Studying in Bangladesh

What a year costs

Tuition, an example. The University of Dhaka's Department of Computer Science and Engineering charges foreign undergraduates USD 100 a credit, or USD 50 a credit for SAARC students, for a degree of 150 credits over eight semesters. Add USD 100 a year for departmental development and the university admission fee. At that rate a four-year degree's tuition comes to about USD 15,000 (USD 7,500 for SAARC students), paid semester by semester. Medical and dental colleges publish their own, much higher, foreign-student fees for the whole course.

Living costs. No official monthly budget for students is published. Dhaka is the most expensive city; halls of residence, where available to foreign students, are the cheapest option.

The visa

Foreign students study on a student (S) visa, applied for at a Bangladesh embassy or high commission with your admission letter. Your institution must hold ministry approval to admit foreign students.

To extend it in Bangladesh, the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police lists:

• an application form and a recommendation from your institution giving your year, subject, session, roll number, attendance, course length and completion year and a performance appraisal, and declaring that you are not working in Bangladesh
• copies of your passport and visa, and your student ID
• a sponsorship letter and a bank statement
• the institution's list of foreign students and its ministry approval

Extension applications go to the Department of Immigration and Passports, which sends them to the Special Branch for a police report.

The fee depends on your nationality; ask the mission where you apply.

Working while you study

Not allowed. Your institution's recommendation must state that you are not working anywhere in Bangladesh. Budget for the whole course without earnings.

After you graduate

We found no post-study work visa. The student visa is tied to your course and its completion year; working afterwards needs a separate work visa and permit.

Language

University teaching, especially in medicine, engineering and business, is mostly in English. Bengali (Bangla) is the language of daily life; some programmes, and some public-university courses, are taught in Bangla, so confirm the medium of instruction for your course.

When to apply

Universities and medical colleges set their own sessions and deadlines, and foreign-student admission usually runs separately from the national admission tests. Apply early: you need the admission letter before the visa, and medical colleges fill their foreign quotas well ahead.

What to watch out for

Check the institution's approval to admit foreign students. It is part of every visa extension.

Keep your attendance up. Attendance and performance appear in the recommendation you need for each extension.

Medical degrees. If you plan to practise at home, check that your country's medical council recognises the college before you enrol.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change. Check the official source before you rely on any figure. No national visa fee or living-cost budget was published in a form we could verify.