16 Best Reasons To Study In Finland

6 minutes read

When searching for a country to study abroad, Finland is definitely one of the countries to consider. There are many reasons to study in Finland. For one, it’s not like studying in Syria, or Somalia. Finland is definitely one of the best places to study in the world. Want to know why? Keep reading…

Here we go:

1). Why study in Finland?-Free Tuition

You read it right-Free tuition. This is one of the most important reason students choose to study  in Finland. The Finnish government has managed to keep education-even for

international students-free!

This is unlike other countries such as USA, UK, Canada, Australia where you have to be awarded some form of scholarship to enjoy free tuition.

However, there are a few exceptions, such as:

• Master’s students may have to pay tuition if they are not from the EU/EEA.
• Exchange students may have to pay fees, especially if there’s no agreement between the sending and receiving institutions.
• Students applying for language courses may be asked to pay for tuition.

2). Why study in Finland?-World-Class / Quality education

Finland is known for its innovative approach when it comes to education.

I’ll list a few facts about the educational system in Finland:

• Children don’t start formal schooling until the comparatively late age of 7.

• Homework and exams are limited until the later stages of education.
• Despite what I listed above, the country’s students consistently score highly in terms of their reading, writing and science skills when compared with international peers.
• All teachers in Finland must have a master’s degree, which is fully supported.
• Teachers are selected from the top 10% of graduates.
• Teachers are well paid.
• Teachers only spend 4 hours a day in the classroom, and take 2 hours a week for “professional development”.
• Science classes are capped at 16 students so that they may perform practical experiments every class.
• The teaching profession is well respected (as doctors and lawyers).

You can find more facts about the educational system in Finland here.

Top universities

With the way the government of Finland invests in education, you don’t expect Finland to have universities that are not among the best in the world.

Here is a list of Finnish Universities in the THE top 500 ranking of world universities:

• Aalto University
• Lappeenranta University of Technology
• Tampere University of Technology
• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Jyväskylä
• University of Oulu
• University of Tampere
• University of Turku

3). Why study in Finland?– Good Government              

• The government of Finland is one of the best in the world.
• It is democratic.
• It is one of the least corrupt.
• It’s generous to international students (eg: offers free tuition, scholarship or grants to international students, etc).

… and more.

4). Why study in Finland?-You’ll most likely be taught in English

Contrary to what happens in most non-native English speaking countries- you’ll be taught in English and not Finnish.

There are about 550 English language courses taught at Finnish higher education institutions. This range from short courses that form part of exchange programmes to full degree courses.

A database of English courses can be found here.

5). Why study in Finland?-An opportunity to learn other languages

The common languages spoken in Finland include:

Residents of Finland by native language (2012)
Language	No. of speakers (>5,000)	Percentage
Finnish	4,866,848	89.68%
Swedish	290,977	5.36%
Russian	62,554	1.15%
Estonian	38,364	0.71%
Somali	14,769	0.27%
English	14,666	0.27%
Arabic	12,042	0.22%
Kurdish	9,280	0.17%
Chinese	8,820	0.16%
Albanian	7,760	0.14%
Thai	6,926	0.13%
Vietnamese	6,549	0.12%
Persian	6,422	0.12%
Turkish	6,097	0.11%
German	5,792	0.11%
Spanish	5,470	0.10%
Sami	1,900	0.04%
Other	66,908	1.23%

Studying in Finland would present you the opportunity to learn any of the languages listed above.

And learning any of the languages above, would definitely be of great boost to your personality and CV/Resume.

6). Why study in Finland?-Easy communication

English language skills are introduced to the curriculum early.

According to Wikipedia, 70% of the people in Finland speak English. So Finland is an easy country for non-native speakers to live.

7). Why study in Finland?-Direct enrolment:

You don’t need to spend a year in a  Finnish language school.

You don’t need to spend a year to do a foundation program in your chosen program-once you are accepted you are accepted.

8). Why study in Finland?-It’s fun

The people of Finland are generally friendly.

