This article focuses on Finland and what the rules and customs are around international students moving here to pursue further education in the health care field. We will try our best to inform you on all you need to know before starting your application.

Just like courses in many other countries, the medical course in Finland takes 6 years to complete.

Initially, you will take part in the pre-clinical part of the course, and then the clinical.

In the pre-clinical years, you will learn about medicine, science and take part in conducting research.

In the last two years of your course, you will do the clinical aspect of your studies in which you will experience first-hand what it is like to work in a healthcare environment, you will train in health centres and look after patients.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

For medical universities in Finland, you should be between 17 and 25 years old.

If you come from a non-English speaking country, you will need to prove your English-speaking skills by successfully completing one of these tests: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic.

Your A-Levels (or anything equivalent to) should be in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Across the three you should achieve at least an overall mark of 50%.

ENTRANCE EXAM

The entrance exam taken by students looking to study an English-taught course in Finland is the International UAS Exam.

This exam can be taken online in early February.

It consists of a written exam and a group interview.

You only move on to do the group interview if you pass the written exam.

The interview is at the start of March.

In the exam you will be assessed on five topics

• your reasoning skills
• your English language skills
• mathematical skills
• ethical skills
• and your skills in the Finish/Swedish language

You will have 20 minutes to complete the reasoning skills section where your logic and problem solving will be assessed

For the English language section of the exam, you will be tested on your English reading and interpreting skills and you will have 15 minutes to complete this

The next section will test your skills in mathematics, you will have 20 minutes, you will be tested on basic maths, like graphs, diagrams, percentages and so on

You will have 10 minutes to complete the ethical skills section, here you will assess the ethical nature of given statements

Lastly, you will have 30 minutes to complete the section where you will be tested on your skills in the Finnish and/or Swedish language, here your ability to understand and interpret the languages will be assessed.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

There are two different ways you apply to a university in Finland, you can either do

• A joint application
• A Separate application

In the joint application, you can apply for up to six courses at once.

Whereas in the separate application, you send out your application directly to a university through the

University’s website and you can only apply to one course at a time.

If you are applying via a joint application, you should make sure you put the courses in order of the once

you are most interested in, to the once you are least interested in, with the one you are most interested in being on top.

In your application, some of the documents you should provide include

• Your results from the courses you have taken
• Proof that you have applied for the required entrance exams

If you come from a European country, you will also be asked to provide proof of this by providing a copy of your passport or another nationality related document, this will mean you don’t have to pay the tuition fees

Depending on the university you are applying for and what country you initially come from, they might ask for further documentation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The majority of Finnish universities require you to submit your application by January. But there are some whose application deadlines is around March or April. So, this will depend on which university you are applying for.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

You will find out whether or not you have been accepted by mid-July.

And you will have until the end of August to accept your offer.

FEES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The tuition fees for study programs taught in English in Finland start at about £3,369 and can go up to £15,163.

This depends on what you’re studying, which university you are studying at, and at what level.

A medical degree is on the more expensive side with yearly costs at about £10,957.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Most of the scholarships available for international students in Finland are scholarships for those studying for a master’s degree. Specific financial aid might be available directly from the university you choose to apply for.

Hopefully, this article has left you sufficiently informed on how the university application process and such, works in Finland. If you are feeling like Finland might not be the right choice for you, please check out our other articles on this topic focused on other countries and also look forward to our future articles.