Students wanting to cut the cost of a masters degree should head for the Nordic countries and Germany, where free tuition and degrees taught in English have attracted a big increase in international students.

Across Scandinavia, high-quality postgraduate education is paid for by the state. But hurry while the concessions last because they could be phased out soon. The Swedish parliament is set to vote before the end of the year and is expected to axe free places for international students from 2010. Finland and Norway are likely to fall into line with Sweden. Denmark has been charging fees for international students since 2006.

Germany has left the decision to individual states and many are expected to levy a modest charge on international students.

John Wedderburn, English web editor for Lund University, in southwest Sweden, says: “The Swedish Government has been reluctant to charge fees for foreign students but it has come to recognise the higher costs associated with teaching them. It has said it wants to maintain numbers and it will very likely introduce a scholarship scheme.”

Lund has about 1,400 international students who choose from 70 MSc degrees taught in English, with finance and economics among the most popular. It attracts a large number of students from China, India and Pakistan and from within Europe, including some from the UK. The university is a centre for bio-medical and science industries, and companies such as AstraZeneca and Sony Ericsson are based locally.

The universities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Uppsala also have many international students.

What is the attraction of studying in Sweden? Wedderburn says: “We are not members of the eurozone so the cost of living for UK students is not as high as many fear. Part of the experience of being an English-speaking student in Sweden is to learn about the culture.”

Kassel University, north of Frankfurt in the state of Hessen, Germany, has 280 international masters students. The most popular programmes are renewable energy, sustainable energy, organic agriculture and higher education. Degrees taught in English have attracted Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Polish students.

There are English students, too, because the university is strong in agriculture, environmental sciences and engineering. Katharine Linke, international student manager, says: “Kassel is known as the Harvard of agriculture. We are very progressive.”

International students pay an administration fee of €200 (£160) a semester. Linke adds: “Two years ago there were no tuition fees in Germany. Now most states charge an administration fee varying from €200 up to €1,500.” Language is a barrier for UK students, as is the fact that the pound has fallen significantly against the euro, pushing up the cost of living.

The University of Tampere, in Finland, specialises in social sciences. It has 320 international students from about 60 countries. International students study free and although tuition fees are likely to be introduced from 2010 EU students will not pay.

Tenho Takalo, director of international education services, says: “The university is one of the largest and the most competitive in Finland.”

Ryanair operates cheap flights to Tampere from Stansted airport.