The landscape of higher education for international students in Finland is undergoing potential transformation as the Finnish government forms a working group tasked with proposing an increase in tuition fees.
This development implies that non-European Union (EU) and non-European Economic Area (EEA) university students, who are currently subject to tuition fees in Finland, could soon shoulder the full cost of their education, as reported by Erudera.com.
The Ministry of Education and Culture, in a press release, clarified that the working group’s mandate encompasses suggesting amendments to the Universities Act and the Universities of Applied Sciences Act. These amendments would relate to tuition fee hikes and the prevention of circumvention, including the possible reintroduction of university application processing fees.
It’s important to note that these prospective changes will not impact international and domestic students studying in Finnish or Swedish languages.
Since August 2017, Finnish universities have been mandated to levy tuition fees, with a minimum threshold of 1,500 euros for students originating from outside the EU/EEA who commenced their education in Finland after this date.
The ministry explained that the envisioned amendments may also lead to the reinstatement of university processing fees for applicants who have graduated from non-EU/EEA countries. This step would facilitate their application to higher education institutions in Finland.
The introduction of tuition fees in the past led to the removal of administrative application processing fees under the Universities Act and the Universities of Applied Sciences Act. However, the absence of these processing fees subsequently resulted in a surge of applications for inappropriate purposes.
Additionally, the working group is tasked with drafting a compensation proposal akin to the student loan compensation plan. This proposal would specifically cater to students from non-EU/EEA nations who have successfully completed their education at a Finnish university or college while paying tuition fees for a specified duration.
Recent data from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) indicates a substantial increase in non-EU applicants seeking first residence permits for study purposes. The number of applicants surged by nearly 48 percent compared to the same period the previous year, with 7,039 international students securing their first residence permits between January and July. Notably, students from Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, India, and Russia comprise a significant portion of this group.
Finland has emerged as an attractive destination for international students in recent years, with Statistics Finland reporting a total enrollment of 163,700 students at Finnish universities in 2022. As potential policy changes loom, the future of international higher education in Finland remains an area of keen interest and scrutiny.
