The Finnish Dream: A Pipe Dream?

A reality check for international students

Finland has been celebrated as the world’s happiest country for now eight years in a row  . However, Finland is not only the happiest country, but also the country with one of the lowest fertility rates  . In order to stabilize the pension system  , Finland decided that it needs immigration, an idea very radical for a country that was 30 years ago almost as isolated from the rest of Europe as North Korea is nowadays from the rest of Asia. At that time, the international car sign for Finland was still SF for Soviet Finland (just kidding, the S obviously stands for Sweden). Finland wants to increase immigration by attracting foreign students to pursue degrees in Finland, hoping that some of them will stay in the country after graduation. Hence, Finland has become an increasingly popular destination for international students, particularly from Asia. Lured by promises of a high-quality life, excellent education, and abundant opportunities, many invest big time to pursue a degree in one of the Finnish universities  . Ten years ago, university education was free for everybody (including all foreigners), but since since 2017, students from non-EU/EEA countries have needed to pay tuition fees  . This was not the universities’ own decision, but mandated by the government.

While the value proposition for higher education in Finland remained initially strong, a few things have changed since 2017. Most notably, the Finnish economy has taken a downturn. With a doubled budget for national defense due to the aggressive behavior of our Eastern neighbor, Russia  , the near-total halt in trade with Russia, and the general sluggish performance of Europe, the economic situation has become so bad that even many Finnish students are struggling to make ends meet. For an increasing number of international students, the Finnish dream has turned into a financial nightmare. As the study track leader of an International study program  , I have firsthand experience with the difficulties that can arise for students when many unfavorable events coincide. I cannot answer whether you should come to Finland for a university education, but you should be well-informed before you make a decision.

The marketing pitch for Finland is outdated

Education agents, particularly in South Asian countries, paint a picture of a prosperous nation eager to welcome international talent. However, that picture has been outdated for many years. At the moment, Finland is Europe’s tail light when it comes to unemployment  and economic growth (the only European country having essentially no growth in 2025!)  . The education agents highlight Finland’s top rankings in happiness and quality of life, but they do not mention that the current government has put significant roadblocks in the way of foreigners becoming equal participants in this happiness. The Finnish government’s role in this development is conflicted, because the current coalition government is deeply divided on the question of immigration. The National Coalition Party (“Kokoomus”)  is in favor of immigration because it acknowledges the fact that it’s the only way to keep the country viable in the long run. But the other major party in the coalition government (the “Finns Party”  , formerly known as “True Finns”) is truly xenophobic and would like to throw everybody out of the country who does not confirm to the blond ideal of the Northern superior race (after all this party has its roots in the Finnish Nazi circles and has been plagued by Nazi scandals  on a more or less regular basis  ). That explains why the government’s actions regarding immigration don’t follow any logical pattern or plan. The weak prime minister Petteri Orpo  follows mostly along with what the Finns Party wants, and has failed repeatedly to follow up his lukewarm lip service to non-discrimination  with actions. While Miss Finland lost her title as a consequence of a racist “joke”  , it seems that as a politician of the Finns Party, you are allowed to do or say anything without consequences. Words are a cheap apology, but that is apparently the maximum consequence that Orpo dares to dish out  . The majority of the Finns Party supporters do not want to see more foreigners in Finland. Maybe German Waffenbrüder from the AfD  would still be allowed, but certainly nothing from outside Europe.

Without a clear financing plan, studying in Finland is going to be very hard A recent investigation by Finnish public broadcaster Yle revealed that a significant number of international students, particularly from countries like Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, are falling into poverty, relying on food banks to survive  . Finland has always been a high-price, low-wage country, but now that the low-wage has turned into no-wage, the situation has become critical. Unemployment in Finland has reached an all-time high since the 2008 financial crisis, passing the 10% mark in 2025. It has become extremely difficult to find work not only for foreigners, but also for locals who have a professional network and know Finnish. In order to be granted a residence permit, students need to demonstrate a scholarship or the equivalent in money on a bank account for their first year’s living expenses ( €9600  ). However, 800€/month is often insufficient, especially in the capital region, where the actual living costs are probably closer to €1,000-€1,300/month. You might get away with 800, but this is especially difficult for foreigners who do not have the same language skills or the knowledge and support network as the local students. I remember from my own time as a foreign student here in Finland that it was not uncommon for students to borrow money simply to meet the bank statement requirement for the residence permit application, only to return it immediately after, being entirely dependent on finding some sort of income once they arrive, no matter what. There is also not much reason to believe that the situation will get better in the foreseeable future. A recent warning from the Bank of Finland  confirms that economic growth is going to be slow or even absent next year. As usual, we - the people - are blamed. We do not trust that the future will be bright, and thus we avoid spending money. I do not blame anyone who keeps consumption at a minimum, because the current government has not shown any vision for Finland’s future except for an austerity policy that hits the poor and future generations (e.g., money cuts for education).

