The closest most students get to studying abroad is an Erasmus exchange year or taking up a PHD at a US University after graduation.
But for other globe trotting graduates, setting themselves on a more permanent course to Europe is critical to gaining the best value education possible on a modest budget.
The Maastricht University, based in the Netherlands, has seen 255 applications from Brits for the coming academic year and this figure is two-and-a-half times greater than the same figure a year ago. British student numbers at Maastricht have also soared from their figure of 18 four years ago to the current 163. The surge in 2012 applications could see the current figure double.
A 23-year-old student from Guildford in Surrey, who is taking up a three-year BA in arts and culture at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said;
"I cycle around here on a day like today, sunshine and snow, and I just think how lucky I am. It's a romantic weekend away kind of place. I'm definitely in no rush to go back home. I'm thinking of doing a master's here."
Apart from the picturesque charm of the University’s location, Maastricht also offers students tuition fees that put proposed UK levels to shame.
Yearly tuition fees at the University will definitely provide British students with cost savings. Undergraduate tuition fees currently stand at €1,713 (£1,440) for an academic year. This represents less than a sixth of the £9,000 figure that may be charged by UK Universities from September.
Reasonable tuition fees are certainly one reason why Colin Behr, a second-year European studies scholar from Devon, was attracted to studying at Maastricht;
"The lower fees are a bonus, but you need to make a commitment to come here.
"Going to another country to study is very daunting. But it's a great opportunity. The reason I'm here is the quality and the value for money. It definitely feels more serious than the UK."
Have you considered the benefits of studying abroad? Do you feel it would help you to achieve a graduate position?