Now may not be the time to up your life and leave your home (you’d have a difficult job finding a flight for a start) but if you are looking to make the move in order to seek out a better education for your family or yourself it is important to give yourself the time to do the research.
There are many studies that claim to know where the best country to study is but almost all are based on different variables such as teacher to student ratio, a well-developed public education system, completion of primary and secondary education and whether students would consider attending university in that nation, and therefore the rankings can vary.
It’s a good idea to plan well in advance and seek out the most relevant information based on the reasons you want to move. Does this move need to encompass excellent job opportunities for you as well as a good early education system for young children? Or are you looking to move abroad to study at a top university? The country itself will make an impact on your decisions with considerations such as potential language barriers, climate and cost all very important.
In light of this, we’ve summarised some of the results out there in the hopes of giving you an idea of a selection of the top countries when it comes to receiving a good education.
Switzerland
This landlocked country in Europe seems to be rated highly in many lists and, with stunning scenery afforded by lakes, mountains and gorgeous cities and towns, as well as a high-tech economy and higher average salary than the global average, it’s easy to see why. When it comes to getting a good education, Switzerland has been voted as the sixth best country for education in the US News and World Report as well as having the 13th best university in the World University Rankings and came second in the U21’s latest report of higher education. It is also the 12th top rated country for a combined reading, maths and science score and the EU business school in Geneva offers a top-rate business education in the heart of Europe’s financial and diplomatic capital.
Finland
Coming out on top with the best high school completion rate in the world, Finland can also boast a good teacher to student ratio, high number of passing students in primary schools and the third highest combined reading, math and science rate across the globe, with the second highest in reading and science individually. The latest U21 ranking of national systems of higher education rated Finland as ninth overall and second in the adjusted rankings, which rates how nations perform in relation to other countries at similar levels of GDP per capita. By the looks of it, whatever level of education you are seeking out, this Scandinavian country appears to offer top quality at all levels.
Canada
This vast North American country comes out on top for being the most educated nation with over 56% of adults having continued their education past high school, according to the US News and World Report’s Best Countries for Education list. Canada also ranks as the third overall, based on factors such as top-quality education and a well-developed education system and it ranked sixth in an overall combined reading, math and science score. The country itself with its welcoming nature, top-notch healthcare and abundance of job prospects would provide a place certainly worth moving to.
USA
With the second best education system in the world (US News and World Report’s list), 14 out of 20 of the highest rated universities in the World University Rankings and the taking top spot in the U21 overall rankings, it is certainly no surprise to see the United States on our summary. According to online education platform Exam-Labs, roughly 70 per cent of graduates go on to higher education and, with top institutions such as Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, Princeton and Yale, you can be safe in the knowledge that if you get the grades, there are some excellent higher-level facilities to choose from here.
UK
It may come as no surprise that the UK is one of the top places to study, with the University of Oxford taking the top spot and Cambridge taking third in the World University Rankings. These iconic institutions accept a high number of international students and boast an almost equal ratio of male and female students. The public education system is strong, a great quality of education is provided, and consideration of university attendance means that the UK came out on top of the overall best country for education according to the US News and World Report’s list. Highly rated high schools such as Eton College and Westminster make the UK more appealing and the U21 results found that the UK came third overall in the ranking of national higher education systems and top in the results adjusted for comparable GDP.
