what do statistics tell us about international student … on international student mobility also...

Kansainvälisen liikkuvuuden ja yhteistyön keskus

Centret för internationell mobilitet och internationellt samarbete

Centre for International Mobility

FACTS AND FIGURES

Faktaa.20131B

What do statistics tell us about international studentmobility in Finland?

FAKTAA. FACTS AND FIGURES 32 FAKTAA. FACTS AND FIGURES

This issue of Faktaa – Facts and Figures presents a comprehensive survey of international

student mobility in Finland and its trends and patterns as seen through different statistics.

We have explored student mobility from three different angles: mobility periods of students in

vocational education and training (VET); mobility periods of higher education students; and de-

gree studies abroad. Degree studies are examined both through foreign degree students in Finnish

higher education and Finnish degree students in higher education outside Finland.

The survey begins with an overwiev of recent mobility developments and will then discuss the

global geographical spread of this mobility. To conclude, we will examine the extent of mobility

among students in different regions in Finland, between men and women, and between different

fields of education.

CIMO compiles annual statistics on the mobility periods of students in vocational education and

training, and in higher education. The most recent figures come from 2012. With higher education

students, the statistics cover both exchange studies and practical training abroad. With students

of vocational education and training, they typically refer to international on-the-job learning. The

figures are not comparable across different educational levels, as students spend differing peri-

ods abroad. In vocational education and training, statistics make account of both short visits (of

less than 2 weeks) and longer periods abroad, whereas higher education exchanges last at least 3

months.

What do statisticstell us aboutinternational studentmobility in Finland?

IRMA GARAM AND SIRU KORKALA:

Background

Statistics on international student mobility also include students pursuing their degrees outside

their country of origin. While they do not appear in CIMO statistics, these students are visible in

the data provided by the Social Insurance Institution Kela, which compiles statistics on Finnish

recipients of student financial aid in higher education abroad. Foreign degree students in Finnish

higher education are recorded in various statistics collected by Statistics Finland. It is in light of

these statistics that we have examined international degree studies.

Kela statistics indicate how many Finns are studying towards a higher education degree abroad.

These figures apply to the 2012–2013 academic year. Information about foreign degree students

in Finnish higher education come from various data, mostly from 2012, provided by Statistics

Finland.

CIMO also provides statistical information online at www.cimo.fi/services/statistics, including data

from Kela and Statistics Finland. More detailed information on student and staff mobility in 2012

is available in CIMO’s pdf summary, which can be downloaded at the above address.

International student mobility

Mobilityperiods of

VET students

Mobility periodsof highereducationstudents

Degree studies abroad

Finnish degree students inhigher education abroad

Statistics complied by CIMO Statistics complied by Kela Statistics complied by Statistics Finland

Foreign degree students inFinnish higher education


20 000

16 000

12 000

8 000

4 000

0

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

02003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

20 000

16 000

12 000

8 000

4 000

02003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

10 014

5 874

6 259

9 655

3.3% 3.1%

1.9%

6.2%

2 453

4.7%

19 135

1.8%

5 874

The number of outboundhigher education students and of students completing their degrees abroad has increased by a third since 2003. The numbers of degree students have grownespecially markedly inthe last few years. There is more annual fluctuation in the mobility numbers of VET students2.

About 3% of all highereducation students inFinland head abroadannually, while those whoare pursuing a degreeabroad with the help ofstudent financial aid from Kela represent 2%of all Finnish highereducation students. About 5% of students invocational education and training are internationally mobile.

Students heading toFinland during theirmobility period andforeign degree studentsalready represent almost 10% of allhigher educationstudents in Finland.International studentsamount to just under2% of total enrolmentsin vocational educationand training.

There has been a robust growth in the number of international students in Finnish higher education. For example, the number of foreign degree students has more than doubledsince 2003. The numbers have remained relativelysteady in vocationaleducation and training.

Mobility periods ofVET students

Mobility periods of higher education students

Finnish degree students inhigher education abroad

Mobility periods ofVET students

Mobility periods ofhigher education students

Foreign degree students in Finnish higher education

Number of outbound students

Proportion of outbound students relative to all students

Number of incoming students

Proportion of incoming students of all students

1 Student mobility in Finlandkeeps increasing Student numbers

in 2012:

Students in vocationaleducation and training

132 600Students in universities of

applied sciences anduniversities

307 407

persons persons

% %

2 CIMO has complied mobility statisticsof vocational education and training since 2008, taking over from theFinnish National Board of Education.The rise in numbers between 2007 and2008 reflects a change in data collectioncriteria.

1 Number of Finnish students abroadrelative to total number of students inthe education sector.

The number of outbound and incoming students in Finland has grown during the last decade. The growth comes in both absolute numbers and relative terms1: ever more Finns acquire international experience through study or practical training abroad. The most obvious increase is in the number of foreign students in Finnish higher education and in their proportion of total higher education enrolment.


STUDENTS’ ENTHUASIASM TO HEAD ABROAD IS INFLUENCED BY MANY FACTORS

The number of students heading abroad does not

grow evenly. The figures drop and surge. Why is

this?

