Last year going abroad was made difficult by the pandemic but this year a total of 4233 international students from countries outside the EU have applied for a residence permit for studies in Finland, Helsinki Times reports.
China remains amongst the top applicant countries, only surpassed by Russia, and a total of 504 Chinese students have between January and August 2021 applied to study in Finland.
Last year was exceptional, as the number of applicants was clearly lower than in previous years due to the covid-19 situation and in total only 1756 international students applied for a residence permit for studies in the Nordic country.
Most students come to study in Finland in higher education institutions and apply for a residence permit during the summer months, after having received a study place.
In addition to having a study place in Finland, being issued a residence permit for studies also requires that the student has sufficient funds for living in Finland and insurance that covers medical expenses in case the student becomes ill in Finland. Students from non-EU countries are not entitled to financial aid for studies and are charged tuition fees by Finnish higher education institutions, Helsinki Times writes.