According to Estonian universities, there are several reasons for the low number of applicants, including new curricula, lack of marketing, global crises and the country's new language requirements.

The admission period for Estonian higher education establishments for the next academic year is coming to an end, with the young people who are soon become students are starting to make decisions about their futures. At the beginning of July, ERR reported that a record number of applications had been submitted to Estonian higher education institutions this year, and also listed the most popular subjects. So, which subjects are proving to be the least popular when it comes to higher education in Estonia?

Tallinn University has a higher number of fee-paying specializations than the other Estonian universities, and so it comes as no surprise that these were less popular than the other options. For example, the part-time Master's degree courses in social work and political science only received one application according to the SAIS information portal.

In those same disciplines, there have been more applications for students wishing to undertake for full-time studies without fees, however. The number of applications received per full-time place available on full-time social work programs is 1.5, while the number for political science is nearly 2.

For Bachelor's degree programs, Tallinn University has received more applicants than there are available places in every discipline. However, the same cannot be said for Master's studies. The most unpopular Master's studies programs for applicants were IT teaching (0.75 applications per place available), Asian Studies (0.53), Slavonic Languages and Cultures (0.81) and Child Protection (0.83).

According to Helen Joost, academic affairs manager at Tallinn University, the popularity of these programs is very much affected by both their specific admission requirements and perceived novelty.

"One of the reasons for the low competition for the Asian Studies program is that there is an admission requirement stating candidates must have B1 level Chinese, Japanese or Arabic. This requirement severely limits the number of people who can apply to the program. For the IT teacher training program, it's down to competition from other IT disciplines. At the same time, students who teach informatics at schools but do not currently meet the requirements to become teachers are welcome to apply," said Joost.

According to Joost, the popularity of Slavonic languages and culture has been affected by Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Generally speaking, the interest in specialties related to Russian language and culture has decreased significantly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. For example, while in the period from 2016 to 2021, there were an average of 80 applications for the Bachelor's degree program in Russian philology, in the period between 2022 and 2024, the average number of applications will be 51. It can be assumed that the decrease in the first year of higher education will have a further impact on admissions to Slavonic languages and culture programs from next year onwards," said Joost.

Admission to the university's Slavonic languages and cultures program requires students to have Russian language skills at C1 level or above, which Joost said will also reduce the number of potential applicants.

At Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), the least popular undergraduate courses this year are those in marine engineering and small shipbuilding (15 applications) and sustainable blue economy technologies (22 applications).

"We would have expected slightly more students for the programs in marine engineering, small shipbuilding and sustainable blue economy technologies at the Kuressaare College in Saaremaa," Hendrik Voll, vice rector for academic affairs at TalTech, told ERR.

"These are undoubtedly promising specializations" However, Saaremaa is still not seen as a typical location for higher education in Estonian society, he added.

According to Voll, the number of applicants for the Master's program in network technology and services was also disappointing, with only nine received according to the SAIS portal.

"In the case of the Master's programs, it may be worth mentioning that there were surprisingly few applications for the network technologies and services course, because in general there is a really high amount of interest in the subjects taught at the Faculty of Information Technology. However, this can explained by the fact that it is a new curriculum and has obviously not yet been discovered by those who may have been interested. We are planning to put more emphasis on the program in our marketing," said Voll.

The MA course in sustainable chemical technologies has lost out due to higher interest in other similar specializations.

"We would have expected more students for the Virum College's sustainable chemical technologies program. We opened a new Master's program in sustainable industry at Viru College this year, which has proved to be much more popular than expected and attracted a lot of students from the chemical engineering program," Voll said.

At TalTech, there is no upper limit on the number of places available on ach program, with all who meet the requirements accepted onto their chosen courses.

According to the SAIS portal, the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Academy had the lowest number of applicants this year for the navy (0.4 applications per place) and air force military command (0.47 applications per place) specializations. According to Rene Reiljan, chief of staff of the Defense Forces Academy, the ability to attain a military education in Estonia largely depends on where a person completed their military service.

"A prerequisite for applying to the Defense Academy is to have completed military service. The number of candidates for a curriculum is influenced by the place of service. Since the lion's share of people's military service is done in the land forces, it is understandable why the number of candidates for that curriculum is higher than for the ones related to the naval and air forces. Military service in the navy is possible, but only on a very small scale, while in the air force it is not possible to do any military service at all. So, general awareness has an impact," said Reijan. 

Irrespective of this, there is surprisingly little interest in a military education related to the navy and air force, according to Reijan.

"Speaking about the number of applicants to the naval and air force curricula as a whole, they have not exactly been overwhelmingly high in the last few years, which is rather surprising for us as well. The Air Force and the Navy are rapidly evolving branches of the Defense Forces, with new capabilities and plenty of opportunities for self-discovery and development," said Reijan.

This year, the Defense Academy also launched a curriculum specializing in defense aviation, which, according to Reijan has attracted people who may have been interested in focusing on air command.

At the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Maaülikool), all the places on Bachelors' degree course for the next academic year are now full. The lowest number of applicants was received for the woodwork technology specialization, with 26 people applying for the 25 available places.

However, there were fewer applications for Master's degree programs. For example, the livestock program, which was the least popular specialization according to the SAIS portal, received just six applications, when fifteen places are available.

 According to Ina Järve, head of academic affairs at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, agricultural-related curricula have always been less popular with applicants.

"The reason for the lack of popularity of the livestock specialization, where some of our MA places remained unfilled, is that livestock, like agriculture in general, is a subject that people come to study for a specific purpose. Often this is a family tradition, to set up a farm or for a younger generation to take one over. However, if a Bachelor's degree already provides a sufficient level of basic education in this field, people often do not find the time to go on to do a Master's degree while farming," said Järve.

The University of Tartu's undergraduate courses have all been filled this year. The lowest number of applications per place was on the science and technology program (1.2).

At Master's level, there are more specializations for which places remain unfilled, however. According to the SAIS portal, the lowest number of applications (1), was received for the ten available spots on the paid Master's program in digital society management. According to Ele Loonde, senior specialist for communication at the University of Tartu, that particular curriculum is still new and aimed at a very specific target group.

"This is a new English-language Master's program, which is designed for a rather specific international target group. It will take several years of effort to make the curriculum internationally known, as it is necessary to introduce both the content of the curriculum, as well as the University of Tartu and Estonia to any potential students. We are currently discussing how to increase the number of applicants for the next admission period," Loonde told ERR.

There is also little competition for places on the Master's course in wellness and spa services management and Design, with only 6 people applying for the 15 available spots.

According to Loonde, global crises and new rules in Estonia are having an adverse effect on applications for some courses.

"In recent years, enrolment in our English-language courses has decreased. This is due to Russia's war in Ukraine, instability caused by the economic downturn and the Coronavirus pandemic. The latter, for example, has led to a decline in interest in tourism and hospitality-related professions. Changes in the admission requirements and tuition fees also often affects the number of applicants. For example, the number of applicants to Narva College has decreased since the entry into force of the B2 Estonian language requirement," said Loonde.

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