VET students’ short mobility periods have been

especially prone to fluctuations. For example, VET

students’ short mobilities dropped by 6% in 2012

from the previous year, while the drop was only

3% in long-term mobility. Annual fluctuations are

typically explained by funding: in 2012, there was

a drop of 13% in the institutions’ own mobility

funding.

In individual higher education institutions, the

number of outbound students may vary from one

year to another. It appears that if a lot of students

are motivated to go abroad one year, the reserves

of enthusiastic students are spent for a while, and

there will not be equal numbers setting off the fol-

lowing year.

It is hard to find one single explanation for changes

affecting an entire educational sector. The pull of

the labour market may have an effect on students:

when jobs are plentiful, students are less inclined

to head abroad. Other factors include institutional

backing and support, the number of suitable ex-

change options and the students’ own situation in

life.

Some students decide to take an entire degree

abroad, partly perhaps because it is hard to gain

admission to their chosen field in Finland. The

language of instruction also influences the students’

choosing to go abroad. Finns are comfortable with

studying in English, which they have learned to a

high standard. In exchange studies, there are plenty

of study programmes taught in English, more than

there are English-language degree programmes.

Finland is the only European country to keep track

of annual VET mobility in such a way as enables an

overview of all funding arrangements. Comparative in-

ternational data is available from the EU’s Leonardo da

Vinci programme, which is a significant funding agent

of international mobility in Europe. The Leonardo pro-

gramme funded 43% of Finnish VET mobility in 2012.

Leonardo figures on Finland, Norway and Germany

show that all these countries have rising mobility

trends. The growth rate has been singularly rapid in

Germany.

Berthold Hübers from the German national agency of

Leonardo mobility reckons that the ever rising numbers

are explained by the increased interest in and need of

the German labour market for a workforce with inter-

national competences. Germany has also undergone a

demographic change, which has led to a demand for

more workers with vocational qualifications. Vocational

institutions compete with higher education as educa-

tion providers, and international mobility has a role to

play in making vocational education and training more

attractive to youngsters.

Mobility funded byLeonardo da Vinci ininternational comparison

The impressive growth in the enrolment of foreign degree

students in Finnish higher education is the result of system-

atic investment in their recruitment. According to the Strategy

for the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions,

released by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland will

have a genuinely international higher education community

by 2015. As one indicator, the number of foreign degree stu-

dents will have risen to 20 000. This goal has in effect been

reached now already.

Higher education institutions have been encouraged to recruit

students from abroad, and the number of degrees taken by

foreign students has been among the funding criteria of

higher education. Higher education institutions have also

worked to provide designated services to international stu-

dents. Finnish higher education offers more than 300 degree

programmes in English: it is possible to study in English in

practically all universities of applied sciences and universi-

ties. Finland is one of the top countries in Europe in providing

education in English.

On a global level, more and more youngsters head abroad

for higher education. According to OECD statistics, almost

4.3m students were studying outside their country of origin

in 2011. The number of students studying abroad has nearly

quadrupled since the 1980s. The biggest student flows come

from Asia, especially from China, India and Korea. Most

students head to such OECD countries as the United States,

the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France and Canada,

which receive almost half of all students studying abroad.

While the volume has grown, Finland still has a lower propor-

tion of foreign degree students than is the OECD average.

At the same time, the proportion of international degree

students is even smaller in, for example, the United States

and Norway. In Australia and the United Kingdom, higher

education is a significant business. Also, English as the lan-

guage of instruction makes it easier to recruit and integrate

international students.

OECD statistics and foreign degree students in Finland

Proportion of foreign degree students in OECD countries 2011, %

0 5 10 15 20 %

Sour

ce: O

ECD

/ Edu

catio

n at

a G

lanc

e 20

13

AustraliaUnited Kingdom

SwitzerlandNew Zealand

AustriaFrance

Czech RepublicBelgiumSweden

DenmarkCanada

OECD AVERAGEIrelandIcelandGreece

NetherlandsFinland

HungarySlovak Republic

ItalyJapan

United StatesPortugal

SpainEstonia

KoreaSloveniaNorwayPolandTurkey

Chile

19.8%

6.9%

0.3%

4.6%

Mobility in the Leonardo da Vinci programme in Germany, Finland and Norway 2008–2012

15 000

12 000

9 000

6 000

3 000

02008 2009 2010 2011 2012

14 358

1 328

972

Germany

Finland

Norway

persons


ASIA

EUROPENORTHAMERICA

AFRICA

OCEANIA

LATIN AMERICAAND THE CARIBBEAN

40.9

2.2

1.5

2.4

0.3

17.0

12.0

2.0

2.0

3.0

3.0

8.0

6.92.5

39.3

87.3

94.9

4.7

3.5

0.10.2

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.7

1.7

93.8

66.081.0

4.0

2.0

14.2

2 Mobility still centreson Europe, but Asia’srole is getting bigger

VET students’ mobility periodsfrom Finland, %

VET students’mobility periodsto Finland, %

Higher education students’ mobility periods from Finland, %

Higher education students’mobility periodsto Finland, %

Finnish degree studentsin higher educationabroad, %

Foreign degree studentsin Finnish higher education, %

VET students spend their mobility periods almost exclusively in Europe. In higher education, too, student flows centre on Europe, but the proportion of Asia keeps growing. There are already equal numbers of Asians and Europeans among foreign degree students in Finnish higher education.

