The number of applicants to JYU’s international master’s degree programmes increased 84%

By the end of the application period yesterday, the MDPs starting in autumn 2024 had in total 10,861 applications that compete for 372 study places in 18 programmes. The total number of applicants was 8,586 because one person can apply for several programmes. Last year the number of applicants was 4,662 and the number of applications 6,023. At national level, the number of applicants increased by around 5% compared to last year. The increase was higher in the university sector.
The most popular programme in terms of applications was Artificial Intelligence in the Faculty of Information Technology (1,598 applications). In JSBE, International Business and Entrepreneurship attracted 1,422 applications, and Banking and International Finance 1,227 applications. The number of applicants increased in all the old programmes and the three new master’s degree programmes attracted more than 200 applicants each.
The application for JYU’s international master’s degree programmes took place in the first joint application of the spring. Each applicant was able to apply with the same electronic form for at the most six study options at any higher education institution participating in the joint application.
MDPs are a great path to internationalisation
The applicants came from 116 different countries of which the largest is Pakistan with 2,650 applicants. The number of applicants outside the EU/EEA countries was 8,062.
“The high number of applicants to our international degree programmes is a great and important achievement. At the same time, the growing attractiveness is of course a necessary condition for our success as a whole. This means that we will be able to recruit motivated and competent students from the applicant pool and fill the starting places. We must also succeed in providing students with the best possible learning experience and in integrating a significant proportion of them into Finnish society and business world. We have done a lot of work in all these areas over the past few years, so we can expect good results from this important area,” says Vice Rector Marja-Leena Laakso.
The MDPs are available for both Finnish and international applicants with a suitable bachelor’s degree from Finland or elsewhere. The programmes last for two years, and their extent is 120 ECTS credits. Students from outside the EU and EEA countries are charged a tuition fee. For some of them, the University awards a grant to cover tuition costs.
JYU has more than 1,000 international students every year. Around 250 of them study in international MDPs and the rest in doctoral programmes or as exchange students.