Best Cities to Study in Finland

Helsinki

According to Countryaah.com, Helsinki is the capital of Finland and also the largest city in the country. Located on the coast, it is formed by several islands and has a natural beauty that enchants all visitors, in addition to a good cultural diversity. With a slightly lower cost of living than other Nordic capitals, Helsinki also has a good number of renowned higher education institutions, more precisely 12, attracting several foreign students.

The largest is the University of Helsinki, with around 38,000 students. Next comes the University of Aalto, which was created in 2010 from the merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the Helsinki University of Art and Design. Aalto University is actually located in Espoo, a city that is part of the Helsinki metropolitan region.

Other major institutions in the Finnish capital are Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki University of Arts, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (Diak), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and University of Sciences Applied HAMK Häme.

Turku

Turku is the oldest city in Finland and the third in population. It is also the city in the country with the highest incidence of different ethnicities in its population, as there are people of more than 100 different nationalities living there. This owes a great deal to the city’s two main universities, which attract several foreign students. The main one is the University of Turku, which has about 18,000 students. The other is Åbo Akademi University, a Swedish-speaking institution with around 8,000 students. Another important teaching center is the University of Applied Sciences in Turku, with almost 10,000 students.

Tampere

Tampere is the second largest city in Finland and is surrounded by lakes, offering a surreal landscape for its residents and visitors. It also has a considerable number of nature reserves and green spaces. But in addition to the natural part, Tampere is also a center for research, innovation, education and technology. The city has two main universities: the University of Tampere (which emerged from the merger of the University of Technology in Tampere and the former University of Tampere) and the University of Applied Sciences in Tampere.

Oulu

With almost two hundred thousand inhabitants, Oulu is the largest and most important city in the north of the country, being the fourth in population considering all Finnish regions. It is a place that brings together hospitality, cultural diversity and a film-worthy nature with modern technology marked by the encouragement of innovation and research. The main universities in the city are the University of Oulu and the University of Applied Sciences in Oulu (OAMK).

Reykjavik

Reykjavik is the capital and largest city in Iceland, with a population of 130,000. It is the political, cultural and economic center of the country and the point of arrival for tourists who land on Icelandic lands every year attracted by its natural beauty.

In fact, it is worth remembering that Iceland is quite isolated from the rest of the Nordic countries, since it is an island to the north of the United Kingdom. It is a unique country within Europe that has undergone great development in the past 65 years, transforming itself from one of the continent’s poorest and least developed nations after World War II, to one of the places with the best quality of life in the world today in day.

In the capital, the two main universities are the University of Iceland, founded in 1911, and the University of Reykjavik, founded in 1998. Together, the two have about 18,000 students.

Best Cities to Study in Nordic Countries

Have you thought about studying in the Nordic countries? Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland are known worldwide mainly for their high quality of life and excellent social development rates. But, in addition, this region of Europe also has excellent internationally renowned universities that attract students from different parts of the world. But what will be the best cities to do interchange there? This is what you will discover now!

Studying in Nordic countries: Ranking

Now that you know the best cities to study in the Nordic countries, find out how the universities mentioned in this text are performing in the ranking of the QS World Universities 2021. Attention: not all institutions mentioned here appear on the list.