INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY IN FINNISH EDUCATION

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY IN FINNISH EDUCATION Trends and Developments in Tertiary and Secondary Education OCCASIONAL PAPER

2 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education International mobility in Finnish education Trends and developments in tertiary and secondary education Pirjo Zirra OCCASIONAL PAPER 1/2006 Centre for International Mobility CIMO 1

3 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Centre for International Mobility CIMO ISBN (printed) ISBN (pdf) ISSN

4 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Contents Preface and Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 6 1. Foreign diploma students in tertiary education 7 2. Recipients of student financial aid in tertiary education Inwards and outwards credit students in tertiary education Mobility in programmes administered by CIMO Socrates/Erasmus programme Scholarship programmes International trainee placements Foreign diploma students in secondary education Foreign recipients of student financial aid in secondary education Mobility in vocational education and training 42 References 52 3

5 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Preface and Acknowledgements This publication, International mobility in Finnish education Trends and developments in tertiary and secondary education , addresses the state of art and latest developments of student mobility in higher and secondary education. The publication has a two-fold function. Firstly, it brings together in one volume the data on international mobility that could normally be obtained only from separate data sources such as Statistics Finland, the National Board of Education (NBE), Centre of International Mobility (CIMO) and the Social Insurance Institution (SII). Secondly, it seeks to provide a reliable instrument to measure progress towards the national targets set for international student mobility. The publication applies definitions and terminology that were developed in the EURODATA project 1 in which CIMO took part in This project, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), aimed to improve the quality of mobility statistics provided by national and supra-national data collectors. We wish to express our gratitude to Mr Bernd Wächter, Director of ACA, and Professor Ulrich Teichler, Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work at the University of Kassel, for their support for every individual project partner and their outstanding knowledge of international education and mobility. The encouraging experience of the EURODATA project greatly inspired the author of this statistical overview to take the initiative to write it. This report comprises two sections. The first presents foreign and mobile diploma students, as well as credit students in tertiary education. In traditional mobility terminology, diploma students may be better known as degree students and credit students as exchange students. The second section gives an insight into foreign and credit students in upper secondary education. Regarding credit mobility, the criteria and methods of data collection differ notably between tertiary and secondary education. Although the data are only partly consistent between the two sectors of education, we found it reasonable to provide them in one volume. We wish to thank the National Board of Education and Statistics Finland for their provision of up-todate data. In particular, we recognise the support provided by Mr Mika Tuononen, Senior Adviser at Statistics Finland. We express our most sincere thanks to Ms Laura Jauhola, Programme Coordinator at CIMO, for sharing her expertise in mobility statistics regarding vocational education and training. We also wish to thank Ms Mira Jortikka who greatly contributed to the publication as a university trainee in summer Kelo M. & Teichler U. & Wächter B. (eds.) EURODATA Student mobility in European higher education. Bonn: Lemmens

6 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Reliable and up-to-date statistical data are important and valuable policy information. We hope that this publication proves to be useful to those responsible for target setting, monitoring and implementing international mobility in public administration or in educational institutions. We also hope that the data provided in this report will serve as a helpful instrument to all, in Finland and abroad, who are tracking information on international student mobility in Finnish education. Pirjo Zirra Head of Surveys, Evaluations and Analyses Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) Ulla Ekberg Director Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) 5

