Mumbai: With a steep rise in the number of Indian students pursuing academics in European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, and more, another entrant in the form of Finland aims to replicate the success in a few years.
Finland, which accepts 7,500 international students annually, has been witnessing hundreds of students from India enrolling themselves in Finnish higher education institutions, a growth that experts believe will only increase in the coming years.
Hundreds of Indian students in Finland but more interest visible
“We see around 500 students from India coming to Finland annually for degree courses. We have doubled the numbers from India since 2021-22,” stated Harri Hälvä, Senior Specialist, International Marketing – Study in Finland.
The networking event, held at MET Institute of Management in Mumbai, facilitated interactions and exchange of ideas between senior representatives from Finnish higher education institutes and stakeholders in the education sector in India, with the latter being a key partner in Finland’s goal to reach a target of 15,000 international students before 2030.
“We want to retain Indian, international students in Finland after their academics. Our current roadmap focuses on employing 75% of the international students within a year of graduation, with the current rate standing at 50%,” added Mr. Hälvä.
Finland’s education model contributes to growth, image
According to Finland’s Consul General in Mumbai, Erik af Hällström, Finland’s growth as an international education destination stems from its domestic success.
“Finland’s performance in the Happiness Index focuses on its commitment to social security, quality of life, and also the right to education it provides to its citizens. The free education model, which we adopted even before the sector’s internationalisation, has become an additional factor in attracting students,” stated Mr. Erik.
Ageing Finland’s olive branch to foreign nationals
New rules for international students in Finland, which have been in effect since April 15, 2022, have led to a slew of relaxations. Foreign nationals in Finland, who are in the country for academics, don’t have to renew their permits every year, will have a validity of two years for jobseeker permits, and will now be allowed to work 30 hours a week compared to 25 during previous years.
These changes have become the need of the hour for Finland in light of a burgeoning demand for a skilled workforce in the country.
“Finland is an ageing society which is why we need startup entrepreneurs, and skilled individuals in our country not only for ICT, Engineering, and Commerce, but also Services, Data, and Nursing sectors. We are expecting more foreign nationals in the sector in the next 5-10 years,” said Gitta Perez, Head of Talent Boost India, Business Finland.
Finland sees success with joint applications as new programmes emerge
Though a survey by Helsinki-based research organisation E2 Tutkimus Institute of 2,500 respondents highlighted that 47 percent of international students in Finland intend to discontinue their studies despite the ‘good experiences’, numbers by National Agency for Education in Finland revealed that over 53,000 international students enrolled in joint applications, where students can apply for up to six study programs with one application.
“We are also offering courses in fields such as Sustainability, Renewable energy, Arctic research, and more which are futuristic,” added Ms. Perez.
UGC’s new rules spark interest
With the University Grants Commission (UGC) set to release rules for foreign universities to open campuses in India in May, Finnish universities might also see an opportunity in the developments.
“A consortium of universities could be interested in UGC’s proposal of bringing international campuses to India. Building satellite campuses could also be a possibility in the future,” asserted Mr. Hälvä.
The idea was also endorsed by Mr. Erik, who explained how Finland is different from other countries for international students.
“Finland’s campuses are spacy, everything is much calmer and the population density is not that high which can be a great experience for international students,” said Mr. Erik.
