Study abroad in Finland for students

Finland is northernmost country of Europe which experiences chilly winters and warm summers. Finland’s geographical location may be farthermost and rather isolated but it has well developed economy and well established education system. The Finnish people have long tradition of valuing education which follows till date in modern day Finland; it is one of the most educated nations of the world with 38% of its population having college degrees. The Finns have excelled in research oriented studies and made remarkable breakthroughs in scientific research particularly in biotechnology, genetic technology and brain research. The high quality of education of Finland is its trademark and impactful significance which attracts over 5 million international students to study abroad in Finland. What tempts 5 million international students to study abroad in Finland is debated in the article below;

Finland has all the qualities that meet the expectations of study abroad aspirants. It has marvelous education system, high ranked institutions, distinctive research oriented and profession oriented universities, globally recognized degrees, state of the art facilities in universities, laboratories, libraries, experienced and cultivated teachers, English taught study programmes, student friendly environment and opportunity to acquire broader vision by living among international community of students.

World Rankings of Finnish Universities in QS List 2021 fir International Students:

• University of Helsinki: 102^nd Position

• Aalto University: 137^th position

• University of Turku: 276^th position

• University of Jyvaskyla: 357^th position

• University of Eastern Finland: 451th position

Study Expenses in Finland:

• Aalto University: 12,000 to 15,000 Euros per year

• University of Helsinki: 13,000 to 18,000 Euros per year

• University of Turku: 8,000 to 16,000 Euros per year

• University of Eastern Finland: 8,000 to 15,000 Euros per year

• University of Tampere: 8,000 to 12,000 Euros per year

The affordability of living expenses directly impact student’s decision to select a certain country for studying in abroad. As per the estimation, an average amount of 700 to 1100 Euros per month is required to bear living expenses of a student. But if you live in university provided accommodation, the average amount of monthly expenses can be lessened to 560 Euros per month. The living expenses at any case largely depend on the area you choose to live; in metropolitan cities the expenses are always higher than country side areas. The expenses of living in different cities of Finland are estimated as:

• Helsinki: 980 to 1500 Euros per month

• Jyvaskyla: 700 to 1100 Euros per month

• Oulu: 600 to 1200 Euros per month

• Tampere: 900 to 1200 Euros per month

To stay in Finland post graduation the third country nationals have to apply for resident permit. The resident permit is granted on the basis of employment contract or binding job offer. The resident permit of Finland for work purpose is initially granted for one year duration which is extendable on the basis of employment contract. The third country nationals have right to change jobs and attain reasonable salary according to their qualification and set of skills.

For ideal well being and high quality of living standards, there must be efficient and inclusive health care facilities, top notch education providence, fair average incomes and equitable employment opportunities, safety, clean environment, gender equality and human rights. Finland is a peaceful country which has all such aforementioned qualities. In 2017, a report issued by Social Progress Index enlisting the countries with highest social progress in world ranked Finland at top 2^nd position. Equality and personal freedom, tolerance and access to basic rights symbolize Finland as a nation.

Well all work and no play make jack a dull boy. As the saying go, certainly foreign students undertaking this expedition of traveling to distant land and pledging their life to seek knowledge and work hard to attain a degree also expect to have a delightful and enlightening experience. Finland has classy restaurants, exciting night life, plenty of outdoor activities such as golfing, skiing, hiking, snowboarding, ice hockey, dynamic music scene with rock bands and classic operas and delicious cuisines to satisfy the foodies. There is highly connected international community of students in Finland that will not only broader your vision but also give you insight into knowledge of different cultures, traditions and lifestyles.  Finland has around 168,000 lakes for lake cruising, Russia and Estonia is just a few hours travel away on public ferry boat or train transport and the Finnish airline runs direct flights to Asian countries.