Check alsomobility periods

on the mapof Europe,

p. 10.


While a clear majority of higher education stu-

dents’ mobility periods take place within Europe,

European countries have lost their relative share of

mobile Finnish students. For example, as many as

73% of Finnish exchange students were study-

ing in Europe in 2005. The corresponding figure

is now 66%. The relative share of Asia has grown

correspondingly: 10% of students headed to Asia in

2005, but the proportion has grown to 17% today.

A similar, albeit weaker, pattern is seen with

incoming exchange students. Europe is getting

weaker, while Asia grows stronger. In 2005, 88% of

international exchange students in Finnish higher

education came from Europe. Only 6% came from

Asia. The corresponding figures in 2012 were 81%

and 12%, respectively.

Mobility in vocational education and training

centres on Europe: during the past five years,

more than 90% of Finnish VET students’ mobility

periods have been in Europe. Asia has accounted

for 2–3% of the mobility, whereas fewer than 2% of

the mobility periods have been in Africa – although

Africa’s share has gradually grown.

There are many reasons for this Eurocentricity:

VET students are younger than students in higher

education, and they typically spend much less time

abroad. In addition, funding available for inter-

national collaboration tends to focus on Europe.

For example, 43% of VET mobility periods were

funded from the EU’s Leonardo da Vinci pro-

gramme.

Almost 95% of VET students making their way

to Finland come from another European country.

The proportion of students from Asian countries

seems to be rising, however: in 2008, 0.6% of

incoming students came from Asia, while the share

has now risen to almost 5%.

ASIA IS GETTING STRONGER

1 2161 431

1 054

474

505

888

426

937

555

699

714

141

149

186

144

589

710

539

792

895

FINLAND

SWEDEN

RUSSIAESTONIA

HUNGARY

GERMANY

FRANCE

UNITEDKINGDOM

SPAIN

ITALY

Mobility periods onthe map of Europe

VET students’ mobility periodsfrom Finland, number

VET students’mobility periodsto Finland, number

Mobility periods of Finnishhigher education studentsin Europe, number

Mobility periods of Europeanhigher education studentsto Finland, number

Check alsodegree students

on the mapof Europe

p. 13.

The map shows the top destinations in Europe of Finnish VET and higher education students. It also shows the top countries of origin of European students heading to Finland.


The numbers of outbound and incoming students in Finnish

higher education are almost even: in 2012, 10 014 Finnish

students headed abroad, while 9655 students from abroad

came to Finland for their mobility period. But the numbers are

far from even in terms of the continent of origin. There are

more incoming students from Europe than there are Finnish

students heading to a European country. Also, more Finns

make way to other continents than these continents send

students to Finnish higher education.

Student mobility is similarly unbalanced with many eastern

and southern European countries, which send many more

students to Finland than is sent to them by Finland. One of

the reasons is probably the fact that these countries have as

yet little instruction in English. This is clearly an impediment

for Finns. The images that Finnish students have of these

countries may also play a part.

Student flows between continents are not level

The reverse is true with many non-European countries: there

are more Finnish outbound students than incoming stu-

dents. This applies to higher education in Asian and African

countries in particular. Exotic countries offer Finnish students

attractive options, but students from these countries do not

necessarily have the financial means of coming to Finland.

Nordic exchanges are uneven, too. Finnish students tend to

choose higher education in the Nordic countries rather than

the other way around.

There are clearly many more outbound Finnish VET students

than there are incoming students. This is the case with every

continent.

2 5001 834

281

238

266

544

1 039

607

817

791

FINLANDSWEDEN

RUSSIA

ESTONIA

NETHERLANDS

GERMANY

UNITEDKINGDOM

ITALIA

Degree students on the map of Europe

Finnish degree students inhigher education abroad, number

European degree students inFinnish higher education, number

Most foreigndegree students

in Finnishhigher education

come fromoutside Europe.

Most Finnish higher education degree students abroad study in Europe, two thirds in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Estonia. Finnish higher education institutions receive plenty of degree students from Russia, but most degree students come from other parts of the world. Only 40% of foreign degree students are from Europe.

Asia

Africa

Europe

North America

Latin America and the Caribbean

Oceania

Mobility periodsof higher educationstudents fromFinland, number

Mobility periodsof highereducationstudents toFinland, number

Mobility periodsof VET studentsfrom Finland,number

Mobility periodsof VET studentsto Finland,number

1 727

352

6 648

774

305

170

1 175

149

7 811

297

179

43

220

108

5 869

43

10

9

115

4

2 328

3

2

1


International comparison shows that Finnish higher education

receives on average more degree students from Asian and

African countries. For example, Danish, Dutch and German in-

stitutions of higher education have a much greater proportion

of Europeans among their foreign degree students. The top

Foreign degree students’ top countries of origin in international comparison

ten countries of origin of those studying in Finland include no

fewer than 6 Asian countries. For example, Finland has clearly

many more Chinese, Vietnamese and Nepalese students than,

say, Denmark.

