Most international students spend months deciding between countries. The US or the UK? Hong Kong or Europe? A small group of programs lets you skip that decision entirely.

A dual degree program lets you enroll once, study at two universities in two countries, and graduate with two diplomas, or with one diploma that carries both names. Most of them follow the same shape: two years at the first campus, two years at the second. Some of them cost less than four years at a single American university, and a few come with scholarships that cover everything.

At Borderless, we went through every undergraduate dual degree we could find, checked each one against the university's own admissions pages, and kept only the programs that are open to international students and taking applications right now. Here are the 12 that made the cut. All deadlines are for fall 2027 entry unless we say otherwise.

1. Columbia University + Sciences Po (USA + France)

This is the program that started the trend. The Dual BA between Columbia and Sciences Po launched in 2010, and it still has the simplest pitch: two years at a Sciences Po regional campus in Le Havre, Menton, Reims or Poitiers, then two years at Columbia's School of General Studies in New York, in any Columbia liberal arts major. You leave with two bachelor's degrees, one from each.

You apply once, through Columbia only, and there is no early decision round. The class is built for people applying from abroad: 65 percent of the 2025-26 cohort was international, from 64 countries. French is not required at admission for Le Havre, Menton or Reims, but you need to reach B2 before you leave France. Poitiers, which hosts the Latin America and Caribbean track, wants C1 French, or C1 English plus B1 French.

Alikseniia from Kazakhstan was admitted to this program in the same cycle she got into Harvard, Cambridge and LSE, with twelve A* IGCSEs, an IELTS of 8.0, and no SAT. She chose Harvard, but her story is a useful benchmark for what the committee is looking at.

Sciences Po charges €14,900 a year if your tax residence is outside the EU, and its Emile Boutmy scholarship exists specifically for non-EU students. Columbia's 2026-27 rate is $67,740 for a 30-point year plus roughly $27,500 in living costs, and Columbia GS lists aid sources open to international students. Deadline: January 2, 2027.

2. William & Mary + University of St Andrews (USA + Scotland)

The St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme is the odd one out on this list, in a good way. Instead of two diplomas you get one: the Bachelor of Arts (International Honours), jointly awarded and carrying the insignia of both universities. You spend year one at the school you applied through, year two at the other, year three wherever you choose, and year four at the remaining one. Two years in Williamsburg, Virginia, two in a medieval Scottish town by the sea.

The catch is choice. Only six majors are offered: Classical Studies, Economics, English, Film Studies, History and International Relations, and you pick before you apply. William & Mary targets five students per major per year, so about 30 seats on its side.

You apply to one institution only. Through William & Mary it is the Common App plus a supplemental essay. Through St Andrews it is the Common App or St Andrews' own direct application. The program is not on UCAS, so don't go looking for it there.

You pay your home institution's tuition for all four years, wherever you happen to be. That is $48,400 for 2026-27 at William & Mary, with no in-state rate, or £36,520 at St Andrews, which also runs a BA International Honours Scholarship for Excellence open to overseas students. William & Mary's regular deadline for the current cycle is January 5. St Andrews takes applications for September 2027 entry until May 1, 2027.

3. UC Berkeley + University of Hong Kong (USA + Hong Kong)

If funding is your biggest worry, start here. The Berkeley and HKU Dual Degree Program puts you at HKU for years one and two, in Arts, Social Sciences or Economics, then at Berkeley's College of Letters & Science for years three and four. You graduate with two degrees: an HKU Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics or Bachelor of Social Sciences, and a Berkeley BA.

You apply through the standard UC application with Berkeley selected, plus the HKU-UC Berkeley supplemental, which asks for a 750 to 1,000 word essay. Shortlisted applicants interview online, and one application gets you admitted by both universities. First-year entry only. Everything is due November 30, 2026, with decisions in March.

HKU charges HKD 224,000 a year for non-local students, fixed at enrollment, and Berkeley bills its nonresident rate for the last two years. But every applicant is automatically considered for the HKU Foundation Entrance Scholarship, which can cover full tuition plus living expenses. That is the same scholarship several students in our Hong Kong guide received. US federal aid is limited to US citizens and eligible non-citizens.

4. World Bachelor in Business: USC + HKUST + Bocconi (USA + Hong Kong + Italy)

Three continents, four years, three diplomas. The World Bachelor in Business is the only three-university program on this list. Year one is at USC Marshall in Los Angeles, year two at HKUST in Hong Kong, year three at Bocconi in Milan, and year four at whichever of the three you choose. You graduate with a USC BS in Business Administration, an HKUST BBA in World Business, and a Bocconi BSc in Business, plus a certificate signed by all three program directors.

