The Finnish Dream: A Pipe Dream?

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Kokoomus on Michael’s Domain

The Finnish Dream: A Pipe Dream?