Never before has the number of applications for international master’s programmes at Lund University increased as much as they have for the coming autumn semester. Now, it is all about making sure the students actually come to Lund.
Lund University continue being number one in Sweden when it comes to attracting students applying for international master’s programmes.
The number of applications has seen a steady increase from an all-time low in 2011. That year, the duty-free education programmes had been discarded for students applying from outside the EU, which meant that Sweden could not compete.
Now, however, both Sweden and Lund University have recovered from the harsh blow and the number of applications for the autumn term of 2016 is on the same level as those of 2009.
A third of this country’s applications
As many as 64,317 applications were sent to all of the master’s programmes in Sweden for the coming autumn term combined. Around a third of these were sent to Lund University – that is an increase of 45 % compared with 2015 and is bigger than ever.
“This is a great increase,” says International Director and Head of Office at External Relations, Richard Stenelo.
The reason for the recovery is a potpourri of numerous measures taken. Richard Stenelo points to a combination of a more directed marketing strategy to some countries, coupled with changed regulations regarding scholarships in selected countries.
“There are several explanations for the increase and an analysis of each individual country is necessary to ascertain what lies behind it,” he says and conducts a real-time analysis:
“The number of applications received to the University from Indonesia has increased with close to 80 %. The reason is that we have worked with marketing strategies in that country. At the same time, Egypt has gone from 100 applications to 1,300 in a year, the reason being that that country has been prioritised by the Swedish Institute when it comes to scholarships.”
If we add the increasingly attractive position Sweden maintains as a travelling destination, we have a jackpot.
No end in itself
But the vast amount of applications for the programmes at the University is no end in itself. The University already has an overproduction of students and are only able to accept 2,000 students for the programmes.
“There is no end in itself in getting as many applications as possible. Numbers are not the most important thing, but of course, we want a good selection of students,” Richard Stenelo says.
From the perspective of the University, it is not an easy thing making room for more students. Only one third of the students attending a master’s programme pay for their education – for the rest, the University are obliged to find external funding.
Hard work converting applications
Now, the University instead aim to administer those students applying for Lund University. Only a third of the students who have been granted admission to the programme actually show up, and now, Richard Stenelo wants to work on those numbers.
”It is not conspicuously low, but it is quite a large difference all the same. It might be because an applicant has received a place at some other programme, or because they do not receive a scholarship,” he says and adds:
“Now, it is all about converting applications into admissions.”
The last date for applying for international master’s programmes this autumn was Friday 15 January. Students from as many as 169 countries applied, and the most popular programmes were:
Master’s programme in International Marketing and Brand Management (1,309 applicants)
Master’s programme in International Development and Management (1,220 applicants)
Master’s programme in Public Health (1,156 applicants)
Master’s programme in Finance (1,107 applicants)
Master’s programme in International