7 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Introduction Internationalisation has been the focus of Finnish higher education policy since the early 1990 s, and mobility of students is one of the quantitative targets set for the performance management of higher education institutions by the Ministry of education. In secondary education, internationalisation has come to be emphasised as an important element enhanced by national subsidies and international mobility programmes. Consequently, there is a great need for comprehensive and up-to-date information on the progress of internationalisation in general, and mobility of students in particular. The publication at hand seeks to give an overview of recent developments of student mobility in Finnish education, but also to pay attention to availability of statistical data on this phenomenon. The data presented in numerous tables and charts were obtained from various providers of statistical information, such as Statistics Finland, the Social Insurance Institution, the National Board of Education and Centre for International Mobility CIMO. The statistics of the above organisations have been produced and developed for purposes that are different from each other. Thus, the picture of international mobility this publication aims to give, can be regarded as comprehensive as possible within the limits of the data available. The publication is structured into two parts comprising seven chapters. The first and largest part focuses on foreign students and student mobility in tertiary education while the second part gives an insight into the phenomenon in upper secondary education. Due to differences in implementation of mobility, as well as in data collection systems between the two sectors of 6 education, the scope and contents of the chapters vary respectively. Chapter 1 presents and analyses data on foreign diploma students taking their higher education degree in Finland. The chapter raises the question of mobile and non mobile foreign diploma students indicating that those foreign students who have selected Finland as their country of study are notably fewer than the statistics based on foreign nationality suggest. Chapter 2 presents the declining trend of Finnish recipients of student financial aid abroad. Chapter 3 provides an overview of inwards and outwards credit students who take part of their higher education degree in a foreign higher education institution. The chapter shows that inwards mobility is strongly centred on Europe and very dependent on the Erasmus programme. Chapter 4 offers a more thorough look into the development of credit mobility channelled through the programmes funded and/or administered by CIMO. Chapters 5 and 6 present the trend of numbers of foreign students in upper secondary education indicating rising figures for vocational education and stabile figures for general education. Chapter 7 presents and analyses student mobility in vocational education and training. Disregarding some shortages in the data collection, the chapter provides a wide range of versatile information on in general growing trend of mobility in vocational education.

8 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education TERTIARY EDUCATION 1. Foreign diploma students in tertiary education This article gives an insight into foreign diploma students in Finnish tertiary education. 2 Foreign diploma students are students who take their whole degree at a foreign higher education institution, and are non-citizens of the country of study. Foreign students are considered mobile when they have completed their education prior to higher education studies in another country, and/or they are not residents of the country of study. Correspondingly, foreign students who acquired their prior education in the country of study, and/or who are permanently residing therein are regarded as non- mobile. The data on foreign diploma students as presented below were obtained from the data collections of Statistics Finland. Statistics Finland annually collects the data on all education leading to an officially recognised degree or qualification in the Finnish regular education system from preprimary education to adult education. Statistics Finland is also the body responsible for the international UOE (Unesco, OECD, Eurostat) data collection. In the Finnish UOE reporting, foreign students are students who have a citizenship other than Finnish and who take their whole degree at a Finnish higher education institution. The data used in this article are derived from Statistics Finland s contribution to the UOE data collections Because Statistics Finland did not distinguish mobile foreign diploma students until the 2005 UOE data collection, the data include all diploma students with a foreign citizenship. Trend of the number of foreign students As presented in Table 1.1, the number of foreign diploma students has risen markedly by more than 2000 students and 40 per cent over the past five years. Measured against all students, the percentage of foreign students, however, has remained small (2.6%) with a modest growth of 0.5 percent from 2000 to According to the Development Plan for Education and Research by the Ministry of Education 3, the proportion of foreign degree students should be four percent by The target can be considered ambitious taking into account the fact that the relative share of foreign students has risen slowly so far. Table 1.1. Foreign diploma students Year All students Foreign students % ,185 5, ,628 6, ,805 6, ,664 7, ,888 7, Source: Statistics Finland 2 Finnish tertiary education comprises 20 universities and 31 polytechnics. The universities award the lower university degree corresponding to the Bachelor s degree, the higher university degree equal to the Master s degree, and the Doctor s degree (ISCED 5/6 levels). The polytechnic degree and the post-graduate polytechnic degree correspond to the Bachelor s and respectively the Master s degree (ISCED 5). 3 Development Plan for Education and Research Ministry of Education. Helsinki. 7

