Underrated Study Abroad Destinations That Are Better Than World Think

Every student in Pakistan who is planning to go abroad or have gone abroad has only conventional study abroad destinations in mind. By conventional destinations I mean famous countries that include United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Canada. They act like there is no other country that offers education. Most of my friends who studied abroad are also in one of these mentioned countries. Those who are still in Pakistan are not willing to change their minds from USA and Australia.

Why is it they have limited themselves to these five countries only? I think it is because of lack of knowledge. It doesn’t mean that above study abroad destinations are bad. They are, of course, great place for international students. But what we need to understand is there are also some other countries that are also as good as them for higher education even though they are not ranked as high. 

How These Countries are Underrated

These are the countries that are underrated by the Ranking organizations and especially by international scholars. United States have always been ranked top along with United Kingdom. But we should also remember the fact these nations are like hundred times larger in area and population compared to normal countries like Switzerland. So they have more institutes, they can host more foreigners and they can offer more opportunities.

If we compare these top study abroad destinations to the countries I’ve discussed in this article, you will find these underrated countries also have a great higher education system. It’s just not as big. There are 31 universities of United States ranked in top 100 of the world and only 5 from Japan. However, we should also remember that there more than 4 thousand higher educational institutes in America while hardly 600 in Japan most of which are private. Still this score is better than United States and even Canada.

·         HERE SEE: Latest Ranked Top 100 Universities for 2018 by QS

In this article, I have discussed all study abroad destination that I think are underrated but can rival United States and United Kingdom in the field of higher education. Purpose of this article is to aware my readers of all the possibilities they have as study abroad destination. Universities of these countries have even outranked those of Germany and Canada and many of United States. Let’s start with these amazing nations.

1 -   Japan

Japan is ranked 10^th as study abroad destination by QS Ranking while Germany is ranked 3^rd best for foreigner students. Just like Germany, Japan also offers a wide range of English-Taught programs. Germany has only 3 universities in top 100 while Japan has 5 higher educational institutes in this ranking. Top German university is ranked 64^th while top Japanese is ranked 28^th. In addition, everyone knows how Japan is when it comes to technology.

Still Germany is a lot bigger country with way more foreigner students compared to those studying in Japan. Germany is definitely good but Japan is no less. That’s why I say Japan is underrated. Following are the Japanese universities ranked in top 100 of the world to give you a vivid idea. Here I have explained Why You Should Consider Studying Abroad in Japan.

The University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo is ranked 28^th best of the world.

Kyoto University

Kyoto University is ranked 36^th best of the world.

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Tokyo Institute of Technology is ranked 56^th best of the world.

Osaka University

Osaka University is ranked 60^th best of the world.

Tohoku University

Tohoku University is ranked 76^th best of the world. It is 5^th best higher educational institute of its country.

2 -   Switzerland

Switzerland is ranked 12^th best country to study abroad. However, this country is home to world’s 10^th best ranked university. It means of over 4 thousand American universities only 5 managed to rank better this. United States of America is about 233 times bigger than Switzerland. Four Swiss universities are ranked among top 100 of the world. Here is complete guide to study abroad in Switzerland.

ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is ranked 10^th best university of the world.

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is ranked 12^th best university of the world.

University of Zurich

University of Zurich is ranked 73^rd best university of the world.

University of Geneva

University of Geneva is ranked 99^th best university of the world.

3 -   South Korea

The HESS (Higher Education System Strength) ranking of 2016 by QS, ranked Korean higher education system 9^th best of the world. South Korean institutes rank better than Canada and Germany with four of them among top 100. Only one Australian university, Australian National University, managed to rank better than Korean institute. Top Korean university is ranked 36^th best of the world. Here learn more why you should study in South Korea.

Seoul National University

Seoul National University is ranked joint 36^th best university of the world.

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology is ranked joint 41^st best university of the world.

University of Science And Technology (POSTECH)

University of Science And Technology is ranked joint 71^st best university of the world.

Korea University

Korea University is ranked joint 90^th best university of the world.

4 -   Hong Kong

There are only 20 universities in Hong Kong that can award degrees of which 5 are ranked among top 100 of the world. Best university of Hong Kong is ranked 26^th by QS Ranking. This easily surpasses German and Canada. Because of short number of institutes, it may lack opportunities but one can’t argue that higher education system is weak given the achievements of its universities. With all this, Hong Kong is still ranked 20^th as study abroad destination. Though its universities have performed way better than China. Learn more about Hong Kong and Its Best 5 Universities.

The University of Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong is ranked 26^th best university of the world.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is ranked joint 30^th best university of the world.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong is ranked 46^th best university of the world.

City University of Hong Kong

City University of Hong Kong is ranked 49^th best university of the world.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is ranked 96^th best university of the world.

 

 

Usama Ahmed Awan The Editor of StudyAbroad.pk, Usama is a BZU studied Software Engineer, now  a Teacher, Article Writer, Educational Counselor and Journalist. He has been  writing to assist students selecting the right career path.