Nearly 50,000 students and staff members from Finnish higher education institutions have improved their international expertise through the Erasmus+ programme during the 2014–2020 programme period

During the Erasmus+ programme period of 2014–2020, the European mobility of higher education students and staff continued from previous programme periods. Global mobility with higher education institutions from countries outside the European programme countries began in 2015 as a new mobility activity. Global mobility provided higher education institutions with an opportunity to build mobility cooperation with new countries, and the activity included the possibility of funding grants for incoming participants as well.

During the programme period, Erasmus+ supported the international mobility of Finnish higher education institutions with a total of approximately €83.5 million. Interest in global mobility among higher education institutions increased throughout the programme period. For nearly the entire programme period, the EU grants awarded to higher education institutions were utilised well, but towards the end of the period, the mobility budget utilisation rates dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.

With the support of Erasmus+ funding, nearly 50,000 students and staff members from Finnish higher education institutions went abroad on Erasmus+ exchange periods. At the same time, nearly 75,500 participants arrived in Finland. The Erasmus+ programme has played a significant role in the internationalisation of Finnish higher education, as a large portion of the international mobility for higher education institutions occurs within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme.
 

Student mobility declined during the programme period

In European mobility, the portion of student mobility is the largest in terms of numbers. Student mobility from Finland increased until 2016, after which it began to decrease. In addition to that, the end of the programme period coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, during which the decline in student mobility steepened. Furthermore, the pandemic effectively halted all staff mobility in higher education institutions. 

In contract period statistics, the effects of the pandemic do not appear to be quite so dramatic. Due to the pandemic, the contract periods for European mobility for 2019 and 2020 were extended, which means that the mobility statistics for these periods cover up to three years, while the contract periods before the pandemic were one academic year long.
 

In global mobility, staff mobility is numerically greater than student mobility. In mobility outside of Europe, the effects of the pandemic were longer-lasting than in European mobility. The most students leaving Finland were from the fields of health and welfare sciences, while the highest number of students arriving in Finland were from business, administration and law.

Student grants doubled

While mobility has decreased, the average monthly Erasmus+ grants for European mobility that students receive for their exchange periods have increased. At the beginning of the programme period, a student leaving Finland received an average of €233 per month in Erasmus+ grants, whereas by the end of the programme period, the average monthly grant had risen to €456. Global mobility grants were higher from the start and their level remained consistent throughout the programme period. In global mobility, all participants also received separate travel support.

Germany the most popular destination and country of origin

In European mobility, the most popular destination countries for students leaving Finland have been Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. The most students coming to Finland were from Germany, France and Spain. The most popular destinations for staff were Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

In global mobility, the most popular destination for students was Georgia. From there, Finland received the third highest number of incoming mobility. The highest number of students arriving in Finland came from Russia, followed by Ukraine in second place. Other popular destination countries included Zambia, the United States, Kosovo and Vietnam.

The highest number of participants leaving Finland were from the fields of business, administration and law. The majority of the student participants were completing a bachelor's degree, while those pursuing a postgraduate degree made up about one fifth of the participants. In European mobility, the proportion of doctoral-level participants was small, around one per cent, but in global mobility, doctoral students represented 8% of those leaving and 11% of those arriving.

The majority of departing participants were women, constituting 65% of all exchange participants in European mobility and 60% in global mobility. The majority of the student participants were young adults. In student mobility, people aged 21–25 formed the largest age group amongst students going abroad, with 73% in European mobility and 57% in global mobility belonging to this group. However, there has been considerable variety amongst the participating students, with over a hundred students aged 51 and older also participating in Erasmus+ mobility. A total of 31 Finnish students received accessibility support for their Erasmus+ exchange.
 

Studies progressed during the exchanges

The core principle of the Erasmus+ programme is the full recognition of credits earned during the exchanges. This way, exchange periods do not extend the duration of studies. Of the participants who travelled abroad from Finland, 96% have had their studies at least partially included in their degree. On average, students have completed 27 credits during their exchange. Students typically spend just under one semester on exchange, so their studies progressed at a normal pace during the exchanges as well. A total of 246,899 credits were transferred to Finnish degrees from Erasmus+ exchanges carried out in Europe.