9 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table 1.2. Foreign diploma students by level of study 2004 Level of study All students % Foreign students % ISCED 5 278, , ISCED 6 21, , Total 299, Source: Statistics Finland Gender Contrary to all tertiary students, more than half of foreign students are male. In 2004, the number of male students was (55%) and that of females (45%). Of the total number of students, females constituted 53 percent in Level of study Table 1.2 presents foreign diploma students by level of study. The data are provided at ISCED levels (International Standard Classification of Education). ISCED 5 includes studies leading to the lower or higher university degree, as well as to the polytechnic degree and post-graduate Table 1.3. Foreign diploma students by field of study 2004 Field of Study % All students % Foreign students Education Humanities and Arts Social Sciences, Business and Law Science Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction Agriculture Health and Welfare Services Total polytechnic degree. In Bologna terms, ISCED 5 level equals the Bachelor and Master levels, and ISCED 6 corresponds to the Doctor level. A vast majority of foreign students are taking the Bachelor s or the Master s degree (81 %). Almost every fifth foreign student aims to acquire the Doctor s degree. The percentage of Doctor students (19%) is thus notably higher among foreign students than among all students (7%). Field of study Most foreign students pursue studies in the fields of Engineering (30%), Social Sciences, Business and Law (25%) and Humanities and Arts (17%). Regarding the field of study, there are hardly any differences between foreign and all students. More than two thirds of the total student population study in the three biggest fields of education (Table 1.3). Country of nationality Table 1.4 presents foreign diploma students by country of nationality from 2000 to The listing of countries follows the practice of the EURODATA project. The 32 European countries include the 25 member states of the European Union, the four member states of EEA, and Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The majority of foreign diploma students (62%) are nationals of other than 32 European countries. Correspondingly, the Europe 32 countries make up a little less than 40 per cent of all countries of nationality. Source: Statistics Finland 8

10 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table 1.4. Foreign diploma students by country of nationality Country of nationality Europe 32 countries AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CH Switzerland CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FI Finland host country * * * * * FR France GB United Kingdom GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein LT Lithuania LU Luxembourg LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden SI Slovenia SK Slovakia TR Turkey Total Europe 32 countries 2,268 2,503 2,654 2,827 2,957 > 9

11 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Country of nationality Other countries and regions Other European Countries 852 1,007 1,112 1,277 1,358 including Russian Federation ,079 1,140 Northern America including United States of America Latin America and the Caribbean including Mexico including Brazil Africa Asia 1,367 1,621 1,698 1,867 2,192 including China 817 1,007 1,026 1,107 1,308 including India including Japan Oceania Total other countries and regions 3,228 3,734 3,973 4,399 4,901 Not specified Total foreign students 5,570 6,288 6,760 7,361 7,915 Source: Statistics Finland The Chinese form the largest group (17%) followed by the Russians (14%). Together, these two leading nationalities make up one third of all foreign nationalities. The Estonians and the Swedes each count for seven percent of the foreign student population. The number of foreign students has risen some 40 percent over the last five years. Among the leading nationalities, the Russians and Chinese, the growth has been markedly above the average. The number of Russian students even rose over 70 percent and that of Chinese 60 percent. In parallel, the number of Estonian students increased some 20 percent and that of Swedish only three percent (until 2003). It seems that the profile of Finland as a host to foreign diploma students is to a great extent focused only on two countries. Mobile and non-mobile foreign students So far there have been no statistical criteria for distinguishing mobile students from all foreign students. For the UOE report of 2005, Statistics Finland for the first time introduced prior education as a criterion for mobile foreign students. Prior education denotes a qualification that gives eligibility for higher education, e.g. the matriculation examination, a vocational qualification or a corresponding qualification acquired abroad. In 2004, the students at Bachelor s/master s level without a Finnish prior education qualification numbered in total The number of Finnish citizens was and that of foreign citizens The number of mobile foreign students (5 067) was thus noticeably smaller than the total number of foreign students (7 915). Those foreign students who had selected Finland as the country of their study constituted 64 percent of all students with foreign nationality in

12 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education 2. Recipients of student financial aid in tertiary education This article provides data on foreign recipients of student financial aid in Finland, as well as on Finnish recipients of student financial help abroad. The data are derived from the statistics of the Social Insurance Institution, Finland (SII) that registers all students who benefit from the student financial aid. 4 According to the eligibility requirements for student financial aid, foreign beneficiaries can be considered permanent residents in Finland, whereas Finnish student financial aid recipients abroad are regarded as temporary residents in their country of study. For studies in Finland, student financial aid can be granted to Finnish citizens, employed persons from EU/EEA member states and their dependent spouse and children, and others who are not Finnish citizens, provided that they have been resident in Finland for at least two years in a capacity other than that of a student and their residence can be considered permanent. For studies outside Finland, student financial aid can be granted to Finnish citizens and employed persons from EU/EEA member states and their dependent spouse and children, provided that they have been resident in Finland for at least two years prior to the start of their studies and the residence abroad can be regarded temporary. Financial help with studies that take place outside Finland is given insofar as the studies correspond to Finnish studies that would be covered by the student financial aid provisions or alternatively form a part of a Finnish degree programme. 5 It should be borne in mind that the data of SII are minimum data on foreign students and Finnish students abroad covering only those students who receive student financial aid. Recipients of student financial aid have recently made up some 60 percent of all students at Finnish higher education institutions. Foreign recipients of student financial aid Table 2.1 presents foreign students and foreign recipients of student financial aid by ten top counties of nationality. The comparison between the two sets of data indicates that one third of the foreign students (2 077) were permanent residents in From this perspective, foreign students who had entered the country for the purpose of study made up some 70 per cent of all foreign students in It seems that half of the Russian, some 40 percent of the Estonian and one third of Swedish students reside permanently in Finland. On the contrary, almost all Chinese students seem to be non-resident. 4 Kelan opintoetuustilasto [Statistics on student financial aid by SII] 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04. Kansaneläkelaitos. Tilastoryhmä. Helsinki. 5 Kansaneläkelatoksen tilastollinen vuosikirja Statistical Yearbook of the Social Insurance Institution, Finland Kansaneläkelaitoksen julkaisuja TI:39. A publication by the Social Institution TI:39. Helsinki. 11

