One university of applied sciences received just 1,200 applications this year from outside the EU and EEA areas, down from over 25,000 in 2023.File photo. Image: Katarina Lind / YleYle News12:30The number of students applying from abroad to study at Finnish universities of applied sciences has dropped this year to just over 12,000 — a dramatic decrease on the figure of 60,000 two years ago.Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, for example, received only 1,200 applications from abroad this year — compared to 25,000 in 2023 — while the Kokkola-based Centria University of Applied Sciences has gone from 13,000 to 1,000 during the same time period.According to Centria rector Tapio Huttula, Finland's dire job situation and, in particular, the low employment prospects faced by foreign students underpin the collapse in application levels."They need work to survive," Huttula said. "The whole family may have invested in this student, and therefore the idea is that here too they must be able to earn and support themselves."Yle reported last year that unscrupulous third-party agents were spreading false and misleading information to prospective fee-paying students about life in Finland. The new arrivals often end up living a life of poverty and marginalisation as a result of the deception, increasingly relying on handouts to survive.Tighter rules mean fewer applicantsFinland's government has also introduced a series of measures during its term in office that have tightened the rules and criteria for students from outside the EU and EEA areas to study in Finland.These measures include the revocation of a foreign student’s residence permit if they receive basic social assistance, a higher minimum income requirement, and stricter rules regarding family reunification.In addition, a 100-euro fee for applications sent from outside the EU and EEA areas came into force in 2025, which was intended to prevent the system from becoming clogged with baseless applications.Finland's tightening of the rules has coincided with the launching of initiatives in many South Asian countries — such as Bangladesh, India and China — aimed at preventing so-called 'brain drain'.The loss of fee-paying students from abroad will have a significant financial impact on many Finnish universities of applied sciences, according to Centria rector Tapio Huttula."On the other hand, it's good if those who do come are able to complete their degree," he also noted.Yle News' All Points North video podcast discussed the mismatch between the expectations foreign students have of life in Finland and the reality they face when they arrive in the country.All Points North on Video