Wellbeing and integration of sub-Saharan African migrant students and graduates in Finland

This doctoral thesis focuses on the role of higher education as a process and as an outcome in shaping the integration experiences and wellbeing of international students and graduates from sub-Saharan Africa in Finland. It explores how they make sense of their everyday lives, navigate institutions, and build forms of belonging in a society shaped by both inclusion and exclusion. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews and narrative methods, the study centres migrants’ own voices, experiences, and interpretations rather than treating them as data points or policy categories. It shows how people exercise agency, resilience, and creativity while also confronting structural barriers such as racism, bureaucratic constraints, unequal access to services, limited job opportunities, integration problems, stereotypes, and language issues, among others. It also explores the link between social support and migrants’ integration and wellbeing. Overall, the findings show that these students and graduates are struggling and do not feel integrated; they question the meaningfulness of higher education and its relevance to their wellbeing.

The research highlights that racism is not an occasional incident but a recurring feature that shapes how migrants are seen, treated, and understood. At the same time, participants describe meaningful relationships, supportive communities, and moments of recognition that help them sustain hope and build futures in Finland.

By bringing these stories together, the thesis offers a more human, nuanced understanding of migration and integration–one that challenges stereotypes and invites institutions to rethink how they support people. Ultimately, the study argues that listening carefully to migrants' lived experiences is essential for creating fairer, more inclusive educational and social environments.