13 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Although the figures based on the comparison above are only indicative, it can be estimated that the number of foreign students who select Finland as their country of study is notably lower than the statistics based only on foreign nationality suggest. In order to provide a more reliable and versatile picture of foreign and mobile students, Statistics Finland will study the possibility to apply to permanent resident status along prior education as a criterion for mobile/non-mobile foreign diploma students. Table 2.1. Foreign students and foreign recipients of student financial aid 2003/2004 Recipients of student financial aid abroad The number of Finnish diploma students abroad has declined slightly but steadily by some 15 percent over the past five years (Table 2.2). Almost all leading target countries of Finnish students have lost their attractiveness to some extent: the United Kingdom (-23%), Germany (-19%) and the United States of America (-49%). The Oceanic countries, Australia and New Zealand are the only countries where the numbers of Finnish diploma students have recently risen. In all, the beneficiaries of student financial help abroad make up less than three per cent of all recipients of student financial aid. All foreign students Country of nationality Foreign recipients of student financial aid Country of nationality Rank Rank RU Russian 1 CN China 1,308 1 Federation 569 RU Russian 2 Federation 1,140 2 EE Estonia EE Estonia SE Sweden SE Sweden DE Germany GB United Kingdom 69 DE Germany 60 US United States of America CN China 55 7 KE Kenya US United States of America 53 8 IN India IR Iran 44 9 FR France SO Somalia PO Poland NE Niger 28 Total 4,634 Total 1,315 Other 3,281 Other 762 Grand total 7,915 Grand total 2,077 Source: Statistics Finland Source: Social Insurance Institution (SII) 12

14 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table 2.2. Recipients of student financial aid abroad 1999/ /2004 Host country 1999/ / / / / 2004 Europe 32 countries AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CH Switzerland CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FI Finland home country * * * * * FR France GB United Kingdom 2,122 2,031 1,873 1,778 1,636 GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein LT Lithuania LU Luxembourg LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden ,005 SI Slovenia SK Slovakia TR Turkey Total Europe 32 countries 4,387 4,304 4,071 4,010 3,848 > 13

15 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Host country 1999/ / / / / 2004 Other countries and regions Other European Countries including Russian Federation Northern America including United States of America Latin America and the Caribbean Africa Asia Oceania Total other countries and regions Unknown Total 5,186 5,014 4,708 4,588 4,383 Recipients of student financial aid in Finland 143, , , , ,399 Total student financial aid recipients 149, , , , ,782 Source: Social Insurance Institution (SII) 14

