Study English in These Countries Outside the US

When studying the English language, and when choosing the country where they would like to study it, most students would usually choose the United States.  Despite not listing any official language, the United States’ legal documents, pronouncements, and so on, all use English. 

However, aside from the US and other English-speaking countries like the UK, there are other countries where students can study English. Some of those countries are also more affordable to live in, due to their lower cost of living, compared to the US. 

Here’s a list of other countries apart from the US where you can study English. The list is composed of countries from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East that the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed as the countries with some of the highest English Proficiency Index. 

Malaysia

One of the countries in Asia where you can learn English is Malaysia. In fact, in recent years, Malaysia has become one of the favorite study destinations of many international students from different parts of the world. Some of the reasons are due to the Malaysian government’s huge support for its educational sector, making some of its higher educational institutions (HEIs), some of the top-ranked institutions in the world. 

Despite the many local languages present in Malaysia, like Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, English is actually the country’s second language. Aside from that, Malaysia also scored 60.70%, which is already high in the WEF’s English proficiency Index. 

Netherlands 

Among the countries that use English as a second language, the Netherlands scores the highest, which is 72% in the English Proficiency Index. In fact, when you talk with locals outside of your HEI, you won’t even have to struggle to communicate with them as around 90% of the Dutch population can also speak English and are good at holding a conversation in this language. 

Germany

Germany is a favorite country in Europe when it comes to higher education. Not only is the country known for its education system, which is one of the best in the world, but the country is also known for its accessible higher education. In fact, education in Germany is free for everyone. By everyone, it means all students all around the world, and not just for its German students and international students that belong to the EU/EEA countries. 

Moreover, many of its HEIs also offer study programs that are taught in English. When it comes to its English proficiency index, the country scored 61.58 percent, which is already high. When it comes to its population speaking English, there are more younger people that can speak English.

Singapore

Another country in Asia where it is good to study English is Singapore. In fact, among other Asian countries, Singapore scored 63.52% on its English Proficiency Index, which is also the highest in Asia. Also, English is one of the country’s official languages, aside from Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil.  

As a study destination and bringer of quality education, Singapore is home to some of the best universities in the world. In fact, in 2021, Singapore’s universities, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) ranked in the top 20 of the 2021 QS World University Rankings. 

When you study English outside the US, you are exposed to more opportunities and experiences, different than most international students.  To learn more, check out MSM Unify’s article on other countries popular for study abroad programs.