It is possible to combine studying and sports also in Finland
Discussions about combining studies and sports often highlight the U.S. university system. However, Finland has its own sports academy system, which is unique internationally, and an increasingly robust collaboration with higher education institutions, offering ambitious athletes opportunities to combine their studies with elite sports right here at home.
Sports academies lay a strong foundation
The Finnish sports academy system supports athletes from lower secondary school all the way to the international elite level. The academies provide daily training and specialized services such as physical therapy, medical care, mental health coaching, and nutritional guidance. In addition, they work closely with educational institutions at various levels of education.
For example, the Turku Region Sports Academy collaborates with higher education institutions such as Turku University of Applied Sciences, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University, while in the Helsinki region, Urhea has seven partner higher education institutions. Each institution has also designated a sports academy liaison who supports students in balancing their studies with competitive sports in their daily lives.
Higher education institutions that support elite athletes create more opportunities
Since 2023, the Finnish Olympic Committee has been auditing higher education institutions and awarding them quality labels for being elite-athlete-friendly. The goal is to establish a national model that supports athletes’ dual careers at the higher education level in the same way as sports lower secondary schools and sports upper secondary schools do.
Currently, eleven higher education institutions have received the designation, and a total of twenty have applied to join the process together with their sports academy partners. Audits have demonstrated the institutions’ strong commitment to adapting their operations to meet the needs of athletes, for example by making study methods more flexible and granting additional time based on athletic commitments.
Further development work is needed
Surveys of student-athletes were conducted in connection with university audits, and the results confirm that it is possible for athletes aiming for the international elite to combine their studies with their athletic careers at a Finnish university, if they so choose. The average score among the 234 student-athletes who responded to the survey for the statement “Balancing my studies and sports at my higher education institution is successful in line with my goals” on a scale of 1–5 is 3.35.
One of the most significant challenges in the Finnish system relates to livelihood. In the United States, scholarships and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation attract athletes, which is why it is important in Finland to take the status of competitive athletes into account in the student financial aid reform as well.