Finland

Basic Information about Finland

Finland is situated in northern Europe. It borders Russia in the east, the Gulf of Finland in the south, the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden in the west and Norway in the north. The capital is Helsinki. The population of the country is 5.4 million. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish with 94% of the population speaking Finnish and 6% Swedish.

Finland is a welfare state with the aim of securing for its inhabitants equal opportunities for a good life and for the most efficient use of its resources as possible. The geopolitical location between West and East has always been reflected in the country's events and goings on. With this combination of western and eastern influences, Finnish culture has developed into something strong and highly individual.

The Higher Education System

The Finnish higher education system consists of two complementary sectors: 25 polytechnics (also known as universities of applied sciences) and 16 universities operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.

The function of the universities is to conduct scientific research and provide undergraduate and postgraduate education based on it.

In accordance with the reformed Finnish Universities Act, the universities will gain an independent legal status as corporations subject to public law or foundations subject to private law. This increases the autonomy of the universities further and gives them more latitude in the management of their finances. While the legal status will change, the universities will continue to receive annual budgetary allocations to perform their public mission.

The system of universities of applied sciences is still fairly new. They are multi-field regional institutions focusing on contacts with working life and on regional development.

These institutions provide education and training in eight fields of study: Humanities and education; Culture; Social sciences, business and administration; Natural sciences; Technology, communication and transport; Natural resources and the environment; Social services, health and sports; and Tourism, catering and domestic services.

Bachelors' (3 years) and Masters' (2 years) degrees are both undergraduate degrees in Finland . Universities also confer postgraduate degrees: Licentiate (2 years) and Doctors' (4 years) degrees. Polytechnic degrees are Bachelor-level (3.5-4 years) and Master-level (1-1.5 years) degrees with a professional emphasis.

The universities provide close to 200 Masters' degree programmes in English, and also 23 doctoral programmes. The polytechnics provide some 100 Bachelors' degree programmes in English.

Scholarships

The Centre for International Mobility CIMO) an organisation which operates under the Finnish Ministry of Education, offers services to encourage cross-cultural communication. CIMO administers scholarship and exchange programmes, and offers information, advisory services and publications. In addition, CIMO promotes teaching of the Finnish language and culture, and arranges summer courses in the Finnish language and culture for international students. There are various opportunities for students to study in Finland .

CIMO scholarships are mainly targeted for postgraduate students who have completed their Master-level studies. There are two types of scholarships: individual scholarships, which young researchers apply for themselves and host fellowships, which are applied by the Finnish higher education departments willing to host researchers and postgraduates. It should be noted that, in Finland , Masters' programmes are not considered postgraduate studies. CIMO's undergraduate scholarships promote advanced studies of the Finnish language. Below is a list of scholarships offered by CIMO:

• Finnish Studies and Research/Scholarships for Advanced Studies of the Finnish Language at Finnish Universities
• Exchange Programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Asia-Link and Freemovers)
• CIMO Fellowships
• Finnish Studies and Research/Scholarships for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Finnish Universities

For more information, see www.studyinfinland.fi

Finnish higher education institutions charge tuition fees for some selected Master's degree programmes in English from students who are not EU/EEA nationals. These students can apply for scholarships provided by institutions in question.

Where can I find more information?

Embassy of Finland in Canberra
12 Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla
ACT 2600
Australia
Tel: +61 2 6273 3800
Fax: +61 2 6273 3603
Email: sanomat.can @ formin.fi
Website: http//www.finland.org.au

Centre for International Mobility (CIMO): www.cimo.fi

Ministry of Education: www.minedu.fi

European Researcher's Mobility Portal Finland
http://www.aka.fi/eracareers

Finnish Academy
http://www.aka.fi/eng

Finnish Cultural Foundation
http://www.skr.fi/english/grants.html

Fulbright Centre Grant Information
http://www.fulbrightalumni.org/olc/pub/FBA/cpages/gfn/grants.jsp

Grants for foreign students in Finland
The National Union of Finnish Students, SYL
http://www.syl.fi/english/study