674 students from 66 countries admitted

A total of 674 students from 66 different countries have been admitted in the international master’s programmes at the University of Helsinki this autumn, said a press release.

Student admissions for the international master’s programmes beginning in autumn 2018 have been completed and a total of 44 students received the university’s scholarships.

“We’re happy to welcome students from so many different parts of the world, as our goal is a genuinely multicultural environment. Students from different backgrounds enable an excellent dialogue that can help us understand and solve the world’s problems,” said Sari Lindblom, vice-rector for academic affairs.

“Our goal is a genuinely multicultural environment,” she added.

The university’s international master’s programmes received a high number of applications this year. A total of 2,946 applications were submitted posting an 83 per cent increase from that in the previous year. The university has managed to regain high applicant interest after last year’s dip.

The university grants scholarships to students from countries outside the EU or EEA area to cover their tuition fees and cost of living. Fifty-eight per cent of the applicants were from such countries and they accounted for 39 per cent of the admitted students.

A total of 1,452 scholarship applications were submitted and 44 students representing 17 different nationalities received them.

A scholarship for an individual student amounts between €10,000 and €28,000 depending on which scholarship or scholarships have been granted.

“We awarded more scholarships this year than in 2017. We hope that this will help us attract talented students from around the world for our master’s programmes. The actual sum spent on the scholarships will not be known until the summer, once we know which students accept a study place,” said Lindblom.