The cohort is small, 45 to 60 students, and the bar is high. The middle 50 percent of the class of 2029 had an unweighted GPA of 3.91 to 4.00. SAT and ACT are optional for fall 2027. You apply once, through USC on the Common App, with World Bachelor in Business as your first-choice major, plus USC's writing supplement, the program's own prompts and one recommendation. The deadline is November 1, 2026 for early decision and early action, which is also the merit scholarship cutoff.

This one is expensive. You pay each university while you are there: fall 2025 estimates were $73,260 at USC, HKD 250,000 at HKUST and €25,000 at Bocconi, before housing. USC offers no need-based aid to international applicants. Merit awards include half and quarter tuition scholarships, plus country-specific awards for EU citizens and Hong Kong permanent residents. Several Borderless students have written about Bocconi's own financial aid, including Aliya from Kazakhstan, so the Milan year has options even if the LA year does not.

5. American University + Ritsumeikan University (USA + Japan)

The American University-Ritsumeikan Joint Degree Program gives you two years in Washington, DC and two in Kyoto, though not in one block. If American is your home school, you do year one in DC, years two and three in Kyoto, and year four back in DC. If Ritsumeikan is your home school, you start with three semesters in Kyoto, spend five semesters in DC, and finish with a semester in Kyoto. Everyone graduates with a single diploma, the BA in Global International Relations, endorsed by both universities. Students in the program are called Sakura Scholars.

Only 25 students a year are admitted across both home schools. You apply through your chosen home school at first-year admission only: American takes the Common App plus a Sakura Scholars letter of intent, and Ritsumeikan uses its AO Admissions English-basis route with an essay, a reference and an interview. Students from outside the US and Japan can apply either way. Japanese is not required to apply, but you need intermediate Japanese to graduate, so start early.

The money works differently depending on your home school. American-home students pay American's tuition for all four years. Ritsumeikan-home students pay Ritsumeikan while in Kyoto (¥719,600 a year plus a ¥200,000 admission fee) and American while in DC ($31,340 a semester). American gives international students merit scholarships only. Ritsumeikan-home students get a ¥1,000,000 a year Study Abroad Challenge Scholarship for the American years and a guaranteed 30 percent tuition discount for their first two semesters in DC, which makes the Ritsumeikan route the cheaper one. American's deadlines are November 1 for early action and early decision I and January 15 for regular decision. Ritsumeikan's next window, for April 2027 entry, runs August 19 to September 8, 2026.

6. Columbia University + Trinity College Dublin (USA + Ireland)

Same shape as Columbia's Sciences Po program, different continent. The Dual Degree between Trinity College Dublin and Columbia gives you years one and two at Trinity, in one of 12 pathways from Classics and English to Mathematics and Neuroscience, then years three and four at Columbia's School of General Studies. You graduate with two honours bachelor's degrees.

There is a single online application run by Columbia GS, with an $80 fee, two recommendations, an essay and an interview. The Common App is not accepted. EU, EEA, UK and Swiss applicants also file through Ireland's CAO. The class of 2029 came from 18 countries. Deadline: January 2, 2027.

You pay Trinity's rate for years one and two and Columbia's for three and four. Trinity offers a means-based Global Engagement Scholarship of up to €5,000 a year for non-EU students, which you apply for through the CSS Profile, and Columbia GS aid sources open to international students apply once you reach New York.

7. Columbia University + City University of Hong Kong (USA + Hong Kong)

The Joint Bachelor's Degree Program between CityUHK and Columbia is the most technical of Columbia's partnerships. Years one and two are at CityUHK in one of 13 areas, including Computer Science, Computational Finance and FinTech, Global Business, International Relations, Physics and Psychology. Years three and four are at Columbia GS. You graduate with two bachelor's degrees.

Direct entry from high school only opened in 2025, so this one is still young. You apply through Columbia GS, with separate tracks for Hong Kong HKDSE applicants and everyone else. Fifty-four joint-program students were enrolled at Columbia as of September 2025. You pay CityUHK's non-local rate for years one and two and Columbia's rate for three and four. Saya from Kazakhstan wrote about getting a full ride to CityU as a regular applicant, which gives you a sense of how generous the Hong Kong side can be. Deadline: January 2, 2027.

8. Sciences Po + University College London (France + England)

UCL's European Social and Political Studies Dual Degree BA starts with two years at Sciences Po's Poitiers, Menton, Nancy or Dijon campus, then two years at UCL in London, where you combine a language with a specialism in Economics, History, Law, Philosophy or Political Science. You graduate with two awards: a UCL BA in European Social and Political Studies and the Sciences Po bachelor's.

This is a UK-style application. You apply through UCAS with course code R992, then sit an online test and a Sciences Po interview. The entry requirement is A*AA or equivalent, and there are about 20 places a year. The deadline is January 13, 2027 at 6pm UK time.