***What expects you after graduation?***While official statistics show a slowly improving employment rate for foreign graduates— from 42% in 2018 to 53% in 2023 (three years post-graduation), this figure pales in comparison to the 87-88% employment rate for native Finnish graduates  . A 2025 article from the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat states that highly educated foreigners are struggling to find work, with many international experts now having to leave the country due to the weak employment situation  . Experts cited in the article point to the necessity of domestic networks and the Finnish language as major barriers. Even when foreign graduates find employment, it is often not in their field of expertise. According to the Finnish National Agency for Education (OPH)  , only 63% of employed foreigners work in expert positions, compared to 77% of Finns. A notable portion ends up in the cleaning or restaurant sectors. This is not to say that success in Finland is impossible. And depending on what country you are coming from, almost everything might be better than your home country. And if you have a clear financing plan, Finland still offers a high-quality education, relative safety, clean air, clean water, and lots of deep forests to get lost in.

Four pieces of advice if you consider Finland

1. Do Your Own Research! Do not rely on the information provided by education agents, Business Finland  , or Visit Finland  . Do not ask ChatGPT or any other AI! I have tried and received answers that were perhaps correct 15 years ago, but are outrageously outdated today. Connect with current students in Finland to understand the real situation. Most of the high-quality up-to-date information about Finland is only available in Finnish. Google Translator is your friend! Here is, e.g., the translation of a recent article in the biggest Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat  that discusses the downsides of Finland’s remarkable success in marketing itself, resulting in a better reputation than it deserves. Did you know that Finland is one of the most racist countries in Europe?  .
2. Secure Your Finances! The minimum financial requirement is not enough. Ensure you have a realistic budget that can sustain you for the period of your studies. Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students are now obligatory by law and they must not only be symbolic but cover the real costs  . Most of them are between €8,000 - €18,000 per year, which is for most students more than the actual living costs. While I very much enjoy working with our foreign students, is would be unfair not to mention that there are still many good European universities that do not charge tuition fees or only symbolic ones of 100-400€/semester. In fact, almost all public universities in Germany (with the exception of those located in Baden-Württemberg) offer tuition-free studies for non-EU/EEA citizens  (e.g. LMU Munich  , Freie Universität Berlin, RWTH Aachen, Humboldt University Berlin, TU Berlin, University of Bonn, and of course as well my own alma mater, the University of Hamburg).
3. I wish I could advise you to learn Finnish. The problem is that it’s almost impossible because Finnish bears no resemblance to any language that you know (except if you are Estonian or Hungarian). Yes: knowing Finnish well will definitely help you in your job search during or after your studies, but it’s unrealistic to acquire sufficient skills before you arrive. It’s even unrealistic for most foreigners who are living in Finland. The fact is that hardly any Finnish person talks to foreigners in Finnish. Their English is almost always better than your Finnish, and being pragmatic, they chose the language that gets the communication done. And learning Finnish through courses doesn’t cut it, you need real-life exposure.
4. Have Realistic Expectations. Assume you won’t be able to earn money while studying. It is unrealistic in the current economic situation. And once you have graduated, it will be difficult to find a job. Not impossible, but very difficult. This might change if the economic situation improves. But it only “might”, because the economic situation can improve despite a high unemployment rate, thanks to increased productivity through AI and robotics. At the moment, the majority of our best international graduates choose to leave Finland in search of greener pastures. If you are smart, hardworking, and lucky, you can manage to secure a paid PhD position after your graduation. But this only postpones your problem by about 4 years. On the other hand, four years is a long time, and the job market is changing. Due to the aging population, lots of workers will leave the job market over the next decade, and there will be a shortage of workers in many fields.
5. After writing this blog entry, I stumbled upon Aleksi Linna’s YouTube channel. In one of his latest videos, he talks about the same issues. By all means, have a look. Similar to me, Aleksi is pro-immigration; we both want to cultivate a very Finnish feature: honesty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUfjyScZ0Cs  and IMPORTANT 2026 UPDATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMWIgFQKQGY  . And this week a colleague of mine told me about a fresh documentary by the public Finnish broadcasting service YLE about the issue of student recruitment with false promises : https://areena.yle.fi/1-72470142  . It’s in Finnish without subtitles, but most of the interviewed foreigners talk in English, so you will understand at least that part. The documentary’s Finnish title is “Huijaus nimeltä Suomi”, which means something like “The Finland Scam”.