top universities in finland ranking

Last Updated on January 18, 2023

Finland is home to some of the most innovative and high-quality universities in the world. There are fifteen public universities and twenty-four private ones in Finland, providing students with a variety of choices for their higher education needs.

Stunning natural beauty and laid-back cities, a strong focus on research and innovation, a good selection of world-class universities and a commitment to offering higher education free of charge… It’s easy to see why many international students choose to study in Finland.

If you’re keen to join them, click on the tabs below to find out about universities in Finland, popular student cities, applications, visas, costs and more.

  •  UNIVERSITIES IN FINLAND
  •  STUDENT CITIES IN FINLAND
  •  APPLICATIONS, FEES & VISAS

Universities in Finland

While Finland’s system of higher education is relatively young compared to some others in Europe, this is definitely not at the expense of quality. There are 10 universities in Finland featured in the QS World University Rankings® 2018, led by the University of Helsinki at joint 102nd in the world.

Read about the top five universities in Finland, all ranked within the world’s top 300:

University of Helsinki 

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest university, established in 1640. It’s been located in the Finnish capital since 1829, but before that it was known as the Royal Academy of Turku and located in the country’s oldest settlement, Turku. Today, the University of Helsinki is Finland’s highest-ranked institution, at joint 102nd in the world.

As well as being the oldest and the highest-ranked, the university is also Finland’s largest higher education institution, with more than 32,000 students enrolled. It has 11 faculties and 11 research institutes, and it offers degrees taught in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Aalto University

Also located in the capital, Aalto University is Finland’s second highest-ranked institution –currently placed joint 137th in the world. The university was founded in 2010 through a merger of three existing institutions, namely the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki. The aim of the Finnish government was to create a new university, which would be a model of innovation and a symbol of high-quality education. Today, about 12,100 students are enrolled here.

University of Turku 

University of Turku

The second-largest university in Finland is the University of Turku, where just over 20,000 students are enrolled. Ranked 276th in the world, the university has its main campus in Turku, in the southwest of Finland, but it also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo. The University of Turku was established in 1920, following donations from more than 22,000 citizens. It places a strong emphasis on international collaboration, and offers several master’s and PhD programs run in partnership with universities in other countries.

University of Jyväskylä 

University of Jyväskylä

Established in 1934, the University of Jyväskylä originated from the first Finnish-speaking teacher training college, which was founded in 1863. Ranked joint 357th in the world, the university teaches around 15,000 students in six faculties. It retains its teacher-training heritage, being considered the country’s leading university for education programs. This is also reflected in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, which places the University of Jyväskylä among the world’s top 100 universities in the field of education and training.

University of Eastern Finland 

 

University of Eastern Finland

The seventh highest-ranked Finnish university, the University of Eastern Finland currently ranks 451-460 in the world. It was established in 2010 through a merger of the University of Joensuu and the University of Kuopio. Today, more than 15,000 students study in one of the university’s four faculties. With a good reputation for research, the University of Eastern Finland has an extensive network of foreign partners and often participates in international projects. The university’s main campuses are in the cities of Joensuu and Kuopio, with some facilities also in Savonlinna – all within the south-east of the country, in the region formerly known as Eastern Finland.

Five more universities in Finland are featured in the latest QS World University Rankings, all ranked among the global top 550. These are: Tampere University of Technology (ranked 380th), Lappeenranta University of Technology (501-550), the University of Oulu (411-420), Abo Akademi University (501-550) and the University of Tampere (551-600).

Compare the top universities in Finland

finland universities ranking

World RankInstitutionCountryNational RankQuality of Education RankAlumni Employment RankQuality of Faculty RankResearch Performance RankScore
118University of HelsinkiFinland12029131678881.0
335Aalto UniversityFinland221434176.2
381University of TurkuFinland3149334975.5
418Tampere UniversityFinland450240475.1
446University of OuluFinland562842974.7
452University of Eastern FinlandFinland642574.7
565University of JyväskyläFinland7145953173.5
949Lappeenranta University of TechnologyFinland872191270.5
1089Åbo Akademi UniversityFinland9104469.7
1423Hanken School of EconomicsFinland107968.0

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