Higher education mobility periods and degree

studies are very different kinds of phenomenon.

For example, they focus on different countries.

Student exchanges build on agreements between

institutions, taking place in the partner countries.

The majority of exchange students still find their

way to countries within the European Union or

the European Economic Area. Asia is nevertheless

gaining a more prominent place as a partner region

of higher education.

Degree studies abroad, on the other hand, are

linked to a global education market. National edu-

cation systems both push students abroad (when

there are too few places to study, for example)

and pull them from abroad (to internationally

renowned institutions, for instance). The global

education market also sees internationally attractive

education as a field boosting overall competitive-

ness.

Most Finns pursuing degree studies abroad study

in a handful of countries in Europe. Of all the

Finns studying abroad and in receipt of student

financial aid from Kela, 87% study in Europe, 63%

of them in United Kingdom, Sweden and Estonia.

The popularity of these top three countries is most

likely explained by their location close to Finland

and a language of instruction which Finnish young-

sters are comfortable with.

The only exception to Eurocentric student flows

are foreign degree students, which head to Finland

in equal numbers from Asia (41%) and Europe

(40%). The European proportion has been getting

smaller in the last years, whereas Asia and Africa

have grown their share of the international student

body.

EXCHANGE STUDENTS HEAD TO INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER COUNTRIES, WHILE DEGREE STUDY IS GUIDED BY GLOBAL EDUCATION MARKETS

Finnish higher education institutions receive most

of their foreign degree students from Russia and

China, which have long topped the statistics.

Together, the two account for a significant amount

– 24% – of the total number of foreign students.

India has also emerged among the top countries.

On the whole, Finland appears an interesting

target for students from the emerging economies

of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and

China). Students also come in rapidly increasing

numbers from Vietnam, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan,

Bangladesh and Ethiopia, which have not been able

to respond to an increased demand for education

domestically.

Finland may also be a familiar and interesting tar-

get because of, for example, development co-opera-

tion. Students are also attracted by ample provi-

sion of English-language programmes, Finland’s

reputation as a nation of education (thanks to PISA

outcomes) and by the absence of tuition fees.

Asia

Africa

North America

Latin America and the Caribbean

Oceania

Other/unknown

Finland 2012 Denmark 2011 Netherlands 2011/12 Germany 2011/12

40.9

14.2

39.3

2.5

2.4

0.3

0.0

10.0

2.1

77.9

1.2

1.1

–*

7.6

20.4

2.9

69.9

3.2

3.2

0.3

0.0

34.4

10.1

47.0

2.5

5.5

0.3

0.0

Nationalities by continent of foreign degree students in Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, %

*Recorded as part of Asia

Finland 2012

number % number % number % number %

Denmark 2011 Netherlands 2011/12 Germany 2011/12

Top ten nationalities of foreign degree students in Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany

Russia

China

Vietnam

Nepal

Nigeria

Estonia

Pakistan

India

Germany

Bangladesh

2 500

2 177

1 162

1 140

844

791

691

639

607

577

2 900

2047

1 890

1 593

1 513

1 003

996

914

871

739

10 401

7 887

7 026

6 972

6 584

6 200

5 745

5 664

5 601

5 125

25 030

5 680

2 420

1 645

1 600

1 415

1 200

1 150

1 045

1 020

41.3

9.4

4.0

2.7

2.6

2.3

2.0

1.9

1.7

1.7

5.4

4.1

3.6

3.6

3.4

3.2

3.0

2.9

2.9

2.7

13.1

11.4

6.1

6.0

4.4

4.1

3.6

3.3

3.2

3.0

13.1

9.2

8.5

7.2

6.8

4.5

4.5

4.1

3.9

3.3

Norway

Germany

Sweden

Romania

Lithuania

Bulgaria

China

Iceland

Poland

Latvia

Germany

China

Belgium

United States

Bulgaria

Greece

Indonesia

Italy

France

Russia

Austria

Bulgaria

Poland

Turkey

Ukraine

India

France

Cameroon

Spain

UnitedKingdom

Source: Denmark / Danish Agency for Higher Education; Netherlands / Nuffic; Germany / DAAD Academic Exchange Service


