Dr. Erkin Sidick's Homepage. Uyghur, Uighur

General Information

Generally speaking, the university systems in Europe and Australia are quite similar to the American systems. Most countries, especially Sweden, Germany, Finland, Norwey, and Netherland, have special programs called International Master's Program (IMP). It usually takes 1.5 to 2 years to complete such a program. One of the advantages is that they do not have any tuition except Student Union Fee which must be paid by each student.

English Language. English language proficiency is the most critical requirement. A high level of spoken and written English is required. Chalmers of Sweden accepts only the following language tests and minimum scores:

Cambridge CPE or CAE: Pass

IELTS (Academic): 6

TOEFL: 550

TOEFL computer based: 213

TOEIC: 750

This normally applies for both Master and PhD programs. If someone wants to pursue a PhD degree in a university in the above countries, normally the student is regarded as an employee and gets paid a monthly minimum salary of 1500 US dollars. And it takes five years to complete the PhD program successfully. In recent years, following the downturn in the global economic conditions, it is becoming harder to get accepted by a PhD program.

Educational Background. The requirements are quit similar for different fields or majors. One key requirement is that the applicant's major in the graduate program he/she is applying for must be the same as his/her past education background .

The procedures for applying to a university and for an entry visa are easier in the above countries as compared to the United States. The key for success is that you meet most of the conditions.

In the undergraduate program, each country uses their own national language in their universities.

Living. As to the everyday life, cost and part time job in these contries, it is not so easy to adjust to the life there because people in those countries mostly speak their own languages and are not so easily approachable as compared to the people in the English-speaking countries. This is the biggest obstackle in finding a part-time job. Even a foreign student has a legal work permit status (normally one can work while attending a school), it is not easy to find a job. And this may be the biggest challenge for our students. Monthly costs in Sweden is usually about 650 US dollars. If the student is lucky enough to find a room-mate to share an apartment, the rent can be reduced quite alot.

Application Steps. To enroll in a Master's program in these countries, three major steps need to be taken:

Qualify in TOEFL (minium 550) and IELTS (Academic minimum 6.0);

Write letters to as many schools as possible asking for Application Forms and for other related information, including Application Forms for scholarships. Or you can download the Application Forms from the websites of the universities you are interested in. This is more common today;

Apply to several schools, that is, fill out the Application Forms and mail them with required application fee to the schools that you wish to enroll (Some universities in Europe do not require an application fee). The application time period is from October of this year until the end of next Febrary, but some schools accept applications twice a year.

To enroll to a PhD program, you need to check the websites of various universities to find out if they have open PhD positions or not. If they do, find the contact information of professors who have the open positions and contact them directly. The key condition here is that your research interests and background match with those of the professor you are contacting with.