Finnish rural high schools face closure as international student fees deter enrollments

Many of Finland’s smallest high schools rely on international students to stay open, but a new tuition fee set to take effect this autumn threatens their survival, school principals and municipal leaders told Yle.

The policy, introduced by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government, requires non-EU students to pay annual tuition ranging from €10,000 to over €16,000—sums that principals warn will price out most applicants. Without these students, some schools may shut down entirely.

At Savukoski Upper Secondary School in Lapland, 21 of 29 students this year came from abroad, primarily Russia. In Sulkava, Eastern Finland, 25 of 40 students were international, mostly from Vietnam. Both schools, among the country’s smallest, now face an uncertain future.

“Our school’s existence depends on whether we can replace international students with Finnish or European youth,” said Joonas Rentola, acting municipal manager in Savukoski and the school’s former principal. Sulkava’s acting principal Mika Matilainen was blunt: “Without foreign students, we very likely wouldn’t have a high school at all.”

The fees have already slashed incoming enrollments. Kinnula’s school, where half the students were international this year, expects just 15 foreign students to return in autumn—with no new arrivals. Savukoski and Rautjärvi report no incoming international applicants. Only one tuition-paying student has been admitted to Posio’s school, while Salla and Sulkava remain in limbo.

Principals call the policy short-sighted, warning it could degrade education for Finnish students too. “This sends a message that we don’t want international students,” said Leena Hautajärvi, principal of Salla’s school. Others note the fees create inequality, as wealthier municipalities with lower tuition may attract more students.

The change also shifts the demographic of applicants. “Future students will likely come from affluent families,” said Janne Hirvonen, principal of Rautjärvi’s school. Many schools had partnered with Finest Future, a now-bankrupt agency that recruited students from Asia, particularly Myanmar and Vietnam.

For rural communities, the loss extends beyond classrooms. “These students brought life to Savukoski,” Rentola said. Without them, he added, the government’s decision “does us a disservice.”