MBBS in Finland: Entry Requirements, Costs, Free Tuition and Scholarships
Finland is considered an ideal destination for international students who wish to pursue a degree in medicine and surgery; attributed to the low tuition cost and generous scholarship programs available for students, including tuition-free studies – This, of course, has helped to attract international scholars all over the world. Herein, you will learn the general Entry Requirements, Costs, Free Tuition and Scholarships for an MBBS in Finland
Medicine and Surgery still remains one of the most popular and most lucrative courses to study because of the career prospects. Interestingly, the course is only being offered in about 5 universities across Finland as of now. This has made the competition to study medicine in Finland tough, just like every other study destination. Nevertheless, foreigners can still gain access for this prestigious program.
So, if your dream destination is Finland and your dream course medicine, then here are some of the important things you need to note down.
Entry Requirements for Medical Study in Finland
One of the basic requirements to study medicine in Finland is a high school diploma which must be either translated to Danish or Swedish. Apart from that, students also need to undergo entrance exam, this particular exam is held simultaneously by the Finnish medical school, this basically means that students can apply to only one school at a time. Other requirement will include the following:
- A complete filled application form with all accurate details.
- Original and photocopies of Passport.
- Birth certificates and other mandatory certificates must be submitted to the concerned authority.
- Passport size (3cmX4cm) photographs.
- Original and a photocopy of mark sheets of both 10th & 12th standard
- A scorecard of NEFT (if required)
- Transfer certificate from the previous school
- Leaving certificate from the concerned school
- A certificate of code of conduct must be submitted
- The bank copy of guardians must be submitted which indicates that they have sufficient funds to pay the fees to Finland Medical College.
- A medical checkup certificate is also essential
Mandatory Requirements:
- Student visa: non-European students may require visa and resident permit to live and study medicine in Finland. international scholars have to visit the Finland embassy to obtain a student visa for this purpose
- Medical examinations and test results: Medical results would be needed for visa process and also for other application to gain entry into Finland to study
- Examinations: International students should have science in their 12th standard and should have an aggregate of 50% marks in physics, chemistry, and Biology, the students should also qualify for the NEET exam with passing marks to apply for medicine in Finland., The students should also have English subject in their higher secondary.
- Age criteria: students should be at least 17 years of age to take admission to Finland Medical College/ Universities. n/b: students must not be more than 25 years of age.
- Strong Finnish or Swedish language skill: Most universities have their curriculum in Finnish or Swedish. Therefore, applicants must be fluent in either Finnish or Swedish to study medicine in Finland since will be needed during the hospital trainings and specialization. However, to studying Medicine in Finland in English can be made possible through a short language course, depending on the medical school.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS TO STUDY MEDICINE IN FINLAND
- Tuition fees: In Finland, if you are a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) member state, you are not required to pay tuition fees for degree studies. The tuition fee ranges from €12 000 to €15 000 per academic year.
- Cost of living: The cost of living isn’t quite expensive depending on the location or city which you live in. A city like Helsinki has a high cost of living while Lappeenranta, Pori and Tampere are known as the most affordable student cities.
- Helsinki: between 980 and 1,580 EUR/month
- Jyvaskyla: between 700 and 1,100 EUR/month
- Oulu: between 660 and 1,000 EUR/month
- Tampere: between 870 and 1,300 EUR/month
- Accommodation cost: In Finland, there are only two main options for international students to get accommodation, which are:
- Student housing foundations: a single room in a shared student apartment costs between 160 – 380 EUR/month. You can also choose a single apartment, but it is more expensive.
- Rent/Share a flat available on the open market: prices range between 400 – 800 EUR/month, and they vary depending on many factors (e.g. how close it is to the city Centre, how big is the city). Sharing the flat with other students/flat mates is convenient because it lowers the overall costs and you get to know and interact with other people.
- Food costs: In Finland the cost of living varies depending on the city in which you live in but on average grocies cost about 150- 250 euros per month so you have to budget your spending and finance, if you wish to eat outside, a meal cost 11 euro in an affordable restaurant
- Transportation costs: Most students choose to get around the city using public transport. A public transportation pass for students is between 35 and 50 EUR/month, depending on the city. You can also rent a car, but this would cost you around 230 EUR for 5 days. If you enjoy strolling and fresh air, you can walk to the university, especially if you don’t live that far from it.
