To Charge or Not to Charge? That is Tuition

Over the last decade, the question of whether or not to introduce tuition for international students from outside the European Union/European Economic Area1 has been a hot topic in the Nordic countries, which have had a long history of offering tuition-free education through their comprehensive welfare states. Starting with Denmark in 2006, three of the Nordic countries have introduced tuition, whereas Iceland and Norway continue to offer tuition-free higher education for all, regardless of national origin. Finland introduced a trial tuition scheme for some programs and institutions in 2010, and Sweden has required non-EU students to pay tuition since fall 2011. While there is limited data from Finland, Denmark, and Sweden both saw a dramatic drop in international enrollment immediately after the implementation of tuition schemes followed by a gradual recovery due to initiatives such as an increased number of scholarships and study grants.

The introduction of tuition in these countries has several implications for international student mobility and international student enrollment across the Nordic region. All of the Nordic countries offer full-degree programs where the language of instruction is English. In both Sweden and Denmark, the implementation of international tuition has significantly increased the administrative workload at individual institutions and has required them to rethink their marketing and recruitment strategies. An additional question is how competitive the region will be in the global international education market in comparison to countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Tuition for Non-EU Students

According to the European Commission, it