Side by side

Put two or three countries next to each other

Tuition, living costs, proof of funds, IELTS, intakes, work rights and the residence route — all in one table. Pick, compare, decide.

2 of 3 selected — you can compare up to 3 at a time.

	🇮🇹Italy	🇨🇾Cyprus
Region	Southern Europe	Southern Europe
EU member	Yes	Yes
Schengen area	Yes	Not yet
Tuition / year	€0–4,000	€3,500–7,000
Living / month	€450–800	€500–800
Proof of funds	€10,179.85, shown as evidence of means for one year (raised from €6,947.33 for 2026/27). No blocked account required.	€7,000 for one year, as a bank letter plus statement, and a bank guarantee for repatriation. The amount is set by the university rather than the government and runs €5,000–7,000 in practice, so plan on €7,000. No blocked account required.
IELTS	6.0 typical (5.5 on some programmes)	State minimum IELTS 5.0; 5.5–6.0 typical by programme
Intakes	Autumn / Spring	Autumn / Spring
Popular subjects	EngineeringArchitecture and designEconomics and management	Business and managementComputer scienceHospitality and tourism
Study gap accepted	A study gap of two to three years is generally accepted with a documented, honest explanation.	Study gaps are commonly accepted with documentation.
Work during study	Up to 20 hours a week, and the hours may be banked across the 52 weeks — a heavier summer is legal — but never more than 1,040 hours in a year.	After the first six months (one semester), 20 hours a week in designated sectors — 38 hours during holidays. The contract must be stamped by the labour office.
After graduation	A job-search residence permit after graduation of not less than nine and not more than twelve months. Twelve is the ceiling, not a guarantee, and it is conditional on income and health-insurance requirements.	Master's and PhD graduates may obtain a one-year job-search permit; Bachelor's graduates typically convert to a work permit through an employer's sponsorship.
Route to residence	Not directly. Italian law excludes time held on a study permit from the five-year EU long-term residence route — you must first convert to a work or family permit, and the clock effectively starts there.	Long-term residence after five years of continuous legal residence, with A2 Greek and stable income; years spent as a student count at half weight.

🇮🇹Italy

Region: Southern Europe
EU member: Yes
Schengen area: Yes
Tuition / year: €0–4,000
Living / month: €450–800
Proof of funds: €10,179.85, shown as evidence of means for one year (raised from €6,947.33 for 2026/27). No blocked account required.
IELTS: 6.0 typical (5.5 on some programmes)
Intakes: Autumn / Spring
Popular subjects: EngineeringArchitecture and designEconomics and management
Study gap accepted: A study gap of two to three years is generally accepted with a documented, honest explanation.
Work during study: Up to 20 hours a week, and the hours may be banked across the 52 weeks — a heavier summer is legal — but never more than 1,040 hours in a year.
After graduation: A job-search residence permit after graduation of not less than nine and not more than twelve months. Twelve is the ceiling, not a guarantee, and it is conditional on income and health-insurance requirements.
Route to residence: Not directly. Italian law excludes time held on a study permit from the five-year EU long-term residence route — you must first convert to a work or family permit, and the clock effectively starts there.

🇨🇾Cyprus

Region: Southern Europe
EU member: Yes
Schengen area: Not yet
Tuition / year: €3,500–7,000
Living / month: €500–800
Proof of funds: €7,000 for one year, as a bank letter plus statement, and a bank guarantee for repatriation. The amount is set by the university rather than the government and runs €5,000–7,000 in practice, so plan on €7,000. No blocked account required.
IELTS: State minimum IELTS 5.0; 5.5–6.0 typical by programme
Intakes: Autumn / Spring
Popular subjects: Business and managementComputer scienceHospitality and tourism
Study gap accepted: Study gaps are commonly accepted with documentation.
Work during study: After the first six months (one semester), 20 hours a week in designated sectors — 38 hours during holidays. The contract must be stamped by the labour office.
After graduation: Master's and PhD graduates may obtain a one-year job-search permit; Bachelor's graduates typically convert to a work permit through an employer's sponsorship.
Route to residence: Long-term residence after five years of continuous legal residence, with A2 Greek and stable income; years spent as a student count at half weight.

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All ten destinations, side by side

Figures are per year unless noted. Every number here also appears on that country's own guide with its review date and the official source behind it.

Country	Tuition / year	Living / month	Proof of funds	IELTS	Intakes	Work	Post-study	Schengen
🇮🇹 Italy	€0–4,000	€450–800	€10,180	6	Sep, Feb	20 h/wk	12 months	Yes
🇨🇾 Cyprus	€3,500–7,000	€500–800	€7,000	6	Sep, Jan, Feb	20 h/wk	12 months	No
🇭🇺 Hungary	€0–5,000	€400–600	€6,000	6	Sep, Feb	30 h/wk	9 months	Yes
🇲🇹 Malta	€5,000–11,000	€600–900	€11,400	6	Oct, Feb	20 h/wk	—	Yes
🇫🇮 Finland	€6,000–13,000	€700–900	€9,600	6.5	Aug, Sep, Jan	30 h/wk	24 months	Yes
🇬🇷 Greece	€1,500–4,000	€450–700	€7,200	6	Oct, Feb	—	—	Yes
🇩🇰 Denmark	€6,000–16,000	€800–1200	€11,920	6.5	Sep, Feb	90 h/mo	36 months	Yes
🇸🇪 Sweden	€7,000–13,000	€750–1100	€960 /mo	6.5	Aug, Sep, Jan	15 h/wk	12 months	Yes
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	€3,000–5,000	€350–500	€7,440	5.5	Sep, Oct, Feb	—	—	Yes
🇷🇴 Romania	€2,000–4,500	€425–965	—	—	Oct	—	9 months	Yes

None of these ten countries requires a blocked account — you show evidence of means, not frozen funds. “—” means our published content does not state a specific figure, rather than zero. Tuition and visa rules change; confirm against the official source listed on each country guide before you apply.