Number of polytechnic students rises by 4%

A total of 132,800 students attended education leading to a university of applied sciences (Polytechnic Institutes) degree in 2020, which is four per cent higher than that in the previous year, according to the Statistics Finland.

The number of students attending education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree was 16,000 – altogether 12 per cent more than that in the previous year.

The number of new students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree grew by 14 per cent year on year and that in education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree by 25 per cent.

In 2020, the number of completed university of applied sciences degrees was just under 25,000, which is at the level of the previous year.

A total of 3,900 higher-university-of-applied-sciences-degrees were completed in 2020. The number of students who attained higher university of applied sciences degrees grew by 15 per cent year on year.

In 2020, the number of students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree was highest in the field of health and welfare. Close on one-third, or 29 per cent, studied in this field. Nearly one-fourth (24%) studied in the field of technology and approximately one-fifth in the fields of business, administration, and law.

Of those who in 2020 studied in the field of health and welfare in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree, 83 per cent were women. As in previous years, men studied more in the fields of technology. In these fields, male students’ share was 81 per cent.

In 2020, altogether 34 per cent of those studying for a higher university of applied sciences degree studied health and welfare. Almost one-fourth (27%) studied in the field of business, administration, and law and close on one-fifth (17%) in the field of technology.

The number of students in education leading to a degree was the highest at the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences – around 16,600 students. There were also more than 10,000 students at the Turku University of Applied Sciences, the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. The smallest universities of applied sciences by the number of students were the Åland University of Applied Sciences (around 500 students) and the Police University College (about 1,100 students).