War in Ukraine impacting admissions at Estonian universities differently
Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine hasn't impacted the number of applications Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) has received by university students from abroad, said Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Hendrik Voll. Tallinn University (TLÜ), meanwhile, admits that their university will be receiving fewer international students than before this academic year.
According to Voll, compared with last year, the number of international students to apply to study at TalTech has even gone up. This year, 1,200 university students from abroad have applied to study at TalTech, some 100 more than last year. Exactly how many international students will ultimately come study at the university will depend on the students from Ukraine, he added.
"We currently have 70 Ukrainian students," the vice-rector explained. "These are potential interested people who would like to come study [at TalTech], but they have to provide proof of their English language proficiency, and they have until August 10 to do so."
TalTech has received the most applications from Ukraine and Nigeria, followed by Azerbaijan and Finland.
The situation at TLÜ, meanwhile, is somewhat different.
According to TLÜ Vice-Rector for Development Katrin Saks, their university is receiving the most international students from Nigeria, Ukraine and Pakistan. In previous years, many students had also come from Bangladesh and Cameroon, for example, but this year will be seeing fewer students come from both.
Citizens of Finland, Latvia and Lithuania have until August 7 to apply to TLÜ, at which point the final results will be clear. According to Saks, Nigeria has significantly higher student mobility than other countries in Africa, so it's not surprising that many of them reach Estonia's universities as well.
"The war has had an impact, and there have been somewhat fewer applications," the TLÜ vice-rector said. "As of August 3, we have received 773 applications [from international students], and based on that we can say that that's still somewhat fewer than previously. Compared with last year, we've received 12 percent fewer applications."
The most popular degree programs for international students at TLÜ this year have been Politics and Governance, Law, Audiovisual Media and International Relations.
Of the 70 Ukrainian students applying to TalTech this academic year, 20 have already submitted all of their necessary paperwork. The remaining 50 must still submit proof of English language proficiency as well as proof of education.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
