News

Many School of Business students want to go on exchange

Published: 4.4.2024

Business students are also the most eager to go on exchange at Aalto University

Aalto Squad students outdoors — Photo: Aalto University/Aleksi Poutanen

The School of Business plays an important role in Aalto University's international student mobility. According to 2023 statistics, 42% of the students who left Aalto for exchange were students from the School of Business. In the academic year 2024-2025, 419 students from the School of Business will go on exchange to 40 different countries, which is the same number as before the pandemic. The number of foreign students coming to the School of Business for exchange has increased since the pandemic.

Although student mobility has been on the decline nationally, the trend has been upwards at the School of Business. ‘Comprehensive and easy credit transfer process of exchange studies to an international minor ensures that the exchange does not extend the study time,’ says Sanna Krigsholm, the mobility team lead.

Business students are highly motivated to study part of their degree on exchange, and competition for the most popular exchange destinations is tough. International experience is seen by students as an important part of their degree and many students decide early in their studies to apply for an exchange. An international minor can be included in both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree. Thus, many students who have been on a Bachelor's exchange apply again for a Master's exchange.

Comprehensive network of partner universities

The School of Business has worked hard to build up a network of partner universities. The partner university network includes 156 excellent business schools from around the world, 96% of which have an international quality label (AACSB, EQUIS or AMBA). Partner universities are assessed annually on the basis of student feedback, academic performance, student demand for exchanges and accreditation.

Since the covid pandemic, the network has grown to include five universities: Columbia University, Indiana University, Politecnico di Milano, Universidad de Lisboa and Waseda University. Negotiations also continue with many other top universities. High-quality universities in interesting locations attract students to apply for exchange.

Ella Killinen is currently on exchange at Politecnico di Milano. ‘Studying abroad had been a dream of mine from the very beginning of my studies, but due to the covid, I had to wait until the last year of my studies - this also meant taking a break from working life for a while when I took a study leave. The adjustment to Milan has gone surprisingly well, and I've learned a lot about myself through building new daily routines. Time seems to be flying by. But the most significant enrichment of the experience is the new people from different countries and backgrounds. It tends to be fun!’

Hitotsubashin kampusta — Hitotsubashi campus area

Perttu Honkanen is on exchange this spring at Hitotsubashi University in Japan. ‘I applied for the exchange to gain new experiences, language skills and expand my professional opportunities. In a new culture, you are constantly out of your comfort zone, which increases your stress tolerance and broadens your mindset. Japan was chosen because of its great cultural diversity, interesting language and charmingly beautiful nature. Many Japanese have a strong desire to learn English, and at lunch the ramen bowl is often emptied by talking half in English and half in Japanese.’

Sanna Huovinen-Kiuru, who is in charge of exchange selection, stresses that even if you don't get to your top destination, an exchange is usually a great and valuable experience elsewhere. ‘The best feedback is to hear how great the exchange semester was for a student who didn't get to his/her preferred destination, but still took the opportunity to go to another destination.’

An exchange study period is available for every student

An exchange study period is available for every student at the School of Business who wants to develop his/her international and multicultural skills by studying abroad in a different academic and cultural environment than they are used to at their home university. The number of grants for Erasmus exchanges to Europe, funded by the European Commission, has increased in recent years. Aalto University also supports exchanges outside Europe from its own resources.

Saila Kurtbay, Head of International Affairs, says that the students understand the importance of exchange studies for their future career development.

‘International experience and the ability to work in a multicultural environment are valued when companies make recruitment decisions. However, the main benefit of an exchange period for a student is the development of an international identity. The student's ability to reflect on their own values and to look at the world from different perspectives will develop during the exchange period. There is a noticeable improvement in students' self-confidence and communication skills.’

Petja Päivärinne is on exchange at ESSEC Business School in Paris. ‘In Paris, I was attracted by the idea of challenging my own perspectives. The local everyday life is rich with different cultures, art and opportunities for new experiences, which may not be experienced in the same way in Finland. I also realized that I have a unique opportunity to live and study abroad at this particular point in my life. In addition, School of Business has an encouraging atmosphere to go on exchange, which played a role in my decision to apply to study abroad,’ says Petja.

The School of Business's International Affairs team is constantly developing different exchange opportunities. ‘We are currently working on an intensive study programme for May with the University of Michigan. During the pandemic, the need for distance learning as an alternative was also highlighted. The School of Business is part of the European Common Online Learning (ECOL) network, offering courses in a distance learning format among seven European universities. However, students have a desire to study abroad on the spot, so there has been little interest in distance learning,’ says Saila Kurtbay.

Farewell party for exchange students — Foreign students on exchange at the School of Business in the autumn semester 2023. As the exchange was coming to an end, the Student Exchange team organised a traditional farewell event for them, where each exchange student received an Aalto t-shirt.

The importance of security emphasised

Exchange is always reciprocal, so the School of Business not only sends its students on exchange, but also receives foreign exchange students from partner universities.

‘According to the evaluation surveys conducted at the end of the exchange, the most important criteria for choosing Aalto University as exchange destination have been interest in Finland and Helsinki, the good reputation of the School of Business and Finland's reputation as one of the safest countries in the world. In many countries, students' parents have a strong influence on the choice of the exchange destination and in recent years the importance of safety has been particularly emphasised in the feedback,’ says Jutta Lankinen, Planning Officer of International Affairs.

‘In addition to academic studies, the activities of the Student Union KY, and especially the KY Sub trips, play a very important role in the integration and exchange experience of the students who come to us. In student feedback, KY receives praises from almost every exchange student. Feedback is collected at the end of each semester, and the overall satisfaction of our exchange students in the autumn of 2023 was 6.7 on a scale of 1-7.’

More information:

For the 2024-2025 academic year, students will leave for all continents: Europe will be the most popular destination (50%), followed by Asia (26%) and North America (11%). The top seven countries to which students from the School of Business have applied according to their primary application preference are Singapore (49), Italy (45), USA (41), Portugal (40), Australia (39), Spain (25) and Japan (23). The top ten universities are National University of Singapore (38), Universidade de Nova Lisboa (27), Bocconi University (24), LUISS Guido Carli University (21), Keio University (16), Universidad Torcuato di Tella (15), Chulalongkorn University (14), London School of Economics (13), WU Vienna (11) and University of Melbourne (11).

In 2023, 426 exchange students arrived at the School of Business, which is 22% more than in 2019. 51% of the exchange students came from Europe, 31% from Asia, 10% from North America, 4% from Oceania, 3% from Latin America and 1% from Africa. The largest numbers of students came from Singapore, China, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the United States.

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Saila Kurtbay is responsible for developing the university cooperation network and the student mobility team consists of Sanna Krigsholm, Sanna Huovinen-Kiuru, Jutta Lankinen and Joni-Petteri Hytönen. Annamari Vahvaselkä is responsible for student mobility in the International Business programme at the Mikkeli campus.

International partner universities

Internationality and global networking are important parts of research, teaching and learning at Aalto University School of Business. We cooperate with the most prestigious universities and business schools around the world. Approximately 94% of our partner universities are accredited by international accreditation bodies (AACSB, Equis or AMBA).