Obstacles and solutions – developing student exchanges

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Haaga-Helia’s student exchange numbers have risen to a good level nationwide. When the number of students participating in exchange programs is compared to the number of new students, Haaga-Helia ranks at the top among universities of applied sciences: 19 percent of students participated in exchange programs in 2024. Savonia (18 %), JAMK (17 %), and Metropolia (16 %) followed. This means that at Haaga-Helia, almost a fifth of the starting number of students go on a short or long-term exchange or complete an internship abroad (Finnish National Agency for Education 2025).

At the same time, the popularity of short-term exchanges has grown, and the trend for long-term exchanges is declining both at Haaga-Helia and nationally. Our goal is to increase the proportion of students participating in exchanges to 25 percent.

To support our development measures, we conducted a survey in October 2025 among students who had not participated in exchange programs to find out what reasons and obstacles students have and what ideas they have for overcoming these obstacles. A total of 367 students responded to the survey. Based on background variables (gender, age, field of study), the respondent group is representative of the student body at Haaga-Helia.

The value of international opportunities

Over 84 percent of the respondents considered internationality to be very or moderately important in their studies. Internationality was particularly valued by hospitality and tourism management students, Master’s degree students, and respondents aged 45–54.

It is gratifying that the importance of internationality is emphasized by more experienced students who are already in working life. This shows that international skills are considered useful and add value from a career perspective.

Only nine percent of the respondents were unaware of Haaga-Helia’s international opportunities, and most of them were Master’s degree students. This highlighted a clear area for development: in the future, we will ensure that Master’s degree students also receive information about international opportunities as part of their studies.

Why did students not go on exchange?

Almost half of the respondents (49 %) had considered going on exchange but had not applied in the end. This was particularly evident among students of journalism, hospitality and tourism management, and sports, as well as among male students. 44 percent had not even considered going on exchange due to clear obstacles, and Master’s degree students were particularly prominent in this group.

The main reasons given for not going on exchange were:

1. Financial reasons (49 %)
2. Work (42 %)
3. Family or children (33 %)
4. Housing challenges (21 %)
5. Insecurity about going abroad (17 %)

Master’s students emphasized the difficulty of balancing work and family life. Housing issues were a particular concern for journalism students. Financial reasons were highlighted in many fields of study, but they were particularly influential in the decisions of journalism, hospitality and tourism management, IT, and business administration students. Interestingly, environmental and safety concerns were the least significant reasons (1 % and 3 %).

The results are in line with the national Eurostudent data. Throughout Finland, the most common obstacle to participating in exchange programs is the financial situation, and being away from family is also a significant reason. (Finnish National Agency for Education 2023.) On the other hand, being away from friends, the perceived lack of benefit from studies, or lack of motivation were not as prominent at Haaga-Helia as elsewhere in Finland.

Most respondents reported that internationality was visible in their studies through English-language courses or the international background of student groups. However, it is worrying that 22 percent of the respondents did not perceive any internationality in their studies, and this was particularly evident among students of sports, business administration, and IT.

Solutions and development

The open-ended responses to the survey provided many concrete suggestions. Although we cannot influence students’ financial situation, work, housing, or personal circumstances, we identified four focus areas for our development efforts at Haaga-Helia’s International Services.

Support for students who feel that their age or family situation is an obstacle

Respondents wanted to hear examples from other students with families and those in working life about how going on exchange worked in practice. For example, one respondent wrote: ‘If I had known that there were other older students participating in the exchange, I would probably have given it serious consideration’.

We started this development measure by writing an article about a student who went on exchange with a primary school-aged child, and we use his exchange story in groups that include older students, i.e., Master’s degree students and part-time students. In addition, a video has been made about a student at the professional teacher training, which we can use for this purpose. We will also look for exchange destinations that are particularly recommended for students with families and where there are also older students. As one student stated in our survey: ‘At 40, I feel a little old to be an exchange student. I assume that the others would mainly be in their twenties, and I would have felt like I didn’t belong’.

The opportunity to go on exchange with a friend

Many felt that going on exchange would be easier with a friend. As one respondent wrote: ‘I would have considered going on exchange if I had someone safe with me, like a friend’.

We have added a section to the exchange application form where students can enter the name of their friend, and we have made going on exchange with a friend part of our process. In addition, we will improve the guidance on finding exchange destinations for those who want to go on exchange with a friend. For example, we will provide instructions on how students can find exchange destinations with many exchange seats available.

More information and support

In particular, the survey showed us that Master’s degree students would have needed more information, so we will ensure that everyone receives internationalisation information as part of their studies in the future. In addition, we will ensure that students receive more thorough advice on various issues, such as costs, housing, application deadlines, and course options.

Services for students with special needs

We have already begun developing support measures for students with special needs. Among other things, we have added information to the exchange database about accessibility and special support services available at the exchange destination. The survey also highlighted concerns related to mental well-being, such as anxiety, depression, and burn out. We take these issues into account in our student support measures and offer more individualised support in the future.

Exchange services aiming at increased awareness and support

Going on exchange is popular at Haaga-Helia, and many of the obstacles are related to students’ life situations, which we cannot influence. As the International Services team at Haaga-Helia, we will continue to focus on the factors we can influence and do concrete development measures so that more students can take advantage of the unique and diverse international opportunities available as part of their studies.

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