Finland’s culture has influence of Sweden and Russia and its architecture has history of 800 years. The modern day Finland has although excelled in economical, educational, scientific and industrial fields yet the people are deeply connected with their historical and traditional roots. Finland is one of the countries in world that can be regarded as torch bearer of gender equality as majority of women in Finland hold privileged positions in parliament and other fields and receive fair incomes. The people are warm and friendly and peaceful which very much ascertains why Finland’s tourism sector is large contributor to country’s economy. The landscape of Finland is covered with forests and hills which is why the country has purest and cleanest water and best quality of air.

English is second most spoken language in Finland after Finnish language. The foreign students are allowed to work 20 hours a week without any restriction of job category and occupation. Because of high GDP rate and powerful economic growth, there is no difficulty in finding job in Finland for foreign or native students. The students have similar rights of working as full time employees and are paid according to their working hours and job difficulty levels. Due to use of English language among locals, the foreign students do not have to face language barrier for finding a job or performing a job.

Finland is stunningly beautiful and economically prosperous country located at the farther north zone of the world. Bearing the qualities of an ideal study abroad destination, Finland has renowned and flourished education system, globally acknowledged degrees, allows part time job permission to foreign students while studying, wide ranging English taught programmes, tranquil lifestyle and specific research oriented and professional oriented distinctive universities. The accessibility to basic rights, justice, pleasant life quality and exceptional health care facilities in Finland make it a peaceful country for living. Finland is definitely a top pick and easy choice for knowledge seekers, to get admission in universities of Finland the students have to go through a step by step procedure which is explained in detail in the following guide:

Finding a well qualified and appropriate study programme in affordable Finnish Universities is the first and pivotal step. The Finnish institutes offer a wide ranging and diverse study programmes that are English taught in Finland and constituted of globally accepted curriculum structure. There are exclusive admission centers in each of Finnish university to aid students in finding a study programme that meets their preference and that must lead them to a promising career. The career counselors are best people to take study programme advice from as they are experts and professionals. The students who have a clear vision and a particular career goal must have already picked their choice and those who are in process of finding their goal can search thoroughly and choose the one study programme that catches their interest. After selecting the study programme, check eligibility requirements, language requirements and subject wise minimum grades requirements and send admission application at your chosen university of Finland.

Finland has top rated and highly prestigious universities of Europe. Each university has its own set of admission requirements and merit bar for different study programmes and academic levels. The universities in Finland host a large number of international students for profession oriented and research oriented study programmes. The profession oriented universities or universities of applied sciences train students according to the demands of job market in particular field and the research oriented universities offer research, theory and instruction based education of particular field. The specific admission requirements information can be easily availed from any Finnish university from its official website. The university you chose however must comprise of following attributes:

• Compare the tuition fee of universities and choose you find most affordable and apt

• If you have excellent academic record check availability of scholarships and fee waivers

• Check if the university offers on campus accommodation

• If the university you chose is located in the city of Finland where you want to live.

The method of application to apply for admission in Finnish universities is through directly submitting documents and application at university’s website or by sending the documents and application at university’s postal address mentioned at its website. You can download the pdf file of your application form and print its hard copy. For submitting application and documents online you can scan the documents and upload them as guided by the university’s website instructions. The universities take admission application fee upon submitting the application and extra charges postal charges which is not refundable. The admission fee is fixed by the universities in Finland exclusively, each university might have different admission fee according to study level and study programme.

The academic requirements vary according to your chosen study programme for each having different subject wise minimum grades merit for admission. The specific academic eligibility of admission to any study programme is explained by university in its website. In general the Finnish universities have following academic requirements for foreign students:

For Admission in Under Graduate Study Programme:

Higher Secondary School Diploma or equivalent polytechnic diplomas, to meet admission eligibility of admission to under graduate programme the foreign students have to pass Finnish matriculation examinations. The foreign students can meet eligibility of admission by passing SAT, IB, EB an RP or DIA examinations which will be administrated in Finland. If the student fails to pass any of the above mentioned matriculation examination will not be granted admission. Interview will also be taken by the faculty member of department you have applied admission for. Essay or letter of motivation (depends on university’s requirements) and language requirements are other academic requirements in Finnish universities for admission in Under Graduate Study Level.

