International students choose Oulu for reputation and study field – and want more social media

Finland itself also attracted many applicants (63%), and the city of Oulu motivated nearly one in two (48%), up from 35% a year earlier. The university’s global ranking was mentioned by 61%, more often than before.

The data also suggests that international applicants are weighing multiple options. In 2025, 72% said they were accepted to other universities as well (55% in 2024) but still chose the University of Oulu.

The respondent group is dominated by Master’s students (83%), while Bachelor’s students make up 17%.

Online channels remain central in the decision-making process. The University of Oulu website was cited as an important information source by 82% of respondents and the national Studyinfo.fi portal by 79%. In a more detailed breakdown of sources and prior experiences, 66% highlighted the University of Oulu website, 54% the Study in Finland site, 35% family and friends, and 26% Google.

At the same time, many newcomers want the university to be more visible where they spend their time, namely social media. Nearly two thirds (62%) said they would have liked to see more University of Oulu content on the channels they use, compared with 54% in 2024.

Pre-arrival communications were rated strongly. About 72% watched pre-orientation webinars (average 4.35/5) and 80% read pre-orientation newsletters (4.52/5). Overall, pre-orientation information scored 4.22/5 for usefulness. Email was the preferred channel for receiving it (86%), ahead of the university website (59%) and online webinars (28%).

Community-building tools also reached most respondents: 81% received an invitation to the UniOulu community on the Goin’ app, and 94% of those invited joined.

“We have developed our engagement communications and introduced new methods, such as the Goin’ app. It is wonderful to see that the work we have done is making a difference,” says Marketing Designer Ulla Alanko, who is responsible for engagement communications and pre-orientation for new students.

The University of Oulu survey of first-year international students conducted in autumn 2025 drew 127 responses, and the findings are compared with equivalent surveys from autumn 2024 and autumn 2023.