International university applicants in Finland have fallen sharply, particularly at universities of applied sciences, as higher costs, the new application fee and concerns about employment make the country less attractive to students from abroad. The decline is particularly visible among applicants from outside Europe, according to data and interviews reported by Yle.
The trend extends beyond individual institutions. In Finland’s first joint application for English-language higher education programmes in 2026, the number of applicants fell substantially compared with the previous year. The Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus) has linked much of the decline to fewer applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Finland’s international applicants face higher costs
One explanation is relatively straightforward: applying to study in Finland has become more expensive.
Since January 2025, applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland must pay a €100 application fee when applying for bachelor’s or master’s programmes. The Finnish National Agency for Education said the fee contributed to the sharp decline in international applications after its introduction.
In the first joint application of spring 2026, around 23,700 people applied, 27 percent fewer than at the same stage in 2025. By the end of the admissions process, the agency reported around 21,800 applicants, with the decline particularly concentrated among international candidates.
At LUT University in Lappeenranta, Iranian doctoral student Raheleh Sharifi told Yle that the application fee could make prospective students reconsider whether applying to Finland was worthwhile.
The €100 fee is only one part of the cost. Students from outside the EU and EEA generally also pay tuition fees for English-language bachelor’s and master’s programmes. According to the official Study in Finland service, these typically range between €8,000 and €20,000 per year, depending on the institution and programme.
Finding work in Finland is another concern
The second issue is what happens after students arrive.
Sharifi told Yle that she had frequently heard that finding a job in Finland is difficult, something she believes may encourage prospective students to choose another country.
For international students, employment can be particularly important because studying in Finland involves both tuition fees and living expenses. Students applying for a Finnish residence permit must generally demonstrate that they have at least €800 per month available for living costs, according to the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto).
This means that a potential applicant is not only comparing universities, but also weighing the overall cost of moving to Finland against the possibility of finding employment during or after their studies.
The decline has been especially visible among applicants from Asian and African countries. The Finnish National Agency for Education said that Nigeria, Bangladesh and Nepal were among the countries recording the largest falls in applications for the 2026 joint application.
Visa procedures can also discourage applicants
A third factor is the process required to enter Finland.
Tanim Mahtab, a Bangladeshi student studying emergency care at LAB University of Applied Sciences, told Yle that both study costs and the visa process could discourage prospective students from Bangladesh.
“In my own country, it has become more difficult than before. You have to go to India,” he told Yle when describing the process faced by Bangladeshi applicants.
For students from outside the EU and EEA who plan to study in Finland for more than 90 days, a residence permit is generally required. The process therefore adds another administrative and financial consideration to the decision to study abroad.
European applications are moving in the opposite direction
The overall fall also hides an important geographical difference.
Mari-Anna Suurmunne, vice rector of LAB University of Applied Sciences, told Yle that international applications have declined at both LAB and LUT University, largely because fewer applications are arriving from Asian countries.
At the same time, however, applications from European students have increased at both institutions.
This suggests that Finland has not become uniformly less attractive to foreign students. Instead, the changes introduced over recent years appear to affect different groups in very different ways.
For universities, Suurmunne said that the decisive question is ultimately not the total number of applications but whether available places can be filled with qualified students. The effects of the decline will therefore need to be examined programme by programme.
National figures show the same shift. In the 2026 English-language admissions round, 39 percent of applicants who received an offer were Finnish citizens, while half came from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. The previous year, non-European applicants represented a substantially larger share of those admitted.
The next indicator will be how many accepted international students actually begin their studies. At LAB and LUT, clearer figures are expected by the end of September. For Finland, the longer-term question is whether the decline represents a correction after unusually high application numbers or a broader weakening of the country’s ability to attract students from outside Europe.
