B/2017 Statistics on foreign degree in Finnish higher education institutions in 201 BACKGROUND Completing a higher education degree abroad is a growing phenomenon globally. Asian, in particular, often get an education somewhere else than in their own country. Higher education institutions are actively recruiting from abroad. Finland, too, considers international degree essential for the internationalisation of higher education. The Ministry of Education and Culture has made facilitating the arrival of international and guaranteeing good services for them one of the objectives of its policies for the internationalisation of higher education and research. Finnish higher education institutions now face a new situation as they have been charging tuition fees for non-eu/eea since autumn 2017. The fees are likely to affect the number of international, how their nationalities are distributed and, consequently, internationalisation more widely. It is therefore especially important to monitor the development now. This Facts Express publication looks at the statistics that has been compiled on foreign completing a degree in Finnish higher education institutions and on foreign applicants to Finnish higher education institutions. In this context, foreign means other than Finnish citizens. The statistics on foreign degree are from 201, which is the last reference year before the introduction of tuition fees. The statistics on foreign applicants cover those who applied to degree programmes that started in autumn 2017. The information on foreign has been obtained from Statistics Finland. The information on foreign applicants and selected candidates comes from the statistical service Vipunen and is from October 2017. Also, statistics and graphics on internationalisation from different points of view and from different levels of education have been collected to the online service of the Internationalisation services of the Finnish National Agency for Education. More statistics: vipunen.fi www.cimo.fi statistics on internationalisation Facts Express 5A/2017: Tilastoja korkeakouluopiskelijoiden ulkomaanjaksoista 201 ( Statistics on international mobility periods of higher education in 201 )
THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS HAS TRIPLED IN THE 21ST CENTURY NUMBER OF FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS IN FINNISH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 2001 201 22 000 21 01 In 201, more than 21,000 foreign degree were studying in Finnish higher education institutions. Their number has tripled during the 21st century. The growth was especially fast between 200 and 2011, whereas the number of has remained fairly stable in recent years. Foreign degree are distributed fairly evenly over the sectors of universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS). In 201, universities had 11,194 foreign and UASs 9,87. Student numbers have been developing at the same pace in both sectors. 1 500 11 000 5 500 0 877 4 03 2 814 11 194 9 87 Total Universities Universities of applied sciences 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 201 MOST COMMON NATIONALITIES AMONG FOREIGN STUDENTS IN 201 Number of Russia Vietnam China Nepal India Pakistan Estonia Iran Germany 2 011 948 1 895 21 55 1 223 84 320 94 85 132 580 40 289 5 559 242 379 A total of 44% of foreign study a Bachelor s degree at UASs, 33% a Master s degree at universities and 17% complete a doctorate. Only few international study a Master s degree at UASs or a Bachelor s degree at universities. Foreign account for 7.1% of all higher education, which is more than the average in the OECD countries 1. At the beginning of the 21st century, only 2.5% of were foreign. Bangladesh Nigeria United States Sweden United Kingdom Ghana Italy Spain Kenya 194 425 301 29 242 379 204 223 144 203 10 178 3 24 74 243 249 53 Universities of applied sciences Universities France 135 133 1 OECD: Education at a Glance 2017 Cameron 18 2 750 1 500 2 250 3 000
FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE 201 No tuition fees. The number of started to fall for the first time. Students most commonly came from Sweden, Germany, Russia, Denmark and China. The numbers of EU/EEA and non-eu/eea were equal. The number of EU/EEA nationals has grown faster than that of non-eu/eea nationals. All pay tuition fees. The number of foreign has been rising steadily. Foreign THE NETHERLANDS 81 400 foreign accounted for 11.4% of all. 27% of came from Germany, which was the most common coutry of origin. China, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Greece and Bulgaria were the next most common ones. Especially the importance of southern and eastern Europe as an area for recruiting has grown. NORWAY 25 400 foreign GERMANY 222 900 foreign SWEDEN 21 200 foreign during term 2015 201 5 200 paid tuition fees. Non-EU/ETA have paid tuition fees since autumn 2011. The number of new is growing, but is still a third lower than before the fees. Of new, 29% came from Europe and 23% from Asia; for 41% of, then country of origin was recorded as unknown. The most common nationalities were Indian, Finnish and Chinese. Some higher education institutions may charge tuition fees. The number of foreign has been increasing. Foreign nationals accounted for 9.2.