The quality of education is high in Finland and the higher education institutions there provide over 340 degree programmes at Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate levels. Higher education system consists of universities and polytechnics (universities of Applied Sciences)

Though not as popular as Australia or US or UK, Finland is a good desti nation for students who want to go abroad for higher education. The Finnish degree is recognised worldwide and according to Maijastiina Korkeamäki, Consular Officer at the Embassy of Finland, IT, Environment Science, Business Management, Nursing and Engineering are the subjects that Nepali students mostly opt to study in Finland.

Courses in Finland
“The quality of education is high in Finland and the higher education institutions there provide over 340 degree programmes at Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate levels.Higher education system consists of universities and polytechnics (universities of Applied Sciences),“ explains Korkeamäki.

She further says, “The process is easy. One can find about programmes on the Internet through websites like studyinfinland.fi. One can apply to universities of Applied Science via admission.fi and to universities via universityadmissions.fi. Further information about the degrees can be found from the websites of the universities themselves.“

Qualifications required
Students applying for Bachelor's degree should have completed higher secondary level education and should have good command in English (IELTS 6 or TOEFL550). Whereas for those who want to pursue Master's degree she advises, “Students who have qualified certificate of Bachelor's level can apply and IELTS or TOEFL is also generally required. However, application time, other application and admission details can vary according to the university.“

Cost and scholarships
Talking about the cost she said, “Tuition fee is free in most of the programmes but there are some Master's programmes which may charge fees. But then one needs to be able to cover the cost of living. Students of Master's level may enquire about the possibilities for scholarships from the university they are accepted to.“

Shedding more light on the scholarship schemes, she said pointed out that Center for International Mobility (CIMO), or Erasmus Mundus are the two programmes one should enquire about for scholarships.

The Erasmus Mundus programme is aimed at enhancing the quality of higher education and promoting dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through mobility and academic cooperation.

“Nepal also comes under this programme for Master's degree of two years course and one gets to change colleges in different cities in Finland and Europe during their semesters,“ she adds.

However, CIMO provides scholarships for students from all countries for PhD programmes. Each CIMO scholarship programme has its own eligibility criteria, applica tion procedures and deadlines.The scholarship from CIMO normally consists of a monthly allowance intended to cover living expenses in Finland for a single person. The amount of a scholarship varies according to the scholarship programme and academic qualification of the applicant. No additional expenses such as travel, housing, or insurance are covered.

No consultancies please
Both the Embassy and colleges in Finland discourage applying through consultancies; if one applies through any consultancy, his/her visa might be rejected or the admission process will be terminated.

“Students are strongly advised not to use the services of educational consultancies because all the information is available free of charge at the Embassy of Finland and information is easy to find from the Internet. Also applying happens on the Internet. The consultancies do not have any influence over the residence permit (study visa) decision or job opportunities in Finland,“ stated Korkeamäki.

She also informed that students are allowed to work part-time, if the working time comes to an average of 25 hours per week at the most. There are no limitations on working hours during holidays.There is no tuition fee in Finland but living expenses are high and it is not sure everyone can find a job.

The website of the Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu suggests students to always give preference to colleges that organise exams in Nepal.

SOME USEFUL WEBSITES
Finnish Embassy Nepal- http://www.finland.org.np
Search University and study programs- http://www. studyinfinland.fi
Admissions http://www. universityadmissions.fi

For the information related to education in Finland
http://www. cimo.fi

For immigration principles and practices applied in Finland
http://www. migri.fi

VISA-RELATED INFO
Visas can be lodged through Embassy of Finland Bishalnagar, Kathmandu Application fee: 250 Euro Service fees are non-refundable.
Change in the value of Euro might affect the cost of application fee.

COST OF LIVING
Average cost of living in Finland is around 500 Euro per month for one person for any city suburb for a decent lifestyle.

Useful Site URL
http://www.finland.org.np
http://www.studyinfinland.fi
http://www.admissions.fi
http://www.cimo.fi
http://www.migri.fi

source:The Himalayan Times(2011),"Sights on Finland", The Himalayan Times, 15 June 2011