International student study experience and engagement in Finnish higher education institutions
Although internationalisation has been on the agenda in the Finnish higher education sector for years, there are a number of recent national efforts in the form of policies, initiatives and funding to boost the internationalisation of Finnish higher education institutions.
The ambition of the past two governments has been to increasingly attract international talent to Finland and support their integration into the Finnish labour market and society (see Finnish Government 2021a, MEAE 2023, MEC 2023.) A national target has been set to triple the number of international degree students by 2030 (Finnish Government 2021b, MEC 2021).
Finnish higher education institutions have also been steadily increasing their education provision in English. The goal is to further increase the provision of international programmes in internationally attractive fields and expand the provision in fields in which experts are in high demand in the Finnish labour market. (MEC 2021.)
In the context of rising numbers of international students and degree programmes, it is essential to look into the current issues in quality assurance and enhancement of international student study experiences in Finland. Based on a mid-term analysis of the third audit cycle (2018-2024), integration of international students in the higher education community and international students’ opportunities to participate in the quality enhancement activities were identified as improvement areas in several Finnish HEIs. (Huusko & al. 2022.)
This paper was presented at EQAF and reflects the views of the named authors only.
ISSN: 1375-3797
