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The project group met representatives of a number of HEIs in Helsinki
in March 2015. Even if conditions are different, with higher education in
Finland being more focused on programmes than in Sweden, we believe
that some processes used by the Finnish HEIs can provide inspiration for
Swedish HEIs.

Meetings with Finnish colleagues showed that study guidance has a promi-
nent role at Finnish HEIs and that a large proportion of the student popula-
tion meet a guidance counsellor at the start of their studies. Study guidance
has an important role to play in increasing student completion. Additionally,
focus on guidance also appears to influence Finnish students’ likelihood of
participating in a student exchange.

In Sweden, students meet study guidance counsellors to a much lesser
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extent. According to Studentspegeln 2007 , very few, 12 per cent, of Swedish
students state that they have discussed plans for the future with a teacher,
supervisor or study guidance counsellor. However, over 30 per cent state
that they have visited study guidance counselling.

Common to the Finnish HEIs with which we were in contact was that they
offer proactive guidance as an integrated part of the programme, and that
opportunities for student exchanges have a clear place in the guidance
conversation. The HEIs that the project group visited also had a targeted
strategy for guidance, in which the various functions, study guidance coun-
sellors, academic advisers and the international coordinator, all cooperate
and work toward the same objective.

Establish a proactive and development-
focused guidance chain

The project recommends a development-focused, proactive guidance process in
which, at an early stage, there is discussion about how an exchange period can be
fitted in to achieve the intended learning outcomes of the student’s programme.
This discussion should occur on several occasions during the study period.

Transition from informing about student exchanges to holding a dialogue about
how they can be fitted in to achieve the programme’s intended learning outcomes.
Study guidance has an important role to play in fulfilling the qualitative targets in
the Higher Education Ordinance. It is possible that this potential is used too little
and that, instead, in many cases study guidance will deal with practical informa-
tion and crisis management.

19 Högskoleverket, Studentspegeln 2007, Rapport 2007:20 R, http://www.uk-ambetet.
se/download/18.1ff6bf9c146adf4b496785/1404209835025/0720R+
Studentspegeln+2007.pdf

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