Do they stay or go? Analysis of international students in Finland

Abstract

The increase in international student mobility raises questions of how many international students choose to stay in their host country and the reasons why some stay and others leave. This study examines factors affecting international students to stay in Finland three years after graduation. Tracking 13 (years) graduating cohorts across national (Finland) data registries, we find family ties and labour market opportunities relate to an increased probability an international student stays in Finland three years after graduation.

Expanding and steering capacity in Finnish higher education

“…hospitals or labs), fields of study offered, as well as strategic choices (e.g. whether institutions invest to achieve prestige or higher quality of education) (Marconi and Ritzen, 2015 [38]).…”

A Stressed Present and a Scared Future: An Autoethnography of a Migrant Scholar in Finland

“…There is a growing demand for international students both globally and in Finland (Maury, 2021). International students are commonly regarded as 'ideal', 'highly skilled' and 'wealthy' migrants (Mathies & Karhunen, 2021;Maury, 2021) and are often young and suitable for the workforce. When they acquire skills and knowledge in the host country their credentials are acceptable in the labor market; they have the ability and are usually expected to learn the host country's language; and lastly, they often finance themselves (by paying tuition fees and for accommodation) to get the degree (Hawthorne, 2008).…”

“…Apart from revenue generation, Finland is in dire need of attracting and retaining international students due to emerging demographic crisis (Mathies & Karhunen, 2021;Calikoglu, 2018). Therefore, the number of international students in Finland in 2017 was 20,362, a trebling increase since the 2000s (Maury, 2021).…”

Chinese and Indian higher education students go abroad: listening to them to determine what their needs are

“…Other lines of research on student’s experiences and students’ problems while studying abroad have shed light on issues related to their motivation to enrol in foreign programs. There are studies on social, cultural and linguistic capital gained through international experience (Bótas & Huisman, 2013 ); on the expectations, experiences and results obtained by Chinese students (Comerio & Walker, 2021 ; Hu et al, 2021 ; Sablina, Soong & Pechurina, 2018 ); on student mobility as an engine of higher education internationalization (Fumasoli, 2021 ); on the relationship between universities’ rankings and students choice (Hazelkorn, 2015 ); on international students’ satisfaction after their educational and non-educational (culture, transportation, accommodation, administrative issues) experience (Nada and Araújo, 2018 ; Huisman et al, 2020 ); on the reasons why some students go abroad when other ones stay at home (Matthies & Karhunen, 2021 ); on students’ opinions on their emotions at the host university (Bañegil-Palacios & Sánchez-Hernández, 2018 ) and, in a wide perspective, on the value of students’ feedback on their educational experience (Williams, 2014 ).…”