Finland introduces compulsory tuition fees for foreigners

From January 1, 2016, Finland will enter into force amendments to the law on tuition, and universities will be able to charge tuition fees from foreign students. The situation will affect students coming from outside the EU.According to the requirements, only those who are studying in a foreign language will need to pay. Thus, in order to receive a free education in Finland, Russian students will need to learn Finnish or Swedish. However, the University of Helsinki will not charge students until 2017.

The minimum payment amount will be 1,500 euros for one academic year, however, universities will have the right to independently determine the amount of payment.However, even students in paid departments will be able to receive scholarships.

As noted, the purpose of the innovations is to improve the financing and competitiveness of Finnish universities. Recall that now more than 3000 students from Russia are studying in Finland, and foreigners make up 6.7% of the total number of students in the country. Of all the Nordic countries, higher education for Russians today remains free in Norway and Iceland .

Original: http://www.studyinfinland.fi/front_page_news/101/0/government_proposes_higher_education_tuition_fees_for_non-eu_eea_students