University of Helsinki: Grant students access to full academic year to complete thesis!
University of Helsinki: Grant students access to full academic year to complete thesis!
The Issue
Do you know that the University of Helsinki is requiring tuition-liable students to pay 9000€ to extend their study right just to complete the thesis within the same academic year?
We would like to highlight the inequitable situation for tuition-liable students regarding thesis deadlines. The current thesis submission deadline for the Masters Programme in Changing Education is May 15th. We have requested minimal support from the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration to extend the final deadline to the end of the academic year, which is officially July 31st.
According to admission data at the University of Helsinki, there are approximately 2,923 tuition-liable students. These would be non-EU/EEA citizens who do not have permanent residence status in Finland. In our international Masters programme in Changing Education, aside from those on scholarships, these students already paid 36,000€ for a two-year study right. An amount of 9000€ which covers an additional half-year is far too high a price to pay for two teaching periods used solely for completing one's thesis.
The Changing Education programme has been in existence since the fall of 2020 and is the first and only international English degree programme at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. There has only been one cohort of graduates (we estimate less than 1/3 of students completed their thesis before the end of the Spring period last year). Students have felt immense pressure to complete the thesis ‘on time’ from faculty members and feel there has been a lack of support in addition to unclear guidance on the thesis writing process. Undoubtedly, all students in our programme have experienced levels of pressure and stress related to studies, adjustment to life in Finland, high living costs in addition to the many challenges brought forth by the pandemic. For tuition-liable students, the pressure is greatly magnified by these factors with hard deadlines which don’t allow them to use the two paid years of their tuition right. Students under this pressure are currently sacrificing the quality of their thesis, let alone their mental health and well-being!
What actions have been taken? What is at stake?
Efforts during the past several months have been made to engage in meaningful discussions around this issue via the Equity Committee and through email communication with the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration. We have been met with responses which demonstrate a lack of willingness to make a genuine effort to treat their international student body more equitably. The faculty has stated that they do not have the power to make such changes and that they must follow the same rules for everyone. Yet, exceptions were made last year for students to submit in early June. We have recently been informed that June 5th at 9:00am will be another exception date this year.
We understand that the thesis examination process includes validation by the Faculty Council, which will meet for the last time this academic year on June 26th. Why would this date be so early if the academic year ends on July 31st? The faculty's administration has mentioned that discussions are happening at the ‘university level’ for possible changes to submission and assessment dates but this will not be a possibility for this year. We are left wondering what has the faculty really done to support this second cohort’s educational experience and well-being in this new Masters degree programme?
These were the proposed possible plans sent to the Faculty of Educational Sciences by us after doing some research about how other universities handle the thesis completion:
Suggested plans - Long-term Plan and Short-term
A. Tuition waiver scholarships for thesis completion: As long-term goal, we urge the university to follow the example of Aalto University* to provide tuition waiver scholarships for students who need extra time as one of the long-term plans to address this equity issue.
* We spoke with Master students at Aalto University who were granted an extra tuition-free term for completing their theses. The students who are asking for extended time to complete their thesis do not want to take more courses, they simply want to access the resources needed to complete their thesis. This includes access to Helka and minimal support from their supervisor. For more information: https://www.aalto.fi/en/international-students/scholarships#5-scholarship-for-one-additional-term-following-the-standard-period-of-study--5th-or-7th-term-scholarship-
B. Efficient thesis deadline: As short-term, we ask for more efficient and streamlined processes for the thesis deadline which is 31st July 2023**. We paid 18000€ for the whole academic year which is valid for the period of 1st August to 31st July. Hence, we deserve to receive support for our studies and have our theses accepted as long as they’re submitted during this period. We demand a reasonable deadline instead of Mid-May, or now early June. Additionally, many thesis supervisors have already agreed to help over the summer if the deadline were to be extended to July 31st.
**At Aalto university, the final thesis deadline, credits, registration, and application for the degree can all be submitted on the last day of July (an example from the School of Science for Master's programmes - https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=19277)
Why your support is needed now!
Since at least one other university we know of adapted and found ways to support their tuition fee-paying international students, we insist that the University of Helsinki and specifically the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration listen, reflect and take charge to meaningfully support international students’ education. In fact, the university pride’s itself on attracting, supporting and retaining ‘the best international minds’ and recognizes the ‘additional barriers that limit their chances of success in Finland.’
This is not about everyone getting the same treatment or rules being rules. It’s about ‘breaking down barriers for international students to help them thrive’ as stated in the university’s campaign to support international students.
We have clearly and repeatedly expressed our demands and needs to the Faculty of Education Sciences with little action taken on their part. We have provided valid reasons and suggestions to make the situation more equitable. As we are approaching the university’s thesis deadlines in May and early June, we believe the two suggested plans are reasonable and achievable if the university wants to truly support the success of international students.
Who are we?
We are a group of Changing Education (CE) students in the Faculty of Educational Sciences from both tuition-liable, scholarship and EU/EEA in support of the above proposed changes regarding the thesis deadline and tuition fee equity issue . Students of the second CE cohort, who are liable to pay tuition, are currently faced with the pressure to finish their theses within 22 months (not 24 months) in order to avoid paying tuition for an additional 9000€ term. We believe that international students in other Master programmes also face the same struggle as us, so let's demand this immediate change together.
We call on everyone in the university community for support! We are urging for minimal but immediate changes for international students. Please sign the petition to show your support for more equitable treatment at the University of Helsinki.
Source of Image: University of Helsinki. (n.d.). Faculty of Educational Sciences. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.helsinki.fi/assets/drupal/styles/hero_image/s3/media-image/kt-penger-ilmakuva.jpg.webp?itok=36zkgsVu
902
The Issue
Do you know that the University of Helsinki is requiring tuition-liable students to pay 9000€ to extend their study right just to complete the thesis within the same academic year?
