The fight for free education is a continuous battle

October 24 is known as Free Education Day in Finland. It is a day that is celebrated by all students in the country on a yearly basis. As much as I would like to celebrate today, the reality is that not every student has access to free higher education, in particular, students outside of EU / EEA zones who are liable to the tuition fees. In the current political atmosphere, the student movement must continue to boldly defend access to free education for all students in Finland, regardless of one’s nationality!

Free education is one of the cornerstore pillars of Finnish society. The aim of the system is to encourage students from various socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue higher education. Unfortunately, the ability to study full-time without worrying about one's finances has been hindered. In a recent KOTT survey, every fourth student indicated a worry of running out of money for food in the past year. Accessibility and equity towards free higher education is not fully achieved, if one’s financial situation imposes hardships on the ability to study. Let’s not compromise on this pillar!

In Finland, the tuition fees have been introduced in 2017 and have been regularly brought up in the political discussion. As of August 2025, students coming outside the EU and EEA zones will have to pay full coverage of the tuition costs. In reality, this means higher tuition fees. In the context of Aalto University, the tuition fees will significantly increase, for example, by 33% from 15 000 euros to 20 000 euros per academic year for Master’s programmes at the School of ARTS. This makes me wonder - is Finnish higher education truly accessible and equitable for all students?

University students are already under a lot of pressure. According to Aalto’s AllWell? student survey results 2024, tuition-fee liable students in particular face barriers in their life situations, social relationships, career certainty and burnout risk. If the Finnish government truly wants to ensure that international students stay in the country, higher tuition fees are not a long-term solution. Rather, there should be more incentives and opportunities created for the international students to pursue education in Finland without additional financial burdens.

As of now, the student movement including myself continue to stand up for free access to education for all students in Finland! The fight for free education should be continuous, not only on October 24.