Vanhanen: Term Fees For Foreign Students

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen says that he hopes that the "sale" of Finnish university education to students from outside the EU can start as soon as possible. "It is time to abandon our allergy to selling Finnish education for term fees to students from other countries," he said on Friday.

"I hope, that we can... as quickly as possible start selling the Aalto University’s high-quality education to students outside the EU, while at the same time also safeguarding, in future, opportunities for students from developing countries with the aid of scholarship arrangements."
Vanhanen made his remarks at the opening of the new Aalto University in Helsinki. He later told YLE that the issue of fees for foreign students is likely to be handled by the next government.
"I hope that the matter is written into the next government programme," said the Prime Minister.
According to Education Minister Henna Virkkunen, trials of selling education have already begun and will be expanded during the term of the next government.
In her address at the opening on Friday, President Tarja Halonen congratulated the new institution on the level of its targets.
"The expectations facing the new university are high, especially given its own aim to belong to world class in technology, economics and art and design by 2020."
The Aalto University was created by merging the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design and the Helsinki University of Technology.