‘Finland has Excellent Study-life balance, there is strong international student community’

Hanna Isoranta, Senior Adviser, Study in Finland and Ulla Hiekkanen-Mäkelä, Head of Talent Boost, Business Finland spoke to Shiksha on what Finland as an education destination offers to international students and what kind of job opportunities are available.

Q. How is Finland looking to attract international students?

A. International students are warmly welcome to Finland! Finnish government is seeking to triple the number of new foreign degree students to 15,000 by 2030, and 75% of the foreign students should find employment and stay in Finland. To achieve this goal, Finland has developed new ways to attract students in broad national cooperation - for example, the Future is Made in Finland virtual event series, and the new Finland Scholarships for Master’s and Doctoral level students, details of which are available on our website.

Q. UK, Canada, US and Australia are often the major foreign education destinations. Please highlight key advantages that Finland offers to woo more students to go there?
A. Finland offers more than 500 English-taught bachelor's and master's degree programmes in 13 universities and 22 universities of applied sciences (UAS). The universities also offer plenty of English-taught doctoral degree options. Tuition fees are affordable; the universities and UASs offer a range of options for scholarships both for bachelor's and master's level international students. Funding options also exist for doctoral level. Finland has a safe society and pure nature and climate. Study-life balance is excellent and there is also a strong international student community.

Q. Are there any major changes with respect to foreign students going to study in Finland in the post covid era?
A. In fact, despite the pandemic, we were quite surprised to see a record number of applications to Finnish higher education in the latest application round. We are looking forward to the coming admission period to see whether this rising trend continues.

Q. How many Indian students are enrolled in Finnish universities currently and what are the most popular courses among Indian students?
A. During the latest statistical year 2019 there were 860 Indian students registered at Finnish universities for their degree studies. Of these, more than 300 were studying on master’s and over 300 on doctoral level, whilst around 120 students were doing their undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree. According to the statistics, many Indian students tend to choose courses related to technology, natural sciences and business, but also health sciences (nursing), cultural studies and educational sciences have attracted students from India.

Q. What kind of job opportunities Finland offers upon completion of higher education there?

A. Finland, the happiest country in the world, offers attractive work opportunities and a high quality of life. Finland has a vibrant innovation ecosystem, a booming startup scene and for example one of the leading ICT and gaming industries in the world. Finnish companies offer plenty of work opportunities in various sectors for example in ICT, health tech, cleantech and more. It is common that students take project work and network with the companies during their studies. This is facilitated by the universities and various associations. Having experience and contacts improves the recruitment opportunities. Digital portal www.jobsinfinland.fi is an excellent tool for foreign talents to find a future English speaking job in Finland after their studies.

Q. Kindly tell us about various types of scholarships and other assistance Finland is looking to provide to Indian students planning to study there?

A. All Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS) offer scholarship options of their own for gifted non-EU/EEA students who are liable to tuition fees and apply for international bachelor's or master's programmes. The latest addition to these scholarships are the universities’ Finland Scholarships, which are for master’s and doctoral level studies at Finnish research and arts universities. Further information on scholarship options is available at www.studyinfinland.fi/scholarships.

Q. What would your advice be to students who are sceptical of pursuing foreign education in the post covid times?

A. Finnish higher education institutions follow the COVID-19 situation carefully, and decisions on study arrangements are made accordingly. In many cases, they offer their studies as hybrid teaching, partly online and partly on campuses. Teaching and examinations will be planned and organised so that safety issues are taken seriously. Universities and UASs want to ensure staff and student safety and at the same time enable everybody to continue their studies and research. Universities offer remote services and events to support the well-being of students.

If some students are not able to arrive in Finland because of travel restrictions, the wide provision of online studies usually enables them to start their studies online. Regardless of the occasionally challenging situations, all international students are warmly welcome to study in Finland, our excellent institutions will make sure that you have a good and safe start for your studies.

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