The effects of charging non-EU/EEA students tuition fees in Finland higher education: Comparing Nordic higher education

Abstract

Internationalisation of HE worldwide is a growing phenomenon. Many HEs are in an intense competition to attract the best students worldwide. However, the process of internationalisation is a long one, there are a lot of factors and conditions needed. It might yield positive results, or it might just fall flat. For Finland, it has decided to implement tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students to earn revenues for Higher Education Institutes for this process. This thesis will focus on the effects of implementing tuition fee on non-EU/EEA higher education students in Finland. This paper will look through the broad overview of education, free education and internationalisation efforts in Finland HE. Through analysing case studies, this paper aims to find the effects of such moves on Nordic HE such as Sweden and Denmark. Lastly, this paper will conclude and list out suggestions for Finland through the findings. The move to implement tuition fees are unusual for a welfare state like Finland. However, there are reasons behind this move. As with every implementation of a new rule, there are benefits and drawbacks. We will look closely into case studies to find out about lessons that Finland could adopt and improve on its internalisation process in higher education