With the appeal of obtaining a higher education degree from universities abroad on the rise among international students, factors like high tuition fees often deter students from pursuing the course of their choice abroad. However, some countries in the world offer top-notch higher education in exchange for no or a nominal tuition fee, making these destinations very popular among the international student population of the world.

According to the QS World University Rankings, the following are five countries known for their affordable higher education system.

• Iceland: International students applying to any one of the four public Icelandic universities only have to pay a nominal registration fee of 400 Euros per year and the universities do not charge any tuition fee, but the living expenses in Iceland is comparatively higher than the rest of Europe.

• Austria: International students from non-EU countries can study in Austria for the nominal tuition fee of 726 Euros per semester for their higher education.

• Norway: Studies in Norway is imparted mainly through Norwegian and admission requires a language proficiency test for international students. With more English-taught courses available at masters, PhD and beyond, Norway offers free education at all levels.

• France: Tuition fees in France are nominal and most free courses are taught in French. To apply to these courses, students may want to take brush up on their language skills.

• Germany: Known all over the world for its free education system, international students only have to substantiate their financial status to cover the living expenses in Germany. A bank statement showing the student has around 8700 Euros per year will suffice for obtaining a student visa to study in Germany.