The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) published the outcomes of the first joint application period in 2025, collecting applications from domestic, EU/EEA/Switzerland and international students to English-taught programmes starting in autumn 2025 by Finnish higher education institutions, including those offered by the University of the Arts.   

In total, approximately 32,400 applications were submitted by the deadline of 22 January 2025, which is almost half the number of applicants compared to last year, with a particularly sharp decline in international students.  

• In 2025, roughly two-thirds of the applicants were from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. In the equivalent joint application in 2024, there were 63 000 applicants, 80% of whom were from countries outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland.   
• The largest nationality groups among the 2025 applicants were Finnish citizens (25%), applicants from Nigeria (13%), Bangladesh (9%), Pakistan (8%), and Nepal (5%). In the equivalent joint application in 2024, the largest nationality groups were Bangladesh (18%), Finland (15%), Pakistan (14%), Nigeria (11%), and Nepal (8%).   
• Compared to last year, the number of Finnish applicants decreased by approximately 1000.   
• There are significant differences between study fields in the number of applications. The toughest competition for a study place, indicated by the highest number of applicants per study place, is in Arts and Culture (about 11.6 applicants per place), Social Sciences (about 8.2 applicants per place) and Services (about 8 applicants per place). As in previous years, the highest number of applicants in absolute numbers were submitted for programmes in Business, Administration and Law, and Information and Communication Technologies.   

Students from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland have been required to pay tuition fees for degree programmes taught in languages other than Finnish and Swedish. The introduction of a €100 application fee, effective from the beginning of 2025, has further contributed to the decline in applicants. The final number of applicants may decrease further, as it was possible to submit applications before paying the fee, and some may ultimately not pay the required amount. The final number of applicants will be known in February. 

The second joint application this spring is from 11 March to 25 March 2025, for study programmes in Finnish and Swedish, starting in the autumn 2025. All applications are submitted through the Opintopolku service maintained by ACA member, the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI).  

Read the full press release published by EDUFI in English, Finnish or Swedish.