HELSINKI – The government of Finland is exploring the possibility of charging full tuition fees to those international students who are from the non-European Union, non-European Economic Area.
In light of this, the Finnish government has put forward a proposal to revise the Universities Act and the Universities of Applied Sciences Act. The aim is to alter the fee structure for university students originating from non-EU/EEA nations enrolled in programs conducted in languages other than Finnish or Swedish.
The government is of the viewpoint that students from non-EU/EEA countries should be asked to pay the full tuition fee that should cover the cost of providing education and training.
Commenting on the proposal, the Minister of Science and Culture of Finland, Sari Multala said that the country aims to encourage foreigners who study in Finland to remain in the country after finishing their studies.
Besides, the authorities in the country also want to introduce some other changes for non-EU/EEA students.
In its proposal, the government highlighted that it seeks to make it mandatory for students who have entered Finland based on a residence permit to pay their tuition fees even if they change their study permit with a work permit, Schengenvisainfo reported.
Moreover, the government also wants to introduce an application fee for students from non-EU/EEA countries to reduce the number of low-quality applications.
This fee filter will ease the administrative burden of higher education institutions which receive a large number of applications from applicants who are not competent enough to study in such institutions
Though official announcements are still awaited, the government emphasizes that some exemptions will apply as those who hold temporary protection in the country will not pay full tuition fees.