% of university and.1% of UAS. The most common countries of origin were China, India, Russia, Austria and Cameroon. Sources Sweden:Universitetskanslersämbetet: Internationell studentmobilitet i högskolan 2015/1 Norway: www.siu.no/data-analyse-og-prioriterte-samarbeidsland/analyse/studentmobilitet/utenlandske-studenter-i-norge The Netherlands: Huberts, Daan: Update: Incoming student mobility in Dutch higher education 201-17. Nuffic 2017 Germany: DAAD & DZHW: Wissenschaft weltoffen 2017 The proportion of foreign nationals varies at different degree levels: 7% of those who completed a Bachelor s degree at UASs, almost 13% of those who completed a Master s degree at universities and 20% of doctoral were foreign nationals. Of all foreign degree,,013 were first-year in 201. In the entire higher education sector, 9.4% of new were foreign nationals: 7.8% of first-year at UASs and 11.7% of first-year at universities. Foreign nationals completed a total of 3,99 higher education degrees, which is.9% of all degrees. They accounted for 7.1% of UAS graduates and.8% of university graduates. THE MAJORITY OF FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS CAME FROM OUTSIDE THE EU/ETA Of foreign degree, 77% were non-eu/eea nationals: 81% of at UASs and 74% of university. The largest number of came from Asia (45%) and Europe (39%). The proportion of Africans was 10%. The proportion of Asian has grown and, correspondingly, the share of European and African has decreased. Ten years ago, almost one half, or 48% of came from Europe, 31% from Asia and 14% from Africa. The proportion of coming from outside the EU/EEA has grown, as it was 9% in 200. The most common nationalities held by foreign were Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese or Nepalese. Russian, Vietnamese and Nepalese mainly study at UASs and Chinese at universities. The three largest nationality groups at UASs - Russian, Vietnamese and Nepalese - together accounted for almost one half (48%) of all foreign. There was more variety at universities as the three most common nationalities -
Chinese, Russian and Indian - together accounted for one quarter (2%) of all foreign nationals. The distribution of nationalities has changed as ten years ago, the most common nationalities among were Chinese and Russian, while Estonian, Swedish and German were the next most common ones. The number of Vietnamese and Nepalese has grown hugely in ten years. Also, the number of Russian, Pakistani, Iranian, Bangladeshi and Nigerian has grown. The number or Chinese, Estonian and Kenyan, on the other hand, has remained almost the same and the number of Swedish has fallen. ONE OUT OF SEVEN STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IS A FOREIGN NATIONAL At universities, the largest number of foreign nationals study in the fields of engineering and information and communication technologies. At UASs, the largest number of foreign nationals study in the fields of business, administration and law. In both sectors, the proportion of foreign nationals is the largest among of information and communication technologies. When it comes to nationalities, the profile is slightly different in the different fields. In almost all fields at UASs, Russian and Vietnamese account for the largest number of. Fields such as business and administration as well as engineering and communication technologies also have a lot of Nepalese. Health and THE NUMBER OF CHINESE STUDENT FALLING IN FINLAND For a long time, Chinese were by far the largest group of foreign at Finnish higher education institutions. In 2012, their number totalled 2,177, but started to fall after that. The fall can most clearly be seen at UASs and in large fields such as engineering and transport or business and administration. According to OECD statistics 2, the situation in Finland does not correspond to the global development as the number of Chinese in large destination countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany has increased. On the other hand, Finland is not alone in this situation as the number of Chinese has fallen slightly or remained the same also in some other smaller destination countries such as the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. 2 http://stats.oecd.org/ FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITIES BY FIELD OF EDUCATION IN 201 Engineering Information and ICT Arts and humanities Business, administration and law Natural sciences Social sciences Health and welfare Education Agriculture and forestry Services Universities in total Business, administration and law Engineering Information and ICT Health and welfare Services Arts and humanities Education Natural sciences Agriculture and forestry Social sciences UASs in total Number of 2 188 1 912 1 93 1 482 1 417 981 11 513 285 112 11 194 Number of 3 33 1 947 1 88 1 192 901 257 33 28 8 1 9 87 2. 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.0 12.1 9.1 % 19.5 17.1 15.1 13.2 12.7 8.8 5.5 4. 2.5 1.0 100 INTERNATIONAL DEGREE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITIES OF APPLIED SCIENCES BY FIELD OF EDUCATION IN 201 % 19.7 18.9 100 3.8 Compared to number of in the field, % 10 14 9 5 5 4 8 7 Compared to number of in the field, % 12 14 3 9 3 2 10 0 0 7