11.6

6.1

5.8

5.85.3

5.2

5.1

6.2

3.4

3.2

4.5

3.5

3.4

4.4

4.2

3.9

3.8

3.6

4.3

0.2

0.9

1.2

1.2

1.6

1.6

2.9

2.1

2.2

0.7

1.0

1.3

2.5

2.0

3.1

4.2

5.6

4.6

5.2

3.2

3.5

3.5

3.1

3.1

3.6

3.3

3.6

3.12.8

3.6

3.5

3.2

4.3

3.6

2.8

2.3

2.6

2.3

2,9

1.8

2.9

2.0

2.2

2.6

2.8

2.9

2.8

2.3

2.0

2.0

2.0

Varsinararsinais-Suomi

Satatakunta

Lapland Lapland

Pirkanmaa

Kainuu

Pohjois-Savo

SouthutSouSoKarelia

SouthSouthhoSouthouKarelia

Etelä-Savo

CentralFinland

CentralFinland

NorthKarelia

NorthKarelia*South

Ostrobothnia

ntralCentntobothniaOstroooO

CentralntOstrobothniaoo

NorthOstrobothnia

NorthOstrobothnia

niaOstrtss robothnn aOstroboroobothniaa

Päijät-Hämem

Kanta-Häme

Uusimaa

Kymen-emelaaksoksksoola

Varsinararsinais-Suomi

Satatakunta Pirkanmaa

Kainuu

Pohjois-Savo*

Etelä-Savo

Päijät-Häme

Kanta-Häme

Uusimaa

men-Kymeemesolaaksokskso

3 Big differences in mobility between Finnish regions

CentralOstrobothnia

is clearlythe most active

region inVET students’

mobility.

In higher education,the most active

region isSouth Karelia.

VET mobility periods relativeto student numbers by region

Outbound more than 5%

Outbound 3–5%

Outbound less than 3%

Incoming more than 5%

Incoming 3–5%

Incoming less than 3%

Outbound more than 5%

Outbound 3–5%

Outbound less than 3%

Incoming more than 5%

Incoming 3–5%

Incoming less than 3%

Higher education mobility periods relative tostudent numbers by region

There are big differences between Finnish regions in the numbers of outbound and incoming mobility periods. In 2012, 4.7% of Finnish VET students headed abroad, while the proportion was 3.3% among students of higher education. Incoming students represented 1.8% and 3.1% of total enrolments in vocational education and training, and in higher education,respectively.

*The ratio between student numbers and outbound/incoming students in Pohjois-Savo and North Karelia has been calculated by combining the two regions, as the University of Eastern Finland has campuses in both regions. (Kuopio campus and Joensuu campus)


To a certain extent at least, active student mobility

appears to thrive in certain regions above others.

For example, students in Central Ostrobothnia

and South Karelia are actively mobile, and the two

regions also host lots of foreign degree students.

Numerically, it is the Uusimaa region around the

capital city of Helsinki that both sends most VET

students abroad and hosts most international

students in return. But when the numbers of out-

bound and incoming students are compared with

regional student numbers, Central Ostrobothnia is

clearly the most active of Finnish regions.

In the higher education sector, the Uusimaa region

has the most mobility periods in absolute terms,

with more than 3600 outbound students in 2012.

This represents more than a third of all outbound

students in Finland. Higher education institutions

in Uusimaa were also the biggest hosts of incoming

students.

Relative to student numbers, the most active

regions are South Karelia and Päijät-Häme, where

more higher education students on average head

abroad. South Karelian institutions also host more

students than on average. The differences between

regions are, however, less clear than in vocational

education and training.

In absolute terms, higher education institutions

in Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa, Varsinais-Suomi and Os-

trobothnia have the most foreign degree students.

Almost two thirds of all foreign degree students

in Finland were studying in these four regions

in 2011. Relative to a region’s student numbers,

higher education institutions in Åland, Central Os-

trobothnia and South Karelia had the most foreign

degree students.

One region emerges above others in statistics on VET mobil-

ity: Central Ostrobothnia has long been exceptionally active

both in sending students abroad and as a host of interna-

tional students. The relative proportion of outbound students

out of the total number of students in the region was 11.6%

in 2012. The ratio has exceeded 8% since 2008, whereas the

second most active region has remained at 5–6%. Also, the

annual ratio in Central Ostrobothnia of incoming students has

stayed at 5%, while other regions have remained at 1–3%.

The Central Ostrobothnian region appears less active in

statistics on higher education mobilities. However, the one

higher education institution in the region – the Centria Uni-

versity of Applied Sciences – attracts foreign degree students

to an exceptional extent. Foreign degree students represent

16.2% of all higher education students in Central Ostroboth-

nia, whereas the ratio is clearly below 10% in most other

regions.

The extent of student mobility can also be ex-

amined through major regions1. The most active

higher education institutions in terms of the num-

ber of mobility periods are in Southern Finland.

About 80% of outbound and incoming students

come from this area. Students from Southern Fin-

land emerge as the most actively mobile also when

the number of outbound students is compared with

the total number of higher education students in

the region.

CENTRAL OSTROBOTNIA AND SOUTH KARELIA TOP THE LEAGUEIN MORE CRITERIA THAN ONE

INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTHERN FINLAND HAVETHE MOST ACTIVE OUTBOUND STUDENTS,WHILE INCOMING STUDENTS ARE ATTRACTEDTO NORTHERN FINLAND

Strategic steering behind active mobility to and from Central Ostrobothnia

CIMO published a report in 2012 on the international activi-

ties of Finnish regions. The extent of the international dimen-

sion was examined by comparing the number of funding

applications to CIMO with the number of students in schools,

vocational institutions and higher education institutions in

that region. In this examination, too, Central Ostrobothnia

emerged as the clear number one.

The regional survey highlighted several reasons for Central

Ostrobothnian international success. The region’s educational

institutions are highly active internationally, working in close

project partnership with the Regional Council of Central

Ostrobothnia. Also, the regional Educational Consortium has

drawn up an international strategy with goals and objectives

which the educational institutions implement through their

own action plans. The Central Ostrobothnian Educational

Consortium has set quantitative goals for international work

placements, and these are monitored in terms of equality

issues, for example.

Higher education students in Eastern Finland

appear as the most passive students in terms of

mobility. The mobility focus of institutions in

Eastern and Northern Finland is in fact on host-

ing incoming students, of whom there are more

than there are home students heading abroad. The

situation is the reverse in institutions in Southern

Finland, whereas the numbers are balanced in

Western Finland.

VET institutions in Southern Finland both send

and host the most students in absolute terms. Their

students are the most active also when the number

of outbound students is set against total enrolment.

The most active host of international students is,

however, Northern Finland.

Foreign degree students in higher educationby region 2011

number % of region’sstudents

Åland

Central Ostrobothnia

South Karelia

Ostrobothnia

Uusimaa

Etelä-Savo

Päijät-Häme

Kainuu

Kanta-Häme

Lapland

Kymenlaakso

Pirkanmaa

Central Finland

Varsinais-Suomi

Pohjois-Savo

North Karelia

North Ostrobothnia

South Ostrobothnia

Satakunta

TOTAL

171

342

882

1 028

6 663

350

330

137

347

571

213

1 774

991

1 492

581

531

929

167

135

17 634

29.3

16.2

10.8

7.9

6.8

5.7

5.5

5.4

5.1

5.1

5.1

5.0

4.9

4.6

4.5

4.4

3.8

3.4

1.6

5.7

Higher education mobility periods by region 2012

VET mobility periods by region 2012

from Finland,number

from Finland,%

to Finland,number

to Finland,%

Southern Finland

Western Finland

Eastern Finland

Northern Finland

TOTAL ALL REGIONS

Southern Finland

Western Finland

Eastern Finland

Northern Finland

TOTAL ALL REGIONS

4 670

3 716

653

975

10 014

3 977

3 669

853

1 156

9 655

46.6

37.1

6.5

9.7

100

41.2

38.0

8.8

12.0

100

from Finland,number

from Finland,%

to Finland,number

to Finland,%

2 583

2 158

705

813

6 259

987

741

267

458

2 453

41.3

34.5

11.3

13.0

100

40.2

30.2

10.9

18.7

100

1 The classification into major regions is based on the 2009 provincial division. The provinces of Oulu and Lapland have since been merged into Northern Finland.


4 Women go for a mobilityperiod more often than men – in all �elds of education

1.62.7

0.61.0

4.4 4.3

Humanities and education

Economics and business

5.57.7

Art fields

3.74.3

Technology and engineering

3.7

Humanities and theology

2.2 2.3

Other fields

3.8

Education and psychology

1.31.9

Natural science

0.82.0

Medicine


3.04.3

Natural sciences

1.62.0

2.0

Technology, communicationand transport

Natural resourcesand the environment

3.2 2.1

3.0

Culture

2.75.2

3.73.8

Natural sciences

1.41.1

Luonnonvara- ja ympäristöala

2.14.8

Culture

2.33.5

3.33.9

Social science, businessand Administration

Social services, health and sport

2.33.4

Proportion of women and men in university students’ mobility periods by field of education, %1

Proportion of women and men of student mobility periods in universities of applied sciences by field of education, %

Proportion of women and men of VET students’ mobility periods by field of education, %

There is moreof a gender balance

among incomingstudents, withalmost equalnumbers of

women and men.

Social sciences and law

3.34.6

Tourism, catering and domestic services



8.1 6.7

Social sciences, business and administration

5.6 4.9


2.5 2.2

Technology, communicationand transport

1.02.31 Outbound women/men relative to number of female/male students in the field.

Finnish women are more likely to head abroad for a mobility period than men: 67% of outgoing VET students are women, while the figure is 63% in higher education. The field of education also has a bearing on the degree of mobility. In active fields of education, both women and men head abroad in large numbers, whereas the numbers of both women and men are small in the more passive fields.


Female students in higher education head abroad

more actively than do men: 63% of exchange

students or trainees are women. Women make up

54% of all higher education students. The gender

distribution is more even among incoming higher

education students, 56% of whom are women.

Of students heading abroad in vocational education

and training, 67% are women. The proportion of

women of all VET students is 47%. Almost equal

numbers of women and men make their way to

Finnish vocational education from abroad.

In higher education, women are more likely to head

abroad than men regardless of the field of educa-

tion, but the field of education does influence the

students’ eagerness to gain international experi-

ence. For example, students of tourism, catering

and domestic service in universities of applied sci-

ences – whether women or men – tend to venture

abroad, while the numbers are clearly much smaller

among both sexes in natural resources and the

environment, and natural sciences. In the university

sector, women and men getting their degrees in

economics and business are highly mobile, whereas

there is less international mobility among both

women and men in medicine.

Women are more actively mobile also in almost

every field of vocational education and training. For

example, women dominate mobility in the predom-

inantly male field of technology, communication

and transport. The only field where men are more

active is natural sciences. This is a highly male-

dominated field, where only 13% of the students

are women.

MORE WOMEN THAN MEN AMONG OUTBOUND STUDENTS; MORE EQUAL NUMBERS AMONG INCOMING STUDENTS

While female students in Finland are more likely to

head abroad than men, the situation varies elsewhere

in Europe. According to a Dutch study1, 22% of women

and 18% of men who graduated in 2009–2010 from

higher professional education had been abroad as part

of their studies. The gender distribution was the re-

verse among graduates of academic higher education:

28% of men and 26% of women had completed part

of their degrees abroad.

In Germany, women make slightly more active use of

student mobility than men. According to a German

study2, 28% of women and 21% of men had studied

abroad as part of their degrees. As many as 62% of

German Erasmus students are women.

German VET mobility is similarly dominated by

women: 60% of students heading abroad for practi-

cal training are women. This is reckoned to do with

women’s better language skills.3

2 DAAD/HIS Student Mobility Survey 2013

Large fields of education, with plenty of students,

tend to have the most students abroad on a mobil-

ity period. In universities of applied sciences, the

biggest fields of outward and incoming mobility

are social sciences, business and administration;

technology, communication and transport; and

social services, health and sport. In the universities,

the most mobile fields are economics and business;

technology and engineering; the humanities; and

social sciences.

However, big numbers do not mean that students

in these fields are necessarily very active in terms of

mobility. Once the numbers of outbound students

are set against total enrolments in the field, it is in

tourism, catering and domestic services that we

find overwhelmingly the most actively mobile stu-

dents in the universities of applied sciences. In the

university sector, the most active exchange students

come from economics and business.

Universities of applied sciences send more students

abroad than they receive incoming students. The

only exception is in natural sciences with slightly

more incoming than outbound students. The situ-

ation is different in the university sector: many

fields of education attract more exchange students

to Finland than they send abroad. There are clearly

many more incoming students in medicine; fine

arts and design; natural science; and technology

and engineering.

Gender differences in international comparison

MOBILITY LEVELS VARY BY FIELD OF EDUCATION


Culture

Social sciences, business andadministration

Theology

Humanities

Design

Music

Drama and dance

Education

Sport science

Social sciences

Psychology

Health sciences

Law


Natural science

Agriculture and forestry

Technology and engineering

Medicine

Dentistry

Veterinary medicine

Pharmacy

Fine arts

Not known

TOTAL

Mobility periods of students of universities of applied sciencesby field of education

University students’ mobility periods by field of education

97

921

106

932

692

0

4 851

67

531

1 505

2.0

19.0

2.2

19.2

14.3

0

100

1.4

10.9

31.0

108

796

103

596

330

6

3 828

36

381

1 472

2.8

20.8

2.7

15.6

8.6

0.2

100

31

878

128

57

11

237

37

653

54

32

294

1 308

302

151

859

62

5

10

33

13

8

5 163

0.6

17.0

2.5

1.1

0.2

4.6

0.7

12.6

1.0

0.6

5.7

25.3

5.8

2.9

16.6

1.2

0.1

0.2

0.6

0.3

0.2

100

11

777

174

69

6

324

34

668

99

53

246

1 202

431

177

1 299

127

16

26

62

26

0

5 827

0.2

13.3

3.0

1.2

0.1

5.6

0.6

11.5

1.7

0.9

4.2

20.6

7.4

3.0

22.3

2.2

0.3

0.4

1.1

0.4

0

100

0.9

10.0

38.5

from Finland 2012

number %

to Finland 2012

number %

from Finland 2012

number %

to Finland 2012

number %

Natural sciences

Technology, communication and transport

Natural resources and the environment



Not known

TOTAL

1 Nuffic 2012: Mapping Mobility 2012. International Mobility in Dutch

Higher Education. http://www.nuffic.nl/en/files/documents/expertise/

mobility-statistics/mapping-mobility-2012

3 This item of comparative data comes from Berthold Hübers from the

German national agency of Leonardo da Vinci mobility


Outbound students (long-term mobility periods)and incoming students in vocational educationand training by field of study

StudentsfromFinland

%StudentstoFinland

%

Humanities andeducation

Social science,business and

administration

Naturalsciences

Technology,communication

and transport

Natural resourcesand

the environment

Social services,health and sport

Tourism, cateringand domestic

services

Other educationand training

TOTAL

Culture

100 100

87

307

344

58

714

248

697

615

26

3 096

8

199

332

53

729

167

389

262

314

2 453

2.8

9.9

11.1

1.9

23.1

8.0

22.5

19.9

0.8

0.3

8.1

13.5

2.2

29.7

6.8

15.9

10.7

12.8 1 DAAD/HIS Student Mobility Survey 2013

2 Nuffic 2012: Mapping Mobility 2012. International Mobility in Dutch Higher

Education. http://www.nuffic.nl/en/files/documents/expertise/mobility-statistics/

mapping-mobility-2012

Differences by field of education in international comparison

Other countries have also noted that different fields of educa-

tion have differing levels of mobility – and the differences are

not necessarily similar across countries.

According to a study conducted in Germany1, there are pro-

portionately more students of languages and cultural studies,

economics and business administration, and of social sciences

among exchange students. At the same time, students of

natural sciences and of technology and engineering are un-

derrepresented among mobile students. This finding is similar

to the situation in Finland, where students of economics and

business administration, the humanities, and social sciences

are more internationally mobile than fellow students in natu-

ral sciences, and technology and engineering.

In the Netherlands, the most active students are found in

entirely different fields. A study2 conducted among university-

level graduates showed that it is students of agriculture and

forestry, technology and engineering, health, and natural

sciences who head abroad. It was less common for students

of economics and business administration or of culture and

social sciences to study abroad.

In German vocational education and training, the fields of

mobility which are on average more active are economics and

business administration, technology and engineering, and

tourism – much like in Finland. Also, practical training abroad

is an established feature of traditional handicraft professions

in Germany.3

Of the fields of study in vocational education and

training, it is technology, communication and

transport that have the biggest mobility numbers

of both outbound and incoming students. Students

of social services, health and sport, and of tourism,

catering and domestic services also head abroad

actively.

3 This comparative VET data comes from Berthold Hübers from the German

national agency of Leonardo da Vinci mobility


Finnish degree students in higher education abroad

typically study economics and business adminis-

tration, social sciences, humanities or art. In the

academic year 2012–2013, these fields represented

almost 75% of students in receipt of Kela’s student

financial aid for degree studies abroad. In Finland

these fields involved a good deal less than half of all

higher education students. Studying abroad may

well appear attractive in light of the fact that admis-

sion in Finland to these fields is very competitive.

Conversely, Finnish students do much less technol-

ogy, engineering and natural sciences abroad than

they do in Finland.

There are plenty of Finnish degree students abroad

in health and social services. These are mainly

students of medicine or veterinary medicine in, for

example, Estonia, Sweden and Latvia.

Foreign degree students in Finnish higher educa-

tion mostly opt for two fields of study: technology,

communication and transport; and social sciences,

business and administration. These two fields

have clearly more than half of all foreign degree

students.

The social insurance institution Kela and Statistics

Finland use differing classifications of educational

fields, which is why it is not possible to compare

the distribution of Finnish students abroad and

foreign degree students in Finland by field of

education. Despite differences of classification it is

clear that foreign degree students in Finland focus

much more on technology, engineering and natural

sciences than do Finnish degree students in higher

education abroad.

TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES ATTRACT FOREIGN DEGREE STUDENTS TO FINLAND, BUT DO NOT PULL FINNISH STUDENTS ABROAD

Finnish degree students in higher education abroad by field of study,academic year 2012–13, %

1.7%

0.6%

0.4%

3.9%

4.2%

2.9%

11.1%

21.7%

23.3%

19.6%

Education andteacher training

Humanities

Art fields


Social sciences

Natural science

Technology andengineering

Agriculture andforestry

Health and social services

Service sector

Other field of study or not known

10.5%

Foreign degree students in Finnish higher education by field of study,2011, %


Culture

Social sciences,business and

administration

Natural sciences

Technology,communication

and transport


Social services, healthand sport

Tourism, catering and domestic services 6.1%

6.1%

26.7%

11.3%

32.4%

4.9%

2.4%

10.0%

The Centre for International Mobility CIMO provides specialist services to

facilitate international interaction in education, work and culture, and among

the youth. Working under the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture,

CIMO administers and implements various exchange, practical training and

scholarship programmes. CIMO is the national agency for European Union

education, training and youth programmes, and the information centre for the

EU programmes on Culture and Europe for Citizens. CIMO also supports

the teaching of Finnish language and culture at universities outside Finland.

Among CIMO’s key functions is also to gather, process and distribute relevant

information to serve its many different customers.

The CIMO study, analysis and evaluation team produces data to help in the

planning and development of international co-operation. CIMO compiles

statistics on international student mobility and conducts surveys on the inter-

nationalisation of education and youth work, and on current issues of interna-

tional collaboration.

FAKTAA – Facts and Figures is a series of publications on the key findings of

CIMO’s study, analysis and evaluation team. The publications are available

both in print and as pdf documents at www.cimo.fi, some also in English. The

full reports are available as pdf publications in the series of Facts and Figures

(Tietoa ja tilastoja) at www.cimo.fi, mostly in Finnish.

ISBN 978-951-805-581-8 (pdf)

Towardsa global-minded Finland. K

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vä O

y 10

/201

3/15

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ic d

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n: L

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äki

Edited by Tiina Lehmusvaara.

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