Student Satisfaction: Finland Best Place to Study in Europe

International students rate Finland as the best place to study in Europe. This is the result of the StudyPortals International Student Satisfaction Awards 2014. Nearly 7,000 students rated their study abroad experience on the world’s largest database of international student experiences, STeXX.eu. Finland was rated as number one, with an average grade of 9.2 out of 10. These results give rare insights into universities’ performance from a student perspective.

The top three institutions, in a list of 12 awarded Finnish universities, were all presented with the highest-level certificate: Certificate for Outstanding International Student Satisfaction. HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki was rated highest, followed by the University of Oulu in second place and Tampere University of Applied Science rounding up the top three.

What’s so great about studying in Finland?

In general Finland is well known for its highly ranked education system. This is not merely a myth, but also seems to be experienced by many international students, as shown in comments about their experience of studying in Finland. Students appreciate the country mainly for its high academic standards and praise the teaching staff, mentioning several times that everyone is very student-friendly.  

“In Finland it is the highest level of education and the teaching method is really helpful for students.”

- Student from Romania 

“Very vibrant student life combined with a good quality of studies”

- Student from France

City and culture, together with vibrant student life, are also main reasons for international students to recommend studying in Finland. Services offered by Finnish universities were very positively commented on, compared to other countries, and the international offices were acknowledged for their helpful and service-oriented staff. 

“Finland is a beautiful country. The students are very nice. The university is very well equipped and there are lots of different classes offered. Staff is nice. Culture is interesting. Great parties”

- Student from Germany

The few negative comments were mainly about the weather, but also a few about the city and culture. Smaller towns in which some Finnish universities are situated divide opinions. Some students enjoy the cozy and personal atmosphere, but others would prefer more action in the city. A lack of travelling possibilities and the relatively high level of costs were also reasons not to recommend studying in Finland.

For more information about how Finland fared in the International Student Satisfaction Awards, visit the StudyPortals country report. Students who are interested in studying in Finland can also visit the site to compare more than 280 English-taught master’s degrees as well as many bachelor’s programs that are fully taught in English.