“When I found out I had been offered a scholarship, I finally knew how it would feel when your dreams came true.”
For many, studying at a Top 1% global university is a lifelong ambition and an opportunity to change their lives for the better. At the University of Helsinki, we are committed to being an international, multilingual university, and since 2017, our innovative international master’s programs, taught entirely in English, have enabled us to educate talented international students from around the world.
However, for many talented international students, this goal is financially impossible.
This certainly happened to one of our international students, Lakshika Palamakumbure, who came from Sri Lanka in 2020 to study for an international master’s program in geology and geophysics. His story and trip to the University of Helsinki are typical of many of our international students.
The university competes globally with other universities for the best international students
Thanks to its strong academic reputation, the University of Helsinki attracts the brightest international students to study its programs.
– Before entering the University of Helsinki, I studied for a Bachelor of Geology at Peradeniya University, a leading university in Sri Lanka, and worked as a geologist at the Colombo National Research Organization.
– I decided to apply for a master’s program abroad because I am really interested in geophysics and planetary geosciences, but in Sri Lanka we do not have degree programs in this field. I considered many countries and applied to the University of Helsinki because it has a really good reputation and to Finland because it is supposed to have the happiest people in the world – so I wanted to see if this is really the case!
However, as Lakshika explains, many non-EU students face significant financial barriers that limit their opportunities to study at a university outside their home country. Therefore, while the brightest international students are offered study places at the world’s top universities, the decisive factor in which university they choose usually depends on whether or not they are offered a scholarship.
– I was offered study places at universities in the United States, Germany and other European countries, but I could not even consider accepting places due to financial costs. I needed a scholarship.
Without scholarships and study grants, many international students cannot afford to study with us
– There are so many students like me that they have the academic ability to study at university, but they simply cannot afford it financially. The average household income, exchange rate and cost of living in Finland from Sri Lanka meant that without the scholarship it would have been impossible for me to study at university, Lakshika continued.
Fortunately, however, Lakshika was one of 21 international students for whom the University of Helsinki offered scholarships in 2020.
– When I found out that the University of Helsinki had offered me a scholarship, I finally knew how it would feel when your dreams came true. My whole life has changed because of the scholarship and I hope I can now participate in the scientific community in my research. I am now going to my second year of study at university and I just want to thank everyone who has made this opportunity possible!
Give world-class education as a gift
Our global scholarship fund offers full tuition and scholarships to the brightest international students in the EU / EEA to study in our international master’s programs.
Since 2017, thanks to the generosity of our donors and the funds of the University of Helsinki, we have been able to award scholarships and grants to international students who have had a significant impact on our university community. However, due to limited scholarships and scholarships, we lose many talented international students each year who applied to study with us but were unable to provide support.
Your donation Global Scholarship Fund can help transform an international student’s dream of studying at university into reality and change their lives forever.
Join our international students as they help create a fairer and more prosperous tomorrow – in Finland, at home and around the world.
If you want to learn more about how you can support international students, our team is here to help.