There are so many things to do in Finland. These  include:

• Visiting Father Christmas: Everyone knows Santa Claus comes from Finland. Although the exact location of his private retreat in Korvatunturi, Lapland, is unknown, his official hometown is Rowvaniemi, where he greets visitors all year round.
• Ice hockey:
• Heavy metal
• Fishing
• Saunas: Sauna is the only Finnish word that has been internationally accepted in other languages. Having a sauna can mean anything from a quick 10-minute steam session to a social event lasting several hours.
• Design shows
• Snow sports

…and more

There are so many places to visit. These include:

• The great lakes: Finland has lots of them-clean ones.
• The Finish Saunas: I’ve already talked about this.
• The vast green forests: 70% of Finland is made of forests that look like this:

I guarantee you’ll not get bored.

9). Why study in Finland?-Opportunities to visit EU Countries

Once you have your Finnish resident permit, you don’t need to apply for a visa to visit the 26 EU countries belonging to the Schengen area.

These countries are:

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Czech republic
4. Denmark
5. Estonia
6. Finland
7. France
8. Germany
9. Greece
10. Hungary
11. Iceland
12. Italy
13. Latvia
14. Lithuania
15. Luxembourg
16. Malta
17. Netherlands
18. Norway
19. Poland
20. Portugal
21. Slovakia
22. Slovenia
23. Spain
24. Sweden
25. Switzerland
26. Liechtenstein

This provides you an opportunity to experience a wide range of cultures, and meet new people.

10). Why study in Finland?-Stability

According to the Global Peace Index (GPA), Finland is the 6th most peaceful country in the world.

A country’s peacefulness is measured on a wide range of indicators. These include:

• Number of external and internal conflicts fought
• Number of deaths from organised conflict (external)
• Number of deaths from organised conflict (internal)
• Level of organised conflict (internal)
• Relations with neighbouring countries
• Level of perceived criminality in society
• Number of refugees and displaced persons as percentage of population
• Political instability
• Terrorist activity
• Political terror scale
• Number of homicides per 100,000 people
• Level of violent crime
• Likelihood of violent demonstrations
• Number of jailed persons per 100,000 people
• Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people
• Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
• Number of armed-services personnel
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000 people
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people
• Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions
• Nuclear and heavy weapons capability
• Ease of access to small arms and light weapons

The main findings of the Global Peace Index are:

• Peace is correlated to indicators such as income, schooling and the level of regional integration
• Peaceful countries often share high levels of transparency of government and low corruption
• Small, stable countries which are part of regional blocks are most likely to get a higher ranking.

11). Why study in Finland?-World-class internet speed

According to Forbes, Finland is 10^th in the list of countries with the fastest internet speed in the world.

12). Why study in Finland?-Great students satisfaction

Every international student I know studying in Finland has given me a positive review about studying in Finland. This is unlike the ones I know studying in Cyprus, Turkey, UK, USA, etc.

This online survey says it all-sort of.

13). Why study in Finland?-Experience new People and culture

This is certainly one of the pros of studying abroad.

Around 12,000 international students are studying in Finland at any one time. Less than half of these are exchange students who come for just one term. The rest are students that have independently applied to study full degrees in the country.

Studying in Finland offers you the opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world. By doing so, you’ll be exposed to their cultures, and probably learn a thing or two from them.

You’d also be presented with the opportunity to make lifelong friends.

14). Why study in Finland?-Diversity

Studying in Finland offers you the opportunity to experience true diversity.

You’ll come to understand people for who they are, and probably develop a different perspective at the way you look at things. This will enable you make better judgements.

15). Why study in Finland?-Gain independence

With the free tuition, all you have to pay for is your accommodation, food, etc-which are all relatively cheap as compared to other EU countries.
If you’re making a good income-you’ll probably not need your parents to sponsor you.

16). Why study in Finland?-Increase your international job prospects

You can go home at the end of your time as an international student in Finland, or choose to apply for a working visa. Even if you return home or decide to seek to work elsewhere, the international experience provided by studying in Finland is likely to be looked on favorably by employers.