welfare are an exception as in these fields most commonly come from Kenya, China and Estonia. The range of nationalities is also wider in these fields. The nationalities of Master s at universities vary more by field. Chinese are on the top of the list in almost every field, as are often Russian, Pakistani and Vietnamese. Natural sciences stand out as there are a lot of South Asian studying in this field: most commonly from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. As regards doctoral studies, Chinese and Russian are among the top three nationalities in almost all fields of study. Arts and humanities stand out from the other fields as they have a lot of European, especially from Sweden, Russia and Italy. FOREIGN APPLICANTS, SELECTED CANDIDATES AND THOSE WHO ACCEPTED A STUDY PLACE AT UNIVERSITIES OF APPLIED SCIENCES Foreign nationals in total in autumn 201 Applicants Selected 8 920 3 041 Accepted 2 795 in autumn 2017 Change from 201 to 2017 Applicants Selected Accepted Applicants Selected Accepted 8 40 2 244 2 042 % 2% 27% EU/EEA nationals 1 320 34 340 1 18 549 507 +23% +51% +49% Other nationality 7 017 2 319 2 182 53 1 44 1 487 7% 29% 32% Nationality unknown Number of foreign nationals compared to all, % Non-EU/ETA nationals, % 583 9 % 358 9 % 273 9 % in autumn 201 252 8 % 51 7 % 48 7 % 85 % 88 % 88 % 81 % 7 % 75 % in autumn 2017 57% 8% 82% 1* 2* 2* 4* 12* 13* FOREIGN APPLICANTS, SELECTED CANDIDATES AND THOSE WHO ACCEPTED A STUDY PLACE AT UNIVERSITIES Change from 201 to 2017 *percentage points Applicants Selected Accepted Applicants Selected Accepted Applicants Selected Accepted Foreign nationals in total 11 977 4 893 3 907 8 088 2 97 2 111 32% 45% 4% EU/EEA nationals 915 235 197 1 77 40 540 N/A** N/A** N/A** Other nationality 2 050 58 380 5 729 1 808 1 38 N/A** N/A** N/A** Nationality unknown Number of foreign nationals compared to all, % Non-EU/ETA nationals, % 9 012 4 090 330 592 249 185 14 % 19 % 1 % 9 % 11 % 9 % N/A** N/A** N/A** 78 7 74 N/A** N/A** N/A** 5* 8* 7* N/A** N/A** N/A** *percentage points **Calculating the proportion and the change would not serve the purpose as the nationality of the majority of the applicants, selected candidates and those who accepted in autumn 201 has been recorded as unknown in statistics.
THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN APPLICANTS, SELECTED CANDIDDATES AND THOSE WHO ACCEPTED THE PLACE FELL Fewer foreign nationals applied to the degree programmes starting in autumn 2017 than the year before. Just over 8,400 foreign nationals applied to UASs, which is % less than the year before. Universities had just over 8,000 applicants; the fall was greater than at UASs as the number of applicants fell by 32%. Foreign nationals accounted for 8% of all applicants to UASs and for 9% of all applicants to universities. The number of selected foreign nationals and those who accepted the study fell more than the number of applicants in both sectors. A total of 81% of applicants to UASs and 7% of those who were selected were nationals of other than the EU/EEA countries, while the figures for universities were 78% and 7% respectively. The number and proportion of non- EU/EEA nationals among applicants to UASs, selected candidates and those who accepted was lower than the year before. Instead, the number of EU/EEA nationals has risen. A similar comparison in the university sector would not serve the purpose as the nationality of the majority of foreign nationals who applied to degree programmes starting in autumn 201 has been recorded as unknown. The largest number of applicants to degree programmes starting in autumn 2017 came from Asia: 35% of applicants to UASs and 34% of applicants to universities were Asian. The next most common TOP 10 NATIONALITIES AMONG APPLICANTS TO HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Universities Nationality Applicants, autumn 2017 Unknown Pakistan Nigeria Ghana China Russia India Vietnam Estonia Nepal 592 538 49 48 42 445 3 22 214 211 Of whom were selected, % continents were Europe (28% of foreign applicants to UASs and 29% to universities) and Africa (UASs 20% and universities 24%). The number and proportion of Asian applicants to UASs fell compared with the previous year, while the number of African applicants increased slightly. Africans stand out from the rest in that fewer of them are selected to degree programmes. Of African applicants, 13% Universities of applied sciences Nationality Applicants, autumn 2017 42 Nigeria 87 12 34 Nepal 59 29 17 Russia 584 45 15 Estonia 4 23 54 Vietnam 41 52 52 Ghana 380 9 40 Bangladesh 33 18 55 Kenya 333 22 21 Pakistan 299 15 41 Cameroon 273 10 Of whom were selected, % were selected to UASs and 1% to universities. About 30% of applicants from other continents are selected Nigerian and Russian applicants made up the largest number of applicants to UASs. The largest group of applicants to universities were whose nationality was unknown, which means that there are still deficiencies in the way statistics is compiled. The most likely applicants to be selected were applicants from Vietnam, Russia and China. The numbers of applicants from Vietnam (- 9%) and Russia (- 35%) fell the most among applicants to UASs. Correspondingly, the numbers of Bangladeshi (+ 5%) and Kenyan (+ 44%) increased. A comparison between those who applied to universities would not serve the purpose as the number of with unknown nationality was too large in degree programmes starting in autumn 201. ISBN: 978-952-13-44-8 (pdf) ISSN 2242-29x (pdf) Layout and graphics: Liisa Valtonen THE FINNISH NATIONAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION Hakaniemenranta, P.O. Box 380, 00531 Helsinki, Finland, tel. +358 295 331 000 Education, early childhood education and care, organisation: www.oph.fi International cooperation: www.cimo.fi