The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) has collected Finnish higher education institutions’ estimates of the number of international student mobilities implemented during the autumn semester 2020.

According to the HEIs’, more than 2,300 foreign exchange students will come to study in Finland. This is approximately 36% of the number of incoming students a year ago. The number of outgoing students from Finland seems to remain only at one quarter of last autumn’s figures: it is now approximately 900. A total of 11 HEIs have cancelled all exchanges for both outgoing and incoming students due to the COVID-19 situation but the rest of the HEIs are implementing mobility to some extent.

Based on the survey, virtual student mobility will remain at a considerably low level this autumn and will affect only a few hundred students. As reasons for the low number of virtual exchanges, HEIs mention the short preparation time and the virtual concept, which students are not yet familiar with. However, some HEIs have decided to pilot virtual exchanges and offer them to students of their foreign partner institutions.

Decision on whether or not student mobility will be implemented in spring semester 2021 will be taken later this autumn.

More information here.