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Degrees of Vocational and Polytechnic Schools

Foreign Students Losing Interest in Finnish Polytechnics

Fewer foreign youth are applying to polytechnic universities in Finland. For example in Kajaani, central Finland, the number of African applicants plummeted from the years 2009 to 2010.

Eri maalaisia tutkinto-opiskelijoita Hämeen ammattikorkeakoulussa.
Suomalaisissa ammattikorkeakouluissa opiskelee eri maista tulleita tutkinto-opiskelijoita. Suurin osa opiskelee englanniksi. Image: YLE / Arttu Horttanainen

Last year 769 applicants applied for the English-language instruction programme at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. This winter the number was just 276.

Although the number of foreign applicants has dwindled throughout the country, Kajaani has experienced the greatest drop.

The decrease in foreign applicants is mainly due to a drop in African students. However the number of applicants from Russia and Vietnam have risen. Finnish students as well are interested in English-language study programmes.

Most foreign students at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences study in English, but some Russians for example study in Finnish.

Sources: YLE