University of Vaasa receives 45 additional student intake places from the Ministry of Education and Culture
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The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted one-off funding to higher education institutions for increasing the number of available student places in fields that promote economic growth. The University of Vaasa received funding for 45 additional student intake places.
The additional student intake places will be allocated to the following programmes: Cybersecurity Management (25 places), Automation and Information Technology (10 places), and Electrical and Energy Engineering (10 places).
This decision is part of the government’s measures to raise Finland’s level of education and competence, and to strengthen the prerequisites for economic growth, sustainable development, and national security. In total, the ministry awarded 1,095 additional student intake places to universities of applied sciences and universities, of which 595 are directed to universities.
Rector Minna Martikainen considers the decision an important recognition of the University of Vaasa’s strong performance and its role in supporting Finland’s growth.
– Relative to our size, we received the highest number of additional student intake places in the country, which reflects the ministry’s confidence in the work we are doing. We are Finland’s fastest-growing and most efficient university, and the employment rate of our graduates is among the best nationwide. These additional student intake places strengthen our role in building expertise and competitiveness, particularly in fields that support economic growth and face rapidly increasing workforce needs. They also enable the continued growth of our university and support our mission to educate experts who contribute to Finland’s economic and technological development.
In its spring 2025 budget framework session, the government decided on new growth measures to secure Finland’s economic growth and competitiveness. A total of EUR 100 million in one-off funding was allocated to raising educational attainment. Part of this investment aims to raise the share of young adults with a higher education degree towards 50 percent.
The new student intake places will be introduced in degree programmes starting in autumn 2026, for which the application period closed in the second joint application round of spring 2026. The funding for additional student intake places takes into account their allocation to first-time applicants.
In allocating the additional student intake places, the ministry considered programmes directly linked to national priorities that strengthen sustainable growth, renewal and national security. The assessment also took into account the justifications presented by higher education institutions, as well as study offer, applicant pressures and anticipated labour market needs. Special attention was paid to regions with the lowest availability of higher education places in relation to the size of the youth population.