Approximately 7,900 applications were submitted to Tallinn University (Tallinna Ülikool - TLÜ), which is about 1,000 more than the last few years. 

The biggest increase was in psychology in the first stage of higher education – with 15 students competing for one place. There was also significant interest in administration, business, advertising and public relations. 

The increased competition for teacher training courses has pleased the university. Tallinn University's rector Tiit Land said the university received 47 applications for the Estonian language and culture teacher curriculum which is a record number. There were also 20 applications for the upper secondary school science teacher course and 26 applications for mathematics.

"The crisis showed that higher education is still important and young people want to study and acquire professional knowledge which will ensure stability in the future," Land said. 

A total of 1,185 applications were submitted to the Estonian Academy of Arts (Eesti kunstiakadeemia - EKA) this year which is also a record number during recent years.

Graphic design has been the most popular course for the last 10 years. A significant leap was made in industrial and digital product design courses this year, including architecture and urban planning. 

Vice-rector of Estonian Academic of Arts Anne Pikkov said young people want to have a say in those areas because they are concerned about their living environment. 

"Throughout history, education and creativity have helped people to emerge stronger from a crisis. It gives many advantages to the art academy as we have a number of courses that help people to change society and the environment. These courses have gained a lot of popularity within the last few few years," said Pikkov. 

400 more applications were submitted than last year at the University of Tartu (Tartu ülikool - ÜT). Over the years, applicants are the most interested in studying medicine, computer science, law, and economics.

However, both the Estonian Academy of Arts and the University of Tartu are gaining popularity with young people wanting to continue their education after undergraduate degree studies.  

Head of Student Admission at the University of Tartu Tuuli Kaldma told "Aktuaalne Kaamera" on Sunday the impact of coronavirus pandemic has increased the number of applications in master's degree studies. 

"For example, for the master's degree in nursing, the number of applications doubled this year. There were also more applications for public health studies. We are very pleased to say that teacher training courses have become very popular. It means that we will have a new generation of teachers coming up in the near future," said Kaldma. 

The deadline for the applications for undergraduate and master's studies ends next week – admissions deadline at Tallinn University can be found here, the University of Tartu on this page, and for Estonian Academy of Arts one from here.

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