The number of applicants for English-language education has normalised from record years
The first joint application period for higher education institutions this spring has ended. Degree programmes in English were now being applied for. Turku University of Applied Sciences offered eleven study options
Six of the study options at Turku University of Applied Sciences were Bachelor's degree programmes, i.e. those leading to a university of applied sciences degree, and five Master's degree programmes. There were a total of 170 starting places in the programmes applied for.
The preliminary total number of applicants to Turku University of Applied Sciences programmes was 4400. The final number of applicants will be specified as student admissions progress, when, for example, double applications are removed. As in the previous year, the most popular study options were Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Engineering, Information and Communications Technology and Bachelor of Social Services, Early Childhood Education.
The number of applicants to English-language programmes at universities of applied sciences decreased nationally compared to 2023. The number of applicants to TUAS was also lower than in the previous year in all study options. This year, Turku University of Applied Sciences' Bachelor study options do not use the joint International UAS Exam entrance exam for universities of applied sciences, but student admissions are made on the basis of a student certificate or an international SAT test. In Master's study options, certificate-based admissions based on a bachelor's degree are still the admission method, but not an entrance test. In its place, the international GMAT or GRE test, which measures candidates' linguistic, mathematical and analytical reasoning skills, is used as a selection method. These changes may partly explain the drop in the number of applicants compared to last year.
Since 2022, the number of applicants to universities of applied sciences has been growing strongly so far. The International UAS Exam remote entrance exam was introduced in the joint application process for spring 2022. In addition, according to the decree that entered into force in 2022, students admitted to Finland will receive a residence permit for the entire duration of their studies. The side effects of the remote admission test and the residence permit amendment have been the subject of public debate.
The results of the now concluded joint application process will be published at the end of May.