Finland: Monitoring study interim report on the student admissions reform published

NordenBladet — The objective of the student admissions reform is to streamline the transition to higher education and to improve the allocation of student places. In the monitoring study commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, researchers from the Labour Institute for Economic Research (PT) and the VATT Institute for Economic Research examined whether the reform succeeded in its objectives. The study will be completed in spring 2022. This interim report presents provisional data on the study.

The research project, running from 2020 to 2022, assesses how successful the reform has been in accelerating students’ transition to higher education. The effect of the reform on equal and equitable distribution of student places in higher education will also be examined.

This report focuses on describing changes in application behaviour and student admissions between 2015 and 2020. The material used in the interim report covers only one post-reform year.

Since the results only describe the post-reform situation, the researchers underline that far-reaching conclusions should be avoided at this stage. The changes observed do not necessarily stem from the reform, but instead from other underlying factors that change over time. For example, the COVID-19 epidemic and the introduction of additional student places in higher education institutions are likely to have an impact on admissions.

“The interim report successfully compiles and combines the angles of expediency, equality and non-discrimination in the transition to higher education. As research data accumulates, higher education institutions must examine all of these aspects when they develop their student admissions practices. The report contributes to the preparation of the accessibility plan for higher education,” said Minister of Science and Culture Annika Saarikko.

As a result of the student admissions reform carried out in 2018 –2020, higher education institutions have shifted to admitting the majority of their students based on certificates instead of using field-specific or programme-specific entrance exams for admissions. Universities of applied sciences have introduced a common admissions examination, and universities have increasingly adopted common admissions exams for different subjects. In addition, the institutions have endeavoured to restructure the content of the admissions exams so that the time required to prepare for them is shorter.