Do you want to pursue studies and research from the world-leading education system? If Finland is not in your list then you are missing out. Finnish education system is considered as world-leading because of its comprehensive education structure and design. The major objective of Finland’s higher education system is to provide quality of education to its local and the international students. Universities staff are highly qualified and strongly committed to their job and responsibilities. There are 23 universities of applied sciences (UAS) and 13 universities for providing high quality higher education. For studies starting in autumn 2020, the Finnish higher education institutes received around 12000 applications from the prospective international students.
[bctt tweet="Study, Scholarships and Life in Finland"]
You can visit the official website of the following universities by clicking on their logos.
Aalto University
The primary mission of universities is to conduct advance scientific research and deliver theoretical education linked with the research activities and industrial problems. The universities offer artistic and scientific education, degrees are entitled as Bachelor’s, Master’s, and postgraduate degrees (Licentiate and doctoral studies). On the other hand, the university of applied sciences (UAS) are more oriented towards providing practical knowledge and skills that are directly linked with the needs of labor market. They award UAS Bachelor’s and UAS Master’s degrees.
QS ranking of Finnish universities
9 Finnish higher educational institutes secured top positions in QS ranking and many Finnish universities are listed among top 100 in QS world universities ranking by subject. In 2019, University of Aalto ranked 9 and Tampere university of technology ranked 41 in QS Top 50 Under 50 as world’s top young universities.
How to apply to a Finnish university?
There are more than 400 different study programs in Finland. The higher education institutes offer scholarships and funding opportunities for the international students. Currently, around 20000 international students from the different countries are studying in Finland. Surprisingly, there is no application fee to apply for higher studies at Finnish universities and applications are done online at Studyinfo.fi. You may need to send the hard copies of your documents to university depending on the country specific requirements and needs of institute. You can watch a very informative video by KatChats to get step by step guide on how to apply to International Masters degree programs in Finland.
Required documents
In General, degree certificate, transcript, Proof of English language proficiency, Letter of Motivation, Academic CV and Letter of Recommendations are required by institutes. These requirements may vary slightly from institute to institute that’s why it is very important to visit the official website of the prospective university to find the exact answer.
Scholarships in Finland
Finnish universities offer scholarships to talented students depending on their previous educational backgrounds, achievements and motivation towards the chosen programs. The scholarship selection criterias are clearly mentioned on the website of the institute. The candidates can apply for the scholarships as part of their admissions process in Studyinfo.fi.
Working in Finland
Finland loves to welcome the talented individuals from every corner of the world. The student residence permit allows the students to work during their studies without any restrictions only if your work is relevant (thesis work and practical training) to your degree program. It also enables you to work 25 hours per week for the other jobs. You can get more details about working during studies from the official website of Finnish Immigration Service.
Interesting facts about Finland
It’s not surprising then, that Finland has most employee friendly working hours. According to UN World Happiness Report 2019, Finland is the happiest country in the globe. It has the cleanest air in the world. Moreover, it is the most literate country on the earth. There are around 22 billion trees in Finland that are approximately 4500 trees for every citizen. There are more than 2 million saunas for 5.5 million population. You can read more about the interesting information of Finland from the Statistics Finland. You can explore the beautiful nature and environment of Finland by visiting Sahan Wickramaarachchi’s photo gallery.
Student life in Finland
Finland offers a balanced student life so you can focus on your studies as well as on extracurricular activities. Student unions always look after the students interests to organize and offer the fun activities, sports, cultural events and parties. Student guild is a student organization for every major field of study. Guild is responsible for arranging gathering events, such as trips, sports and sauna evening. Every guild has their own room inside the university, where you can meet new people, have coffee and play computer games.
Cost of living in Finland
Monthly expenditures depend on city, where you are going to living and your personal standard of living. According to Finnish Immigration Service, you must have monthly at least 560 euro at your disposal for your accommodation, meal and other needs. An interesting blog post shares the 5 useful tips to save money and live on budget in Finland.
Student discounts
You must be wondering about the student benefits. As a student in Finland, you can get discounts on meals at your university, stores, events, restaurants and transportations across the Finland. You will also get cheaper health care at the Finnish Student Health Service. You can join local student unions and obtain a student card by paying the student union fee, which is nearly 80 to 100 euro per year.
Need more helps and guidelines about scholarships? Read our other blog posts.