Despite the pandemic, the number of students seeking higher education in Finland increased over the the past year according to Helsinki Times.
Helsinki Times reports that the Finnish National Agency for Education, higher education institutions across Finland received almost 158,000 applications this year— at least 6,000 more than last year.
It was also reported that the open spots that was applied for was close to 51,000. The spots cuts across courses offering higher education in Finnish and Swedish that are set to begin this Autumn. According to Helsinki Times, MTV reports that students face the toughest competition for university places in the fields of medicine, services and agriculture and forestry. With regard to universities of applied sciences, the most difficult branches to gain admission to are oral hygiene, dental technology and natural sciences.
Recall that the coronavirus crisis has led higher education institutions to cancel the majority of student exchange programmes planned for Spring. The report states that over two-thirds of students from Finland were compelled to cancel their foreign exchange trips. However, a number of exchange students in Finland and abroad have successfully switched to virtual programmes to complete their studies due to the effects of the pandemic.
