More than 1,000 new students commenced their studies at SAMK

More than 1,000 new students commenced their studies at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) this autumn. Of these students, approximately 300 study in the Faculty of Business and Culture, 300 In the Faculty of Social Services and Health Care and more than 500 in the Faculty of Technology and Maritime Management. The academic year 2011–2012 was officially opened on Tuesday, 13 September.

As regards the locations of study, the new students are divided as follows: Pori, approximately 700; Rauma, 350; Huittinen, 40; and Kankaanpää, 30. Furthermore, more than 100 new students have commenced studies leading to a Master’s degree. In total, SAMK has approximately 6,500 students.

Portrait 2011: Applicants appreciate geographical location and flexibility

SAMK annually analyses the applicants' background information and their grounds for choosing the place of study. According to the latest report, applicants appreciate geographical location and flexibility the most.

The majority of the applicants for youth education leading to a Bachelor’s degree (66%) were female, and 63% had completed the matriculation examination. Most applicants, 68%, came from the Satakunta region, followed by Southwest Finland, Southern Ostrobothnia, the Tampere region and the Uusimaa region. Studying at a university of applied sciences is regarded as practical. The geographical location remains the most important ground for applying to SAMK. It is followed by the versatile educational options and the quality of instruction.

The majority of the applicants for adult education leading to a Bachelor’s degree (76%) were female. More than half of the applicants still came from the Satakunta region, but, as a whole, their proportion had slightly decreased, and the proportion of applicants from the Tampere region and Southwest Finland increased. The majority of the applicants had completed a vocational qualification. Only 7% of the applicants were unemployed, the rest being employees or entrepreneurs. For the first time, the flexibility of the studies (28%) now outweighed the geographical location (21%) as the most important criterion for applying.

The majority of the applicants for Master-level degree programmes were female (65%), most of them holding a Bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences and from the Satakunta region (77%). The applicants’ most significant images implied that a degree deepens competence and helps to advance in a career.

The geographical location (47%) and the flexibility of the studies (13%) were the most important criteria for applying.