With college applications in full swing, Seniors’ interest in institutions such as Universidad Europea in Madrid grows, marking a notable shift in academic pursuits toward European universities.

With over 20 seniors already accepted and approximately 15 confirming attendance to Spain, the inclination towards Spanish universities marks a departure from traditional American and Colombian institutions and a switch towards other academic alternatives.

“In the last two years I’ve noticed that people have been applying more to European universities, whereas five years ago, it was very rare to see someone applying to Europe rather than US schools,” Senior Camilo Correa said.

Amongst the most common universities in Spain are Universidad Europea, with almost 10 seniors being accepted, and IE University with 4 students already confirming their attendance.

“I chose Universidad Europea in Madrid because it allows me to live the Spanish lifestyle and the experience of studying abroad at a great campus but at a fraction of the cost of American universities,” Senior Pedro Velez said.

Most students applying abroad seek vivid student lifestyles at an affordable cost. Studying in countries like Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands also offers great traveling and cultural experiences.

“I like that in cities like Madrid, there is a very vibrant lifestyle that college towns in the US simply don’t offer, I also believe that European culture is more attractive to us as Colombians,” Velez said.

Another growingly popular alternative to American Universities is Australian institutions like QUT in Brisbane where 3 seniors are already confirmed to attend. These universities offer attractive lifestyles and provide many opportunities for international students to study at an affordable cost.

“I really like Australia because of its lifestyle on the coast and the abundance of places to explore and travel to as a student, they also offer great financial aid for us to be able to afford those experiences,” Senior Pablo Franco said.

Despite the rise of new alternatives many students are still applying to American schools and have even applied to recognized schools like Northeastern, Purdue, Georgia Tech, UMiami, UPenn, WPI, MIT, and many others.

“I have personally only applied to American schools and still believe they are one of the most common options for TCS students. I have noticed that this year many people have applied to Northeastern and while 3 students have already been accepted many, like me, are still waiting for a response,” Correa said.

As the application process continues, numerous students await their acceptances and scholarships while many others are now applying to Colombian Universities both in Medellin and Bogotá.

“Many people that applied to early-decision already received their acceptances; most of us applied during the normal application stage and should start receiving acceptances within the next month so we are still anxious to know where we will end up going,” Correa said.