Introduction to Tuition Fees, Case Study: Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences
Mansikkamäki, Emma; Kuronen, Jenni (2017)
Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017060512422
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017060512422
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this thesis is to study the effects of the implementation of tuition fees for non-EU/EEA area from an organizational point of view. The commissioner, FINNIPS, presented the topic to the authors in spring 2017. FINNIPS is a network of seventeen Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland, which host entrance examinations and provides information on higher education programs at Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences.
The objective of the thesis is to study what has already changed in the Universities of Applied Sciences, that are part of the FINNIPS network. Additionally, the research will study the processes and services, which have already been or will be in the future affected by the implementation of tuition fees.
The theoretical framework is based on various publications from the Ministry of Education and Culture, tuition fee trial conducted in years 2010-2014 in Finland as well as experiences from other Nordic countries. Additionally, the internationalization and education exports of higher education institutions are brought to light and discussed. The research methods applied were a quantitative survey conducted with Webropol, and a qualitative interview with the Director of Study and International Affairs and the planning officer from Oulu University of Applied Sciences to gain deeper insight of the introduction of tuition fees.
Based on the research results, the amount of international degree students from outside the EU/EEA area has decreased. However, the amount is believed to increase back to the level it was, or even higher, within a few years. To be able to attract prospective students, Finnish higher education institutions have to consider factors like quality of education, the amount of tuition fee collected and the creation of scholarships. Besides these factors, education export is an important aspect to increasing the amount of applicants.
It would be interesting to see a study on what the changes actually are in couple years from now. At that time, the true effects of the tuition fees will be visible and well known, at the moment we can just speculate what might happen in the future, in addition to the changes that have already happened. Additionally, in few years, when United-Kingdom is no longer part of the EU, it would be interesting to find out if there will be changes in the international student mobility, as United Kingdom has been one of the top destinations so far for the European citizens.
The objective of the thesis is to study what has already changed in the Universities of Applied Sciences, that are part of the FINNIPS network. Additionally, the research will study the processes and services, which have already been or will be in the future affected by the implementation of tuition fees.
The theoretical framework is based on various publications from the Ministry of Education and Culture, tuition fee trial conducted in years 2010-2014 in Finland as well as experiences from other Nordic countries. Additionally, the internationalization and education exports of higher education institutions are brought to light and discussed. The research methods applied were a quantitative survey conducted with Webropol, and a qualitative interview with the Director of Study and International Affairs and the planning officer from Oulu University of Applied Sciences to gain deeper insight of the introduction of tuition fees.
Based on the research results, the amount of international degree students from outside the EU/EEA area has decreased. However, the amount is believed to increase back to the level it was, or even higher, within a few years. To be able to attract prospective students, Finnish higher education institutions have to consider factors like quality of education, the amount of tuition fee collected and the creation of scholarships. Besides these factors, education export is an important aspect to increasing the amount of applicants.
It would be interesting to see a study on what the changes actually are in couple years from now. At that time, the true effects of the tuition fees will be visible and well known, at the moment we can just speculate what might happen in the future, in addition to the changes that have already happened. Additionally, in few years, when United-Kingdom is no longer part of the EU, it would be interesting to find out if there will be changes in the international student mobility, as United Kingdom has been one of the top destinations so far for the European citizens.