16 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education 3. Inwards and outwards credit students in tertiary education The data provided in this article are derived from the data collections of the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO). 6 CIMO annually collects the data on Finnish and international credit students. A credit student denotes a student who takes a part of his/her degree studies abroad, in the form of study or practical training. CIMO s data collection was initiated by the Finnish Ministry of Education and forms a part of the performance management of higher education. 7 The performance agreements concluded between the Ministry and the higher education institutions determine quantitative and qualitative targets, the resources needed to achieve these targets, the monitoring and evaluation of outcome, and further development of operations. Internationalisation has been a focus of national higher education policy since the early 1990 s, and student mobility is one of the quantitative targets set for the performance management period CIMO s data collection covers 20 universities and 29 polytechnics governed by the Ministry of Education. 8 The data are collected annually by 31 January of the succeeding year. The inwards credit mobile students are identified by nationality and country of origin. The country of origin refers to the country where a student is enrolled at a higher education institution for studies leading to a formal degree or qualification. The outwards credit mobile students are identified by country of destination. This denotes a country where a student is taking a part of his/her higher education degree. Due to the performance management criteria set by the Ministry of Education, CIMO s data collection makes a distinction between the mobilities lasting three months or more and the mobilities lasting less than three months. Due the individual-level data being collected only for the long-term mobilities, the data on credit mobility presented in this article include the long-term mobilities only. CIMO s data collection covers all types of mobility arrangements, such as mobilities based on transnational or bilateral mobility programmes, scholarship schemes or individual arrangements (free movers). Trend of credit mobility Chart 3.1 shows the trend of credit mobility at both sectors of higher education over the period Inwards mobility has been notably 6 Aalto P , Aalto P , Aalto P. & Garam I , Aalto P. & Garam I , Garam I. & Jortikka M. & Zirra P Kansainvälinen liikkuvuus yliopistoissa ja ammattikorkeakouluissa. [International Mobility in Universities and Polytechnics]. CIMO Publications 4/2001, 3/2002, 2/2003, 2/2004, 1/2005. Kansainvälisen henkilövaihdon keskus CIMO. Helsinki. 7 Ministry of Education Management and Steering of Higher Education in Finland. Publications of the Ministry of Education, Finland 2004:20. Helsinki. 8 The data collection of CIMO does not cover Åland Polytechnic and Police College governed by other bodies than the Ministry of Education. 15

17 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Chart 3.1. Trend of credit mobility Inwards (Universities) Outwards (Universities) Inwards (Polytechnics) Outwards (Polytechnics) > growing by 36 percent at universities and 81 percent at polytechnics. The year 2003 was a turning point when the number of incoming students exceeded that of the outgoing in the university sector. Compared to inwards mobility, outwards mobility at universities has almost stabilised with a modest growth of eight percent over the past five years. The data collection of 2004 showed an increase of over 10 percent from 2003 to 2004 that may indicate an exceptional year, but also a start of growing interest in study abroad. In the polytechnic sector, outwards mobility has been steadily growing by 36 percent from 2000 to Gender Table 3.1 provides the data on inwards and outwards credit mobility by gender. Among incoming students, both genders have been evenly represented while a vast majority of outgoing students have been female (70%). Balance between inwards and outwards mobility The balance between inwards and outwards mobility has reached the optimum (see Table 3.2). At universities, the proportion of inwards students is slightly over 100 percent meaning that the universities receive more international students than they send abroad. At polytechnics, the proportion of incoming students is slightly lower, some 70 percent. This unbalance is attributable to incoming trainees who, having been recruited straight to companies, are not registered at the polytechnics. Disregarding the trainees, the inwards and outwards student flows are well balanced in the polytechnic sector, too. Table 3.1. Credit mobility by gender Type of mobility 2000 % female 2001 % female 2002 % female 2003 % female 2004 % female Inwards 4, , , , , Outwards 6, , , , , Total 11, , , , , Source: CIMO 16

18 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table 3.2. Balance between inwards and outwards credit mobility Year Proportion of inwards students at universities (%) Proportion of inwards students at polytechnics (%) Source: CIMO Mobile and non-mobile students In 2004, outwards credit students made up 2.7 percent of all students in Finnish higher education. In Finland, it is a national practice to measure the number of outgoing students against the annual intake instead of all students. In the university sector, the proportion of outgoing students of the annual intake has been some 20 percent indicating that every fifth student has been mobile. The polytechnic sector falls slightly behind; there the percentage of mobile students of the annual intake has been 15 at the highest. However, outwards mobility has increased steadily also at polytechnics. (Table 3.3). Level of study The degrees awarded by the universities are the lower university degree equal to the Bachelor s (180 credits), the higher university degree corresponding to the Master s (120 credits), the Licentiate, and the Doctor s degree. 9 The polytechnics provide the polytechnic degree ( credits) and the postgraduate polytechnic degree. 10 The degrees awarded by the Finnish higher education institutions correspond to ISCED levels 5/6 in the university sector and 5 in the polytechnic sector. Almost all credit students are studying at ISCED 5 level (Table 3.4). A very small percentage of doctoral students (1.5%) is greatly attributable to Table 3.3. Outwards credit students measured against annual intake Year Universities Annual intake* Outwards students % outwards students of annual intake Polytechnics Annual intake* Outwards students % outwards students of annual intake ,919 3, ,772 2, ,651 3, ,639 3, ,013 3, ,938 3, ,933 3, ,806 3, ,461 4, ,411 3, Source: CIMO *Source: Ministry of Education 17