We would like to highlight the inequitable situation for tuition-liable students regarding thesis deadlines. The current thesis submission deadline for the Masters Programme in Changing Education is May 15th. We have requested minimal support from the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration to extend the final deadline to the end of the academic year, which is officially July 31st.
According to admission data at the University of Helsinki, there are approximately 2,923 tuition-liable students. These would be non-EU/EEA citizens who do not have permanent residence status in Finland. In our international Masters programme in Changing Education, aside from those on scholarships, these students already paid 36,000€ for a two-year study right. An amount of 9000€ which covers an additional half-year is far too high a price to pay for two teaching periods used solely for completing one's thesis.
The Changing Education programme has been in existence since the fall of 2020 and is the first and only international English degree programme at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. There has only been one cohort of graduates (we estimate less than 1/3 of students completed their thesis before the end of the Spring period last year). Students have felt immense pressure to complete the thesis ‘on time’ from faculty members and feel there has been a lack of support in addition to unclear guidance on the thesis writing process. Undoubtedly, all students in our programme have experienced levels of pressure and stress related to studies, adjustment to life in Finland, high living costs in addition to the many challenges brought forth by the pandemic. For tuition-liable students, the pressure is greatly magnified by these factors with hard deadlines which don’t allow them to use the two paid years of their tuition right. Students under this pressure are currently sacrificing the quality of their thesis, let alone their mental health and well-being!
What actions have been taken? What is at stake?
Efforts during the past several months have been made to engage in meaningful discussions around this issue via the Equity Committee and through email communication with the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration. We have been met with responses which demonstrate a lack of willingness to make a genuine effort to treat their international student body more equitably. The faculty has stated that they do not have the power to make such changes and that they must follow the same rules for everyone. Yet, exceptions were made last year for students to submit in early June. We have recently been informed that June 5th at 9:00am will be another exception date this year.
We understand that the thesis examination process includes validation by the Faculty Council, which will meet for the last time this academic year on June 26th. Why would this date be so early if the academic year ends on July 31st? The faculty's administration has mentioned that discussions are happening at the ‘university level’ for possible changes to submission and assessment dates but this will not be a possibility for this year. We are left wondering what has the faculty really done to support this second cohort’s educational experience and well-being in this new Masters degree programme?
These were the proposed possible plans sent to the Faculty of Educational Sciences by us after doing some research about how other universities handle the thesis completion:
Suggested plans - Long-term Plan and Short-term
A. Tuition waiver scholarships for thesis completion: As long-term goal, we urge the university to follow the example of Aalto University* to provide tuition waiver scholarships for students who need extra time as one of the long-term plans to address this equity issue.
* We spoke with Master students at Aalto University who were granted an extra tuition-free term for completing their theses. The students who are asking for extended time to complete their thesis do not want to take more courses, they simply want to access the resources needed to complete their thesis. This includes access to Helka and minimal support from their supervisor. For more information: https://www.aalto.fi/en/international-students/scholarships#5-scholarship-for-one-additional-term-following-the-standard-period-of-study--5th-or-7th-term-scholarship-
B. Efficient thesis deadline: As short-term, we ask for more efficient and streamlined processes for the thesis deadline which is 31st July 2023**. We paid 18000€ for the whole academic year which is valid for the period of 1st August to 31st July. Hence, we deserve to receive support for our studies and have our theses accepted as long as they’re submitted during this period. We demand a reasonable deadline instead of Mid-May, or now early June. Additionally, many thesis supervisors have already agreed to help over the summer if the deadline were to be extended to July 31st.
**At Aalto university, the final thesis deadline, credits, registration, and application for the degree can all be submitted on the last day of July (an example from the School of Science for Master's programmes - https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=19277)
Why your support is needed now!
Since at least one other university we know of adapted and found ways to support their tuition fee-paying international students, we insist that the University of Helsinki and specifically the Faculty of Educational Sciences administration listen, reflect and take charge to meaningfully support international students’ education. In fact, the university pride’s itself on attracting, supporting and retaining ‘the best international minds’ and recognizes the ‘additional barriers that limit their chances of success in Finland.’
This is not about everyone getting the same treatment or rules being rules. It’s about ‘breaking down barriers for international students to help them thrive’ as stated in the university’s campaign to support international students.
We have clearly and repeatedly expressed our demands and needs to the Faculty of Education Sciences with little action taken on their part. We have provided valid reasons and suggestions to make the situation more equitable. As we are approaching the university’s thesis deadlines in May and early June, we believe the two suggested plans are reasonable and achievable if the university wants to truly support the success of international students.
Who are we?
We are a group of Changing Education (CE) students in the Faculty of Educational Sciences from both tuition-liable, scholarship and EU/EEA in support of the above proposed changes regarding the thesis deadline and tuition fee equity issue . Students of the second CE cohort, who are liable to pay tuition, are currently faced with the pressure to finish their theses within 22 months (not 24 months) in order to avoid paying tuition for an additional 9000€ term. We believe that international students in other Master programmes also face the same struggle as us, so let's demand this immediate change together.
We call on everyone in the university community for support! We are urging for minimal but immediate changes for international students. Please sign the petition to show your support for more equitable treatment at the University of Helsinki.
Source of Image: University of Helsinki. (n.d.). Faculty of Educational Sciences. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.helsinki.fi/assets/drupal/styles/hero_image/s3/media-image/kt-penger-ilmakuva.jpg.webp?itok=36zkgsVu
902
Petition created on April 20, 2023