Boost your application – Insights from Admission Services

More and more people are applying for international degree programs at the University of Turku. Can you compete with this many students from all over the world? Sure you can! Read on this blog post created together with UTU Admission Services and learn how you can come out on top when applying for a degree program. 

Are you thinking of applying for an international degree program at the University of Turku? You are not alone! The application number keeps increasing each year: UTU saw 3 378 applications in 2022, there were 5 958 applications in 2023, and 10 239 applications were sent in 2024. Over 10 000 applications do look like a big competition, but let it not discourage you from applying! 

I am a man of facts and numbers, so let us get down to business. There is different competition in different programs, of course, but we will look at the Master’s Degree Programme in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State (INVEST) as an example. With a quota of 15 people, this program had 285 applications in 2024, making the competition exactly 19 people per place. 

Many applications get cut off during preliminary selection 

19 people per place is a serious number. But not to worry! You might be surprised to hear that out of 285 applications for the INVEST program, only 129 were actually eligible. This means that more than half of the applications did not make it through the primary screening. If you follow the instructions attentively, you can already get higher than half of the applicants. But what are the most common reasons that the applications do not get past pre-selection? How to prevent that? 

1. Lacking proog of English language proficiency 

An insufficient proof of English language proficiency is often the top reason for the application to be rejected. For example, for the INVEST program in 2024, almost half of the applications were rejected before the evaluation of their motivation letter because they did not contain a document proving proficiency in English. In most cases, it has to be an English language test. In some situations, you will be able to use another document (for example, your Bachelor’s degree certificate) as a proof that you know English at a needed level, but this does not work for everyone who had their education in English. If unsure, I suggest that you check the page about language requirements on UTU website to check if you need to take the language test or not. 

Some other, although much less common issues with the language proof, include the test grades being too low or the test date being too far back in the past. If you have taken an English language test before, please check that your grades meet the minimum requirements and that the test is still verifiable so that the rejection does not come as a surprise. 

2. Missing mandatory attachments 

Missing attachments are another technical reason for a rejection at the very beginning. This concerns any mandatory attachments: a transcript and a degree certificate from your Bachelor’s degree with their translations if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English, possible specific motivation letter forms, a video presentation, or other, program-specific assignments. 

You will have time to add attachments after you send the application, so it is not critical if you forget something initially. But do give your application another look once you think it is ready. Who knows, you might believe you have included everything but actually be missing some files. And this is not uncommon! During the 2024 application round, around 20% of applications for the INVEST program that did not proceed to further evaluation were missing required documentation. 

3. Irrelevant academic background 

Around another 20% of applications did not make it to the evaluation step for the Master’s degree in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State because the applicants had an irrelevant Bachelor’s degree. All Master’s degree programs of the University of Turku have program-specific requirements that usually include a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. In the case of the INVEST program, applicants need to have a degree in applicable fields of social sciences, including courses on social inequality, social research, and quantitative methodologies. 

If you want to radically change your field of study, this is quite understandable and commendable. However, a Master’s degree is more about advancing in the area where you are already knowledgeable. It makes sense that you are not eligible if you are trying to apply for a degree in Materials Engineering with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and no relevant experience. If you want to try yourself in a new area, a new Bachelor’s degree could be a good option to do so. 

Increase your chances of admission with a better application 

If you were to apply for the INVEST program in 2024 and your application did not have major issues, you would be among the 129 people competing for the available 15 study places in the evaluation stage. This equals to 8.6 people per place, which looks a lot more promising than 19, right? But that is not the end of it – let us go through the points that should help you bring your application to the next level and get a higher chance of admission. 

1. Prepare for the application process 

When I am talking about preparations, I do not mean just practicalities such as scanning your degree certificate and taking a language test. Preparation includes taking a moment to think about your future and understand what you expect from a Master’s degree. When you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with a new degree, you will have an easier time realizing what program suits you the most. With this in mind, you will be able to write a well-rounded and better-justified motivation letter. 

The motivation letter is not only about how your background is relevant to the degree. If the admission committee of the program can see why you are interested in the program, how it aligns with your further goals, and what skills and background you have to make the most of the degree, they will see you as an applicant who has thoughtfully prepared for the application process. This will help you stand out in a positive way. 

When choosing a program, I recommend that you take a look at its study plan and curriculum. All program curricula are available on the university website, and you can find them in the Study Guide or on individual program pages. This will help you see if the program content matches your expectations and background. You can also look up current research areas and professors’ expertise at the unit. With this information, you will be able to prioritize what you want to study and research already at the stage of applying for a degree program. If you include that in your application, it can additionally set you apart from the other applicants. 

2. Pay attention to questions in the application 

True, this point looks almost obvious, but do not underestimate it. Application forms contain multiple questions that vary from one program to another, and you often receive points for answers to those questions as well. For example, the application for the INVEST program might contain a question about your previous courses on quantitative methods in research. Some applicants, however, skip this question or mention irrelevant information, which made them lose otherwise easy points. 

3. Make your motivation letter your own 

The motivation letter is something that can help you stand out from others and show your uniqueness. If you download a template or use online tools to write a generic motivation letter, you risk losing the opportunity to showcase your individuality. The same goes for asking a current student for their old motivation letter. How can it show your individuality, if it belongs to another person or looks identical to dozens of other letters? 

The motivation letter is one of the most important parts of your application. With hundreds of applicants in each program, you’ll want to score as high as possible. Think twice before asking AI for help in writing your letter – it often does more harm than good and, depending on the programme, may even lead to rejection or a lower score.

Bonus: Keep the attachments in your application neat :)  

Of course, if you have the same document in multiple files, it will not deduct points from your application. Neither will the irrelevant documents. However, all this will slow down the Admission Services in their job. If you have all the required attachments orderly organized and clearly named, the person working with your application will be very grateful. I can confidently say that from insider knowledge 🙂 

There is no simple recipe for success when applying for a degree program

This is it! If you follow these tips, you should have a better chance of getting an offer from UTU. There is no ready-made solution, however, because application rounds include hundreds of talented students competing for the study places. The results of your application attempt will depend a lot on who other applicants are and what applications they sent. This means that if you do not get in one year, do not feel discouraged! You can try again another time, and you might get admitted then – this has happened to several students before.  

If you want to hear more advice on applications, international UTUambassador Nour has made an informative Q&A video with Admission Services of the University of Turku. In that video, she goes through different hot questions with Johanna and Valtteri who have been processing applications at UTU for several years. 

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Do you have doubts about moving abroad for your studies? Read on Hinako’s post where she shares how UTU can help you feel more confident. 

If you want to feel what it is like to study at the University of Turku, take a look at Usama’s recap of his year in Turku.