19 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education the Erasmus programme that makes up a half of total credit mobility (see Charts 3.2a and 3.2b). It is estimated that only about one percent of Erasmus students are ISCED 6 level students. It is also evident that universities register Doctor s level students as research staff members rather than as students. Field of study The data on field of study are collected according to the Education Administration s Classification (Opetushallinnon koulutusalaluokitus), and were converted to ISCED using the Standard Classification of Education Handbook by Statistics Finland. Table 3.5 shows credit students by field of study in 2000 and A notable majority of inwards and outwards credit students (80%) study in the fields of Social Science, Business and Law, Engineering and Humanities and Arts. These fields of education have maintained their leading position through the past years. Country of origin of inwards students Table 3.6 presents inwards credit students by country of origin Inwards credit mobility is strongly Europe centred. In 2004, the proportion of Europe 32 countries made up 85 Table 3.4. Credit students by level of study 2004 Level of study Inwards Outwards Total % ISCED 5 7,138 8,039 15, ISCED Not specified Total 7,237 8,241 15, Source: CIMO Table 3.5. Credit students by field of study 2000 and 2004 Field of study % Inwards students % Outwards students Education Humanities and Arts Social science, Business and Law Science Engineering Agriculture Health and Welfare Services Not specified Total Source: CIMO 9 Government Decree on University Degrees 794/ Government Decree amending the Government Decree on Polytechnics 411/

20 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education per cent of all countries of origin. The top five countries were Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland. Among other countries and regions, the leading countries were the Russian Federation, the United States of America and China. Inwards mobility has developed successfully with a notable growth of some 50 per cent over the past five years. Mobility from Germany and Austria, for instance, has doubled and that from Lithuania has tripled. The rising trend concerns most of the countries of origin, except the United Kingdom. In case of the Nordic countries, the numbers of incoming students have been rather low compared to other European countries. In terms of mobility, the role of African and Oceanic countries is almost insignificant. Country of destination of outwards students Table 3.7 provides data on outwards credit students by country of destination. CIMO s data collection does not distinguish outgoing students by nationality, so foreign diploma students who take a part of their degree outside Finland are included in the data set. Compared to inwards credit mobility, outwards mobility has been more stable with a growth of 20 percent over the five year period. Outwards mobility also focuses on Europe, yet to a lesser degree than inwards mobility. In 2004, the Europe 32 countries made up74 percent of all countries of destination. The five most attractive target countries were Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands. Among other countries and regions, the top target countries were the same as top countries of origin: the United States of America, the Russian Federation and China. Even though outwards mobility has been Europe centred, the growth of mobility has been bigger among other countries and regions (41%) than among the 32 European countries (14%). Most target countries have increased their attractiveness as countries of study, except the United Kingdom and Ireland. Finland is sending notably more students to African and Oceanic countries than it is receiving from there. Outwards mobility to Africa and Oceania has more than doubled over the past five years. Table 3.6. Inwards credit students by country of origin Country of origin Europe 32 countries AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CH Switzerland CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany ,081 1,206 DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FI Finland host country * * * * * FR France > 19

21 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Country of origin GB United Kingdom GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein LT Lithuania LU Luxembourg LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden SI Slovenia SK Slovakia TR Turkey Total Europe 32 countries 3,943 4,592 5,074 5,635 6,187 Other countries and regions Other European Countries including Russian Federation Northern America including United States of America Latin America and the Caribbean including Mexico Africa Asia including China including India including Japan Oceania Total other countries and regions ,040 Not specified Total inwards students 4,805 5,496 6,026 6,616 7,237 Source: CIMO 20

22 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table 3.7. Outwards credit students by country of destination Country of destination Europe 32 countries AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CH Switzerland CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FI Finland home country * * * * * FR France GB United Kingdom 1, GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein LT Lithuania LU Luxembourg LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden SI Slovenia SK Slovakia TR Turkey Total Europe 32 countries 5,366 5,775 5,684 5,799 6,119 > 21