You pay Sciences Po's €14,900 for non-EU students in years one and two, then UCL's international fee of £33,300 for 2027-28. Sciences Po reports that nearly one in three of its students holds a full-fee scholarship. One thing UK applicants should know: Student Finance loans do not cover the two years in France.

9. Sciences Po + UC Berkeley (France + USA)

The Sciences Po and UC Berkeley Dual Degree is Berkeley's second entry on this list, and the mirror image of its HKU program: two years in Le Havre, Menton or Reims, then two years at Berkeley's College of Letters & Science. You graduate with a Sciences Po bachelor's in social sciences and a Berkeley BA in an approved major.

You apply through the UC application plus Berkeley's dual degree supplemental. Both open October 1 and close November 30, 2026. Interviews run January to February, with decisions in February. California, out-of-state and international applicants are all eligible, and SAT and ACT are not used. You pay Sciences Po's non-EU rate, then Berkeley's nonresident rate. Program scholarships include the Henri de Castries award of $10,000.

10. Sciences Po + University of British Columbia (France + Canada)

The Sciences Po and UBC Dual BA gives you two years in Le Havre, Menton or Reims, then two years at UBC's Vancouver campus in economics, geography, history, political science or sociology. You graduate with a UBC Bachelor of Arts and a Sciences Po Bachelor of Arts.

You apply through UBC's application only, with a dual degree supplemental. It is direct entry from high school, with no transfers, and French is not required unless you choose the Europe-Africa track. Applications close in early January; the 2026 cycle closed January 15. You pay Sciences Po's rate for years one and two and UBC's international rate for three and four. UBC's own scholarships are worth researching alongside this: Kassiyet from Kazakhstan got a full ride through UBC's International Scholars Program.

11. HKU + UBC Sauder School of Business (Hong Kong + Canada)

The HKU and UBC Sauder Dual Degree is a business program with an unusual rhythm: year one in Hong Kong, years two and three in Vancouver, then year four back in Hong Kong. You can pick a different specialization at each school, and you graduate with an HKU Bachelor of Business Administration and a UBC Bachelor of Commerce.

You apply through UBC's online application plus a dual degree supplemental with a 250 to 500 word essay, transcripts and references. It is open to domestic and international applicants straight from secondary school. The 2026 cycle closed January 15 for the UBC application and January 31 for the supplemental; 2027 dates are not posted yet.

You pay HKU's non-local rate of HKD 224,000 in years one and four and UBC's per-credit international rate in years two and three. As with the Berkeley program, every applicant is automatically considered for the HKU Foundation Entrance Scholarship, which can reach full tuition, and for UBC Sauder entrance awards.

12. UCL + HKU Dual Degree in Law (England + Hong Kong)

The LLB UCL and LLB HKU dual degree is the one law program here, and it is tiny: around 10 students a year, roughly five recruited by each school. Years one and two are at UCL Faculty of Laws in London, years three and four at HKU Faculty of Law. You graduate with an LLB (Hons) from UCL and an LLB from HKU, and the combination qualifies you toward the solicitor and bar routes in England and Wales and the PCLL in Hong Kong.

You apply either through UCAS at UCL, code M103, with an extra 500-word statement, or through HKU's international route. Never both in the same cycle. You pay UCL's fees for years one and two and HKU's for three and four, and HKU offers merit entrance scholarships. One thing to plan for: your UK visa covers only the first two years, so the UK Graduate visa is not available afterward.

The rest of the Sciences Po network

Sciences Po runs the largest network of undergraduate dual degrees anywhere. Beyond UCL, Berkeley and UBC, it pairs with the University of Hong Kong, Keio University in Tokyo, the University of Sydney, the National University of Singapore, Freie Universität Berlin, Luiss in Rome and FGV in São Paulo. All follow the two-plus-two pattern with the French years first, and most take applications through Sciences Po's own admissions platform with a March 1, 2027 deadline for international students. French-system students apply through Parcoursup instead. The HKU and Keio programs are taught in English; Berlin is trilingual in French, German and English.

Ioana from Romania did the Berlin one, from Sciences Po's Nancy campus. Her application involved eight essays and two separate interviews, one for the regular program and one for the dual degree, and there were only 28 spots. She prepared for an interview in English and got one in French. Read her story before you apply to any Sciences Po dual degree; it is the most honest account of the process we have.

Start your own journey

Dual degree programs are some of the most selective and most confusing applications you can file: two sets of requirements, two fee schedules, one shot at each partner, and deadlines that land months before regular decision.

That is exactly what Kai, the Borderless AI college counselor, was built for. Tell Kai your budget, your grades and where you want to live, and it builds a college list that includes the dual degrees you can afford and get into, turns every deadline above into tasks you can follow, and works through your essays and supplements with you line by line, from the 750-word HKU-Berkeley statement to the Sciences Po interview. It is free to use.

Start with Kai, and read more stories from students who did it.