International Students' Experience of Completing a University Degree in Finland

Abstract

The Finnish population is aging fast, which in turn will lead to certain issues. Attracting and integrating international students into Finnish working society is one of the solutions to meet the needs of Finnish society. Although Finland has been attractive to international students, Finland still needs more skilled work-force in the future. The purpose of the thesis was to analyze international students’ experiences including motivations, challenges, and future expectation in Finland after 2017. The study result can be used as reference document for the Finnish international education system and international students who are considering Finland as the study destination. The study was conducted using the qualitative research method. Both primary and secondary data were collected, primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with international students studying in Finland. The thematic technique was applied to analyze the data. The key findings indicated students’ relationships, family, the willingness to study (abroad), the image of the Finnish society and education system, the happiest country, scholarship for international students, the simple paper work and the high acceptance rate of students as motivations for the applicants. Students’ challenges are academic challenges, language barriers, job seeking after graduation, psychological challenge, doctoral students’ challenges in doing research, funding, career prospect. Students’ future expectations vary; they include among other things further studies, working in Finland and in other countries, being Finnish citizens. The study findings supported the existing research of experiences of international students in Finland after 2017. These findings indicate the need of Finnish language training for international students in Finland if the Finnish government plans to integrate international students into the Finnish working society, as well as a need for adjusting the curriculum to support students in job seeking after graduation, the support for doctoral students, and the consideration on whether there is a need for integrating more Chinese or other students who have family reunion concerns before 2034.