MEDICAL GRADUATE AVERAGE EARNINGS
Health and Medical practitioners in Finland typically earn an average of 7,000 EUR per month. Salaries range from 1,470 EUR (lowest average) to 20,900 EUR (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN FINLAND
Finland overtime has proven to be one of the best destinations for international students who wants to earn a degree in medical field of study. Currently are 5 universities in Finland which train students in Medicine. They are;
The university of Helsinki is one of the ancient and largest institution in Finland. International students come from all over the world to study at this prestigious institution. The university of Helsinki is regarded as the home of the best medical students in Finland over the years and it has produced the great educational scholars from all over the world.
University of Tampore is known for its pursuit of modern way of research and also over delivering high quality education in the field of Medicine. This prestigious university offers specialist training for both medical and dental studies
The university of Turku, mainly focuses it attention on multiciliary studies and offers a Licentiate of Medicine or Dentistry program, in this university only 4 specific master degree courses are taught in English the rest are in Finnish They have four departments – biomedicine, clinical medicine, nursing science and dentistry – as well as independent units such as a Functional Foods Forum, research laboratories etc.
This prestigious university is one of the largest universities in Finland with over 10,000 students, it has lot of international study program which has attracted huge number of international students from all over the world. The curriculum in this university is very versatile when it comes health, science and medicine, however, for the medical degree, you’ll need to be able to speak Finnish fluently.
The University of Eastern Finland was formed in 2010 through the amalgamation of the Universities of Joensuu and Kuopio. As a result of this amalgamation, the university operates across two campuses, Joensuu and Kuopio, respectively. They are known for their broad areas of research. The basic degrees of medicine and dentistry are taught exclusively in Finnish. The Licentiate of Medicine program takes six years to complete.
BENEFITS OF STUDYING MEDICINE IN FINLAND
Studying in Finland has a whole lot of benefits and also it has overtime given some good exposures and benefits to international students here are some benefits of studying in Finland.
Minimum expenses:
Finland has a low cost of living favors international students depending on the city you leave in; transportation and food are very affordable and sometimes sold at discounted rates which make it more affordable on average grocies cost about 150- 250 euros per month
Free and affordable tuition:
European union students don’t pay tuition to study in Finland, International students alike can take advantage of the numerous scholarships in Finland to study for free. However, non-EU students are generally required to pay the tuition to study which are very affordable and quite inexpensive!
High quality education:
One of the major attractions of international students to Finland is high quality research medical institution and quality education. The Finnish government spend quite a fortune for it citizens and international to acquire good education and this has proven over the years to worth it due to increasing number of international students studying in Finland.
Well established medical facilities:
University of Helenski is one good example of this. With its well-equipped facilities and laboratories, the university has a culture of producing intelligent scholars with this innovation.
DISADVANTAGES OF STUDYING MEDICINE IN FINLAND
In as much as Finland has lots of benefits, it also has it own disadvantages too here are some of the disadvantages;
Language barrier:
Studying might be difficult if you don’t understand Finnish because most of the educational programs (medicine included) in Finland are taught in Finnish
Cold weather:
The weather in Finland is very cold. In winter, you can experience temperatures as low as to -35°C and more darkness. Sunrise in the morning and early afternoon.
Growth of foreign companies is difficult:
in Finland foreign companies struggles with growth because the competition in the local market is shared between the main market and players
Depression:
Finland, especially in the autumn, is considered the most depressed nation in the world. It is cold, wet and rainy every day.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW
Having listed various areas needed to know to study in Finland, here are some additional but essential things you may not know;
- Tuition is free for EU students and scholarships are available for international students
- It is very easy to access student visa to study in Finland
- It takes average of 6 years to complete medical studies in Finland
- International students must understand Finnish to study in Finland
- After completing MBBS in Finland, students will get the best placement
In conclusion, with the above information, studying medicine in Finland should not be difficult aside from the language barrier. In practice, international students would usually take a language course first before proceeding to the study of medicine. Please feel free to leave a comment section if you have any contribution or have a question.