23 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Country of destination Other countries and regions Other European Countries including Russian Federation Northern America including United States of America Latin America and the Caribbean including Mexico Africa Asia including China including India including Japan Oceania Total other countries and regions 1,481 1,652 1,708 1,716 2,083 Not specified Total outwards students 6,880 7,475 7,434 7,555 8,241 Source: CIMO Arrangement of mobility Chart 3.2a presents inwards credit mobility by programme in 2000 and The comparison between the years shows that that the dominance of the Erasmus programme as a channel of inwards mobility has even increased between the year 2000 (66 %) and 2004 (75 %). The proportion of individual arrangements (free movers) has grown notably from around zero to six percent. In parallel, the percentage of not specified cases has declined from nine to zero, which can be seen as an indication of the improved data collection. Regarding outwards mobility, the proportion of the Erasmus programme is still high, about a half of total outgoing mobility, but not as dominant as in the case of inwards mobility (see chart 3.2b). In other aspects, the development has been parallel with inwards mobility. The proportion of free movers has grown by 12 percent while that of not specified cases has declined some 15 percent. 22

24 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Chart 3.2 Inwards and outwards credit mobility by programme 2000 and Free mover 0,3 Not specified 8,9 Erasmus 66,2 Other programme 12, HEI s own agreement 12,3 Free mover 5.6 Other programme 9,2 Not specified 0,4 Chart 3.2a. Inwards credit mobility by programme 2000 and 2004 HEI s own agreements 9,8 Erasmus 75,0 % 2000 Not specified 17,4 Erasmus 47,0 Free mover 1,5 Other programme 16, HEI s own agreement 18,0 Free mover 13,2 Not specified 2,2 Erasmus 48,5 Other programme 18,1 Chart 3.2b. Outwards credit mobility by programme 2000 and 2004 HEI s own agreement 18,0 23

25 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education 4. Mobility in programmes administered by CIMO This chapter presents student mobility funded and/or administered by CIMO. As an organisation that functions under the Ministry of Education, CIMO is subject to performance management by the Ministry. The quantitative targets for international student mobility are set in yearly agreements concluded by CIMO and the Ministry of Education. In tertiary education, CIMO administers a wide range of mobility programmes such as Socrates/Erasmus, bilateral and transnational scholarship schemes and international trainee programmes Socrates/Erasmus programme The Erasmus programme has proved the most important arrangement of international mobility in Finnish higher education. In 2004, some 60 percent of all student mobility took place through Erasmus (see Charts 3.2a and 3.2b). The data collected for the national Erasmus reports to the European Commission are included in CIMO s data collection on total student mobility in tertiary education. The definitions and criteria of CIMO s data collection are described in Chapter 3. The data provided in this article are based on national reports to the Commission and derived from the annual reports of CIMO The data include inwards and outwards Erasmus students by gender, country of student s home institution (country of origin) and country of student s host institution (country of destination). The data on field of study are excluded since they are not obtainable by ISCED classification in Erasmus statistics. In 2004, inwards and outwards Erasmus students totalled Outgoing Erasmus students Chart Mobility in the Erasmus programme Inwards Outwards > 11 Kansainvälisen henkilövaihdon keskus (CIMO)/Centre for International Mobility CIMO. CIMOn vuosi/cimo in 2001, 2002, 2003, Helsinki. 24

26 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table Inwards Erasmus students by country of origin Country AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FR France GB United Kingdom GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein LT Lithuania LU Luxemburg LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden SI Slovenia SK Slovakia Total 3,134 3,554 3,863 4,577 5,116 Source: CIMO counted for 1.3 percent of all students that is slightly above the EU average. Measured against the annual intake, the outgoing Erasmus students made up eight percent. This means that every twelfth student took part in the programme. Some 70 percent of outwards Erasmus students are female, that equals the proportion of female among all outwards credit students. Chart shows the trend of Erasmus mobility over the past five years. The total mobility has increased some 40 percent, which is mostly attributable to inwards mobility. The number of incoming students has risen over 60 percent while the growth of outwards mobility has been markedly smaller, at only 13 percent. In terms of balance of mobility, the year 2001 was a turning 25

