Pay to play: How introducing an application fee affects applicant demographics (119)

09:00 – 10:30 BST, 9 September 2026 ‐ 1 hour 30 mins

Room: Poster Area 02, Argyll Foyer, Crown Plaza Hotel, Ground floor

Poster

✅ Included for all participants
💬 Poster (conversational)
💡 Admission and recognition

 

What happens to the applicant pool when an application fee is introduced? The number of applications is increasing globally, and at the University of Helsinki it increased nearly sevenfold over seven years. In 2024, the Finnish parliament decided to implement an application fee for applicants from outside the EU and the EEA, starting in spring 2025. This poster examines how the fee has impacted applicant numbers and demographics, as well as whether it has achieved its goals.

Please note, posters are divided between the SEC Centre and the Crown Plaza Hotel this year. The approximate walking time between the two locations is 4 minutes. Posters ending between 01 and 16 will be found in the SEC Centre Concourse, posters ending between 17 and 30 will be found in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Argyll Foyer.