Tampere for higher education, living, working or doing business?

Nowadays it is a growing trend worldwide that young people have financial backing to go abroad for higher education - student mobility is on the rise in higher education. Several factors may play a role in this case directly and indirectly: lack of local world-class education opportunities; better educational ecosystem in the host country; safety and ease of living; better economic opportunities and standard of living; entry into the global job market and boosting of mobility internationally; settling down to the host country and a locally valued foreign degree. 

Prior to applying for a foreign university you should do a thorough homework. You should know the university in question; tuition fees and scholarship opportunities; subjects offered and acceptance of the obtained degree internationally; job opportunities after completion of the education and part-time work possibilities during the studies in the host country; living expenses for students and living expenses in general in the country. A number of sources may be used to collect the above-mentioned information, for instance internet and particularly the university homepage, calling or sending email to the international office of your chosen university or someone who has studied in the university.

When we talk about higher education mobility of young people, it is clearly visible that majority of the mobility happens from developing countries to universities of the developed world, for instance Canada, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Finland, Sweden, Germany and France. However, nowadays universities of some developing countries, such as China, India, Malaysia, UAE and Mexico, also attract foreign students. Some Bangladeshi universities (particularly private ones) and medical colleges also attract paying foreign students. This year the BRAC University in Bangladesh has attracted over 200 international applicants – hopefully the number will rise in the future as well. Thereby, Bangladesh is not only a net importer of higher education but an exporter as well. 

In the academic year 2019-20, a total of 8,838 Bangladeshi students left for higher education to US universities alone. Thereby Bangladesh was the 17th out of the 20 countries which sent the highest number of students for higher education to US universities (Jugantor, 17.11.2020). Finland has lately become one of the favourite higher education destinations for Bangladeshi students. Students from Bangladesh have begun to come to Finland for higher education since the mid-1980s. However, the number of Bangladeshi students coming to Finland has risen quite fast in recent years. The background factors of the rise may be the high-tech Finnish higher education ecosystem, modern ICT infrastructure, high standard of living, part-time job opportunities while studying, job opportunities after graduation, opportunities for starting a business, settling down in Finland after graduation, generous social welfare system, overall safety of life and beauty of the country. 

Though there are Bangladeshi students in universities in many Finnish cities, the number of Bangladeshi students is increasing quite fast in the Tampere Universities community; Tampere University (TAU) and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). Visit the following link to learn more about the Tampere Universities community: https://www.tuni.fi/en. The Finnish city of Tampere is like the metropolitan city of Gothenburg in Sweden. Tampere is one of the fastest growing cities and one of the most desired places to live, work, study and do business in Finland. The city is well connected to the Finnish capital Helsinki and thereby to the rest of the world. Bangladeshi students interested in coming to Finland may choose the Tampere Universities community to develop their human capital and thereby build their future career in Finland, Bangladesh or internationally. The Tampere Universities community does not only offer higher education but also assists in living in Tampere, integrating into the local community, entering the job market and starting a business. Alongside the Tampere Universities community, another organization in Tampere which stands by you is the International HUB Tampere (IHT). You may visit the following link to read more about IHT’s activities: https://www.tampere.fi/en/jobs-and-enterprise/international-talent-attraction-and-migration/international-hub-tampere.html

 Joint application for Finnish universities including the Tampere Universities community for the academic year 2021-22 will start on January 7 in 2021. Visit the following link on how to apply: https://studyinfo.fi/wp2/en/. It is now the right time to choose the right university and subject for you and read about the tuition fee, possibility to have tuition fee discount, scholarships, accommodation and living expenses. You may easily have this information by sending email to the admissions office of your chosen university or by visiting the university’s homepage. It may take some time but you will have the answer.  Remember to classify the Finnish higher education institutions into science universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS). This is unique to Finland and unlike Bangladesh. To know more about Finland and its education in general, go to the following link: https://samakal.com/chaturango/article/201144129/

To put it simply, a science university is more theory based and offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral education. On the other hand, a UAS offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees and operates in close collaboration with industries. In the UAS, after completion of a bachelor’s degree, you need to have at least two years of work experience in order to continue to a master’s degree, which is not required in science universities. You may start with a bachelor’s degree in any science university and finish up to a post-doctoral education without any interruption. It is good to know that once you have a bachelor’s degree from any UAS, you may be admitted to a master’s degree in a science university and even proceed to doctoral and post-doctoral studies – everything depends on how active are you. Thus, it does not matter whether you start at a UAS or a science university, it is no problem for you to reach to the apex of higher education. Degrees completed at Finnish science universities and UAS are well accepted internationally.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Finnish higher education institutions organized entrance examinations in two ways: online and on site. Some only had an online entrance examination and some on site in India, Bangladesh, Mexico, Kenya and Russia. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Finnish higher education institutions will organize entrance examinations online in 2021. In order to pass the entrance examination, applicants must have good skills in written and spoken English. In addition, subject-specific knowledge is very important to pass the entrance examination. Once you have secured a study place, you need to apply for the Finnish residence permit. Please follow this link to the residence permit application: https://migri.fi/en/home. After admission, your university will guide you on how to apply for the Finnish residence permit. Before your arrival to Finland, it is crucial to know about the Finnish culture and other practicalities. The following link may help you in this regard: https://www.aamulehti.fi/hyvaelama/art-2000007288967.html. I wish you good luck in pursuing higher education in Finland.