Which European countries, besides Italy, offer budget-friendly study options for Indian students with tuition fees typically under €5,000 per year and no or low living costs?

Yes, several European countries besides Italy let you study on a tight budget. Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Lithuania and France all have public university tuition fees within or below your €5,000 a year ceiling, though none of them offer genuinely free living costs, so you still need to budget carefully for rent, food and the funds your visa application requires.

Tuition and Living Costs by Country

Scholarships That Lower the Cost Further

• Poland: the Stefan Banach NAWA Programme offers Indian citizens a stipend, tuition exemption and travel allowance for Master's study.
• Hungary: the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship can cover tuition plus a monthly stipend for eligible international students.
• Germany: DAAD scholarships and state-specific waivers can reduce your semester contribution further at several public universities.

My Advice

I would shortlist Poland and Hungary first if your total budget, including living costs, matters as much as tuition, since both combine low fees with genuinely low-cost cities outside the capital. Germany looks cheapest on tuition alone, but Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin push your living costs close to what you would pay in parts of Western Europe, so factor city choice into your final decision before you apply.