities charge USD 45,000-65,000 a year before financial aid. Add USD 15,000-20,000 a year for living costs and a 4-year US bachelor's degree totals USD 160,000-340,000, the biggest spread between the cheapest and priciest path in this comparison.

Germany

Public universities in Germany charge no tuition for bachelor's and most master's programs, a policy in place since 2014. You still pay a semester contribution of around EUR 150-350, and Baden-Wurttemberg charges non-EU students EUR 1,500 a semester as an exception to the rule. For your student visa, you fund a blocked account at EUR 992 a month, or EUR 11,904 a year, for 2025. A 3-year German bachelor's degree totals around USD 38,000-48,000, the lowest of the seven destinations here.

Japan

National universities charge standard tuition of JPY 535,800 a year plus a one-time admission fee of JPY 282,000, figures confirmed through Study in Japan . Private universities charge more. Combined with living costs of roughly JPY 1,500,000-2,000,000 a year, a 4-year bachelor's degree at a national university totals around USD 47,000-60,000.

South Korea

Tuition at Korean national universities runs USD 3,000-4,500 a year, private universities USD 5,000-6,500 a year, with medicine and other professional programs above that. Living costs add USD 7,000-9,000 a year in Seoul and other major cities. A 4-year Korean bachelor's degree totals around USD 40,000-64,000 depending on university type and city.

Part-time work can offset some of this

Most of these seven destinations let international students work part-time during term, which trims the living-cost side of your budget without changing the tuition side. Hour caps and eligibility differ by country and visa category, and several destinations tightened these rules alongside their 2025-2026 immigration changes, so confirm the current limit on your visa condition letter rather than a program brochure. Treat part-time income as a buffer against currency swings, not as a substitute for the funds you show at the visa stage.

How to use these numbers

Treat every figure here as a planning floor, not a promise. Check exact tuition on your target university's website, and run your own numbers through the official cost tools from Study Australia, gov.uk, IRCC, JASSO and Study in Korea before you accept an offer. Currency swings between the Malaysian ringgit, Indonesian rupiah, Philippine peso, Vietnamese dong, Thai baht and your destination currency change your real cost from month to month, so budget with a buffer of 10-15% above these estimates.

A tuition waiver or living stipend from your government or the host university cuts these totals by half or more. Check your home country's scholarship bodies and the destination's national scholarship program before you rule out an expensive-looking destination. Application fees, English test fees and visa fees add another USD 500-1,500 across the whole process, small next to tuition but worth including in your first-year budget.