For Admission in Post Graduate (Masters) Study Programme:

Bachelors Honors Degree (4 years Duration Study Programme) attained from an internationally recognized institute with 180 ECTS credits is accepted in Finland for admission at Masters Level. Interview will be taken and motivation letter written in English is decisive for granting admission. A few universities in Finland might also require recommendation letter from one or two student’s professors as well.

For Admission in Post Graduate (PhD) Study Programme:

Bachelors Honors Degree (4 Years Duration study programme), Masters Degree (2 years duration study programme) attained from an internationally recognized institute of your country with good grades. Work experience of 3 years at least, previous research experience recommendation letter from professor’s of student are also required for admission. The students applying for admission will be asked to collaborate with research supervisor of their chosen study field for research proposal. A letter of motivation and interview will also be taken before granting admission.

The students applying for admission in Finnish universities for an English taught programme need to provide English Language Proficiency Test Certificate unless they native of an English speaking country. The third country nationals and Non-EU/EEA nationals have to meet English language requirements. For each study level there are different grades required in English language proficiency tests.  Such as:

• IELTS: Overall 6.5 bands, in writing the student must have gained 5.5 bands at least.

• TOEFL iBT: Overall 90-92 Scores, in writing the students must have gained 22 scores minimum.

• TOEFL pBT: Overall 580 Scores, in writing the students must have gained 4.0 grades at least

• PTE (Academic): Overall 59 Scores Minimum.

• Transcripts of academic record (Certificate, diplomas, degrees) must be translated in English

• Identity Document (Valid Passport of Applicant) verified photocopy is required

• Fresh Photographs of Applicant

• Letter of Motivation

• Recommendation letters

• Entrance Test Result

• English Language Proficiency Test Certificate (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE (Academic), Cambridge)

• Essay (written in English must comprised of 7,000 characters)

• Updated CV (for post graduation admission)

• Admission fee receipt

After meeting the academic eligibility and passing entrance exam the university you have chosen in Finland will send you an official acceptance letter for your admission. The university will ask you to respond to their offer of admission and confirm place in the university. After confirmation of admission from you, the university will send you an invoice for fee submission and details about other admission formalities to be fulfilled by you. The official letter of acceptance of letter will be issued to you after this procedure which will be needed for student visa of Finland.

For Admissions in Spring Session:

• First application period: Till 25^th January

• Second application period: Till 15^th March

For Admission in Autumn Session:

• First application period: Till 20^th September

• Second application period: Till 27^Th December

The admission deadlines of different Finnish university might be slightly different from aforementioned above. It is better to consult the admission office of your chosen university in Finland about the admission deadlines and documents submission procedure.

Estimation of living and study expenses is the pivotal and prime step of study abroad planning. Finland’s cost of living is reasonable despite multitude of benefitting attributes that include part time work permission while studying and one year visa extension for job search after completing study from Finnish Universities. The Finnish higher education institutions hold a sublime grandeur for their high quality, state of the art facilities, research effectiveness, modern teaching methodologies and broad based curriculum design in European countries. The degrees attained from Finnish Universities have worldwide recognition and high appeal in job market. The living standards in Finland are high rated as it is one of the most educated nations of the world that believes in equality and human rights, there is low crime rate and safety, job opportunities and minimum wage rights for foreigners, clean and pure environment and access to health care facilities. As a foreign student in Finland, you are bound to experience a well balanced lifestyle mixed with rigorous and constructive education and calm and relaxing ambience.

The universities in Finland are divided into two distinctive sections of education; professional and theoretical and research. There are professional oriented universities and research oriented universities that deal with education streams peculiar to are peculiar to its specialty. The tuition fee or each study programme and academic level is different in Finnish Universities. The English taught study programmes and Finnish, or Swedish taught study programmes also have different fee structure. As English taught study programme are particularly designed for international students mostly, they are expensive than the others. To know exact tuition fee of your chosen study programme, check your chosen university’s website. The following mentioned tuition fee estimation is derived by taking information from different Finnish Universities:

Under Graduate Study Programme Tuition Fee in Finland Universites for Students 2021:

• Under Graduate Nursing Training Degree Programme of 4 years Duration: 5000 Euros per year

• BA (Hons) Business and Management Degree Programme of 2 years Duration: 9410 Euros per year

• Bachelor´s Programme in Educational Studies, Early Childhood Education of 4 years Duration: 1000 Euros per year

• Bachelor’s Programme in Science and Engineering of 4 Years Duration: 1000 to 1200 Euros per year

Post Graduate (Masters) Study Programme Tuition Fee in Finland 2021:

• Masters in Architecture, Biomedical Science and Engineering of 2-3 Years Duration: 12,000 Euros per Year

• Masters in Economics of 2 Years Duration: 12,000 Euros per year

• Masters in Learning, Education and Technology of 2 years Duration: 13,000 Euros per year

• Masters in Product Management: 1000 Euros per year

• Masters in Software, Systems and Services Development in Global Environment of 2 to 3 Years Duration: 10,000 per year

Post Graduate (PhD) Study Programme Tuition fee for Students 2021:

The post graduate doctoral degree in Finland is totally free of cost Regardless of any nationality, the students taking admission in PhD study programmes do not have to pay any tuition fee at Finnish Universities. There are 14 universities in Finland that offer PhD degrees. The PhD degree duration in Finland is 4 years.

The living expenses in Finland are estimated to be around 560 to 700 Euros per month for a foreign student. For student resident permit of Finland, the students need to provide a bank statement proving that they can spend 560 Euros per month through their financial resources. To support living expenses, the students are allowed to work in Finland on student resident permit without requiring any further document or work permit. The living expenses can be managed by doing part time work and also students can save up some money to pay fee for their next semester if they manage their budget and avoid spending money extravagantly. The Finnish city of Helsinki is the most expensive city in terms of living cost; a student would need to have 980 to 1200 Euros per month to live there. The living cost in less populated cities and towns is rather cheap cost and affordable.

Accommodation in Finland:

The accommodation rent mainly depends on the area of Finnish city you choose for living. The university provided dormitories of residence halls are always least expensive and most suitable option for the foreign students. The average cost of accommodation in Finland is as follows:

• University or Dormitory Single Room: 380 to 400 Euros per Month

• 1 Bedroom Flat or Studio Apartment in Central City Area: 724 Euros per month

• 1 Bedroom Flat or Studio Apartment outside Central City Area: 600 Euros per Month

• 3 Bedrooms Apartment in Central City Area: 1200 Euros per Month

• 3 Bedrooms Apartment outside Central City Area: 933 Euros per Month

Food Expenses:

• Basic menu meal in an inexpensive restaurant for one person: 11 Euros

• Basic menu meal in a mid-range restaurant for two persons: 60 Euros

• Combo meal in fast food range such as McMeal or McDonalds: 7.95 Euros

• Half liter water bottle: 1.64 Euros

• 1 liter fresh milk bottle: 0.93 Euros

• 1 loaf of fresh white bread: 1.83 Euros

• 1 Kg white rice: 1.68 Euros

• Dozen eggs: 1.82 Euros

• 1 Kg local cheese: 6.02 Euros

• 1 Kg boneless chicken breast meat: 9.35 Euros

• 1 Kg beef meat: 12.72 Euros

• 1 Kg apples: 1.98 Euros

• 1 Kg bananas: 1.52 Euros

• 1 Kg oranges: 1.73 Euros

• 1 Kg tomatoes: 2.79 Eros

• 1 Kg potatoes: 0.85 Euros

• 1 Kg onions: 1.23 Euros

Transportation:

• One way ticket of public transport (local travel): 3.00 Euros

• Monthly public transport pass for local travel: 46 Euros

• Taxi tariff for 1 Km travel: 1.60 Euros

Other Expenses:

• Utility bills including electricity, gas, water and heating: 108 Euros per month

• Internet connection of 60 Mbps speed: 23.37 Euros per month

• Fitness club membership for one person: 35.93 Euros per month

• International release movie ticket for one person: 13 Euros per month

Study In Finland Questions