Almost 165 000 students from 182 institutions around the globe answered the survey, known as the International Student Barometer. The questionnaire was administered in 18 different countries at the end of last year.

The main reasons why international students apply to the University of Lapland are the range of subjects and courses it offers, as well as the quality of the academic degrees one can earn. Eight-four percent of the respondents said they would recommend the University to a friend looking for a place to study.

The University’s international students showed the highest satisfaction of all survey respondents on the item dealing with the size of classes, bearing out earlier feedback that one of the school’s strengths is its small size. In the areas of cultural diversity and language support, the students were also more satisfied than their counterparts elsewhere. Likewise, international students indicated that they were very satisfied with were the welcome they received (formal welcome and orientation) and other student support services.

The University’s international atmosphere and sense of community were reflected in the results, with students citing features such how easy it was to make new friends. On these measures the University was at the very top of all the institutions surveyed. Safety and the campus environment were other items on which the University scored high. When asked how the location of the institution affected their choice, students cited the University’s Arctic location, the local nature and the opportunity to have an experience different to that available to their peers. 

In Finland the ISB was given in 14 institutions between October and December of 2014, with 6,339 international students responding. At the University of Lapland, the questionnaire was sent to 259 students, of whom 153, or 59 percent, answered. The survey was administered by the educational consulting service i-graduate.

Among other questions, students were asked if they were satisfied with their study environment and student support services and with housing and life in the local community. The aim here was to determine whether the University lived up to the students’ expectations and whether they were satisfied with their experiences.

Some of the areas where students found room for improvement were course scheduling, employment opportunities and transportation links to the University.

Jaana Severidt, Head of International Student Services, notes that “the survey plays an important role in developing international studying procedures and it forms part of the quality assurance efforts at the University. The faculties, departments and the Student Union work together to analyse the results and determine what measures are needed to improve the experience we offer. These are then planned and implemented collaboratively as well”.

Last year, the University of Lapland had 93 international students studying for an undergraduate degree (master’s or bachelor’s), and 50 pursuing a postgraduate qualification. Augmenting this number were 244 international exchange students, who spent one or two semesters in Rovaniemi. The international master’s programmes that will begin this coming autumn have seen a 13-percent rise in applications compared to the previous year. The programmes have attracted a total of 212 applications from 47 countries, with a number of the applicants being former exchange students.

For additional information, please contact:

Jaana Severidt
Head of International Student Services
University of Lapland
tel. 040 772 6510
jaana.severidt(at)ulapland.fi