Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s coalition government has recently agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2026–2029. Following the Government’s mid-term policy review, significant funding cuts for higher education were proposed. Basic funding for higher education will be reduced by EUR 30 million in 2026,  EUR 20 million in 2027, and  EUR 15 million annually starting from 2028.  

Additionally, based on the review’s outcomes, the administrative sector of the Ministry of Education and Culture will face savings of  EUR 65 million, with EUR 52.7 million coming from cuts to higher education basic funding in the upcoming year. In total, these cuts amount to EUR 117.7 million in reductions to basic funding for Finnish higher education between 2026 and 2028. This funding supports teaching, research, and overall operation of higher education institutions. As a result of the government’s planned tax reductions for companies and employees, alongside significant cuts to higher education funding, several student organisations and higher education sector representatives in Finland have expressed concerns over recent policy changes introduced by Orpo’s coalition government, as highlighted in a University World News article.  

In addition to the core funding cuts, the background materials from the mid-term review highlight a measure that would allow open higher education to grant degrees at open universities or open universities of applied sciences. The student unions of Finnish universities published a joint position paper on the government's proposal, expressing their concerns about its potential impact and emphasising the significant shift this would bring to Finnish higher education. According to the student unions, allowing degree completion at an open university would, in practice, introduce paid degree education and effectively end free education as it currently exists.  

Read more: 

Government Communications Department, Ministry of Finance: press release in English.  
Yle, Finland’s national public broadcasting company: article in English.