27 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table Outwards Erasmus students by country of destination Country AT Austria BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic DE Germany DK Denmark EE Estonia ES Spain FR France GB United Kingdom GR Greece HU Hungary IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LT Lithuania LV Latvia MT Malta NL The Netherlands NO Norway PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SE Sweden SI Slovenia SK Slovakia Total 3,486 3,286 3,289 3,402 3,951 Source: CIMO point when the number of incoming Erasmus students exceeded that of outgoing. Table presents inwards Erasmus students by country of origin. The three top countries of origin have been Germany, France and Spain. In 2004, these countries made up over 40 percent of total inwards Erasmus mobility. Erasmus mobility has grown from most countries of origin, except Estonia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Table provides data on outwards Erasmus students by country of destination. The three top target countries of Finnish students have been Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. These countries counted for over 40 percent of total outwards Erasmus mobility in Parallel to inwards mobility, outwards mobility has increased to most target countries, except the United Kingdom. 26

28 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education 4.2. Scholarship programmes CIMO awards and administers scholarships for students, researchers, teachers and administrative staff of universities. In this article, the focus is on mobility of undergraduate and postgraduate students in tertiary education. 12 Chapter 3 provided an overview of the total credit mobility in higher education whereas this article intends to give a more thorough look at mobility based on CIMO s scholarship schemes only. The data are derived from CIMO s annual reports In these reports, the data are provided by country of nationality (inwards students) and by country of destination (outwards students). The annual reports do not provide data on field of study or gender. The data in this article include such mobility that lasts for three months or more, with the exception of the Nordic Grant Scheme that includes several short visits. Each scholarship programme is directed towards a different target group. The undergraduate scholarships promote advanced studies of the Finnish language, as well as student mobility between Finland and specified target countries and areas such as the Russian Federation and the sub- Saharan African countries. These programmes are called Finnish in Finland, FIRST Finnish-Russian Student Exchange Programme and North-South. The statistical data on mobility within the North-South pilot programme were not obtainable by the completion of this publication. CIMO s scholarships are mainly targeted at postgraduate students who have completed their Master level studies. Scholarships for postgraduate studies are granted through programmes such as CIMO Fellowships and Finnish Government Scholarship Pool. Trend of mobility in CIMO s scholarship programme In 2004, the total number of scholarship holders was 985. The number of inwards students was 653 and that of outwards notably lower, 332 students. Chart Mobility in CIMO s scholarship programmes Inwards Outwards > 12 Programmes not presented in this article are Travel grants to Asia, Teacher exchange with Latin America and Finnish- Hungarian Scientific-Technological Cooperation because the scholarships are awarded only for teachers and researchers in these programmes. Mobility in these programmes makes up some five percent of all scholarship mobility. 27

29 OCCASIONAL PAPER International mobility in Finnish education Table Inwards mobility in CIMO s scholarship programmes Programme Bilateral scholarships ** FIRST Nordic Grant Scheme* CIMO Fellowships Finnish language programme Kindred Nations Programme north2north Baltia Total *includes several short visits **Finnish Government Scholarship Pool Source: CIMO Chart shows the development of mobility in CIMO s scholarship programmes over the past five years. The trend can be described as fairly stable with a slight decrease of some four per cent. The decrease has not been linear. The total number of students grew until the year 2002 after which it has been slightly declining. Mobility based on scholarship programmes has been strongly focused on inwards mobility. The proportion of incoming students has been some 65 percent of that of outgoing. This is greatly attributable to programmes such as CIMO Fellowships and FIRST which are targeted at inwards students only. Mobility by programme Table presents inwards mobility by programme The most important scholarship programmes are CIMO Fellowships, Nordic Grant Scheme, FIRST and Bilateral scholarships 13. These four programmes accounted for 82 percent of all inwards mobility in Although the overall trend in inwards mobility has been stable, there are notable differences between individual programmes. Mobility channelled through the Nordic Grant Scheme, for example, has notably declined by some 40 per cent over the past five years. In parallel, the number of the FIRST scholarship holders has become five times higher. Table Outwards mobility in CIMO s scholarship programmes Programme Bilateral scholarships FIRST Nordic Grant Scheme* Russian scholarships to Finns north2north College of Europe Total *includes several short visits Source: CIMO Annual reports From the year 2004 onwards Finnish Government Scholarship Pool 28