SAMOK and SYL call on the government, employers and higher education institutions to take action to promote the integration of international students in Finland. The situation is alarming, as around half of international students studying in Finland have experienced challenges in integrating in Finland. This is according to the For What Price – International Higher Education Students in Finland survey commissioned by the organisations, the results of which were published on 13 February 2025.

“The results of the survey confirm our view that we in Finland have failed to integrate international students into our society. The Finnish education system’s good reputation, security and well-functioning society attract students to come and stay in Finland, but difficulties in making a living and finding employment make it challenging in the real world. In addition, the tightening of the Aliens Act and especially the 3/6 month rule are likely to drive recent graduates to leave Finland”, reflects the results of the survey, Anselmi Auramo, President of SYL.

It has been decided to charge international students tuition fees to cover the costs of organising their education. This will both increase the price of tuition fees and weaken the ability of higher education institutions to award scholarships to students. SYL and SAMOK see that this is the wrong direction. According to the survey, 4/5 of those who pay tuition fees would not be prepared to pay higher tuition fees. It is likely that the number of international students arriving in Finland will fall as a result of higher fees as students’ ability and willingness to pay come under scrutiny.

SAMOK and SYL propose to ease the financial burden on students by, for example, lowering the income requirement for students to obtain a residence permit and developing scholarship systems to be as open and comprehensive as possible. The employment of students should be promoted by supporting employers in hiring international talent and by offering students opportunities to establish work-life contacts in higher education. There is also a need to improve opportunities to study home languages in the workplace and to reassess the level of demand for home languages in the workplace.

“It is particularly important to focus on employment and easing the financial burden now that the government is raising tuition fees for students to full coverage. We are very concerned about Finland’s declining attractiveness in the eyes of international students, and therefore we challenge the government, employers and higher education institutions to join this joint project to improve the situation”, sums up SAMOK President Julia Väänänen.

See the publication of the study here.

Read the organisations’ proposals for action in full here.

For more information:

Roosa Veijola
European Policy and International Affairs Specialist
050 389 1012
[email protected]

Saku Pesonen
Specialist in International Affairs and EU Enforcement
040 017 4913
[email protected]