High number of applications to University’s international degree programmes despite application fee

23.01.2025

In the first joint application round of spring 2025, a total of 7,275 applications were submitted to the international bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes of the University of Turku. While the new national application fee, introduced at the beginning of 2025, led to an expected decrease in the overall number of applications, several programmes still saw an increase in applications. 

The University of Turku participated in the spring joint application round to higher education, held from 8 to 22 January 2025, with two bachelor’s programmes and 16 master’s programmes taught in English. In the joint application round, applicants can submit applications to three programmes at the University of Turku at the most.

The newly-introduced national application fee of €100 had an expected impact on the number of applications. A total of 5,891 applicants submitted 7,275 applications to the University of Turku, marking a 29% decrease compared to the previous year. The final number of applications will be confirmed in the coming weeks as the application fee obligations are verified and payments processed. Some applicants still have time to complete their payment, and others may still be reclassified as liable to a fee. As of the afternoon of 22 January, 855 applicants had paid the fee, 1,249 were exempt based on the information they provided on their application, and 1,958 had yet to complete their payment.

Over the past three years (2022–2024), application numbers have increased annually by over 70%. However, the number of available study places has not increased significantly. In 2022, there were 350 available places, whereas in 2025, there are 372.

“The rapid increase in application numbers in recent years has been unsustainable in terms of student admissions. Even well-qualified applicants have faced lower chances of being selected, and processing applications has required extensive resources from higher education institutions,” says Mari Kähkönen, Head of Admission Services.

“We hope the application fee has encouraged applicants to prepare their applications more carefully, allowing us to select the best-suited, committed, and motivated students,” Kähkönen adds. 

New bachelor’s degree programmes among the most popular

The 2025 application round included two new bachelor’s degree programmes taught in English. Both ranked among the five most popular programmes at the University of Turku based on application numbers: Information and Communication Technology with 497 applications, and Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship with 495 applications. 

Among the master’s degree programmes, Information and Communication Technology (1,306 applicants compared to 2,306 in 2024) and Global Innovation Management (847 applicants compared to 1,323 in 2024) remained the most popular. The Public Mental Health master’s programme became the third most popular with 598 applications, showing over 50% growth compared to 383 applications in 2024. The Drug Discovery and Development master’s programme also grew, receiving 381 applications (353 in 2024), as did Biomedical Imaging, which received 261 applications (117 in 2024).

At the same time as the joint application round, separate applications were open for the European joint degree programme European Languages, Cultures and Societies in Contact and the master’s programme in Finnish and Other Finno-Ugric Languages. The European joint degree programme received 24 applications (33 in 2024), while the master’s programme in Finnish and Other Finno-Ugric Languages received 9 applications (10 in 2024). 

Applicants from over 100 countries

Applicants represented 110 nationalities, with the majority coming from Asia and Africa. The highest numbers of applications were received from Nigeria 1,204 (943 in 2024), Pakistan 904 (3,272), Finland 648 (294), Bangladesh 632 (2,228), India 411 (441), Sri Lanka 297 (577), Iran 281 (373), Ghana 211 (320), Vietnam 168 (87), and Nepal 141 (302). These figures may still change as the final payment statuses of application fees are determined.

Among the most common nationalities, Finland, Nigeria, and Vietnam increased their share of applications. China was not among the ten most common nationalities this year, and applications from Sri Lanka and Pakistan also saw a decline. Contributing factors to these changes include updates to language proficiency requirements, the introduction of the application fee, and the differing applicant profiles of the new bachelor’s programmes.

The University of Turku aims to double the number of international master’s students by 2030 as part of its International Programme. The University also seeks to increase diversity in student recruitment. 

Admission results will be announced to applicants starting on 2 April 2025, and new students will begin their studies in August 2025. 

Created 23.01.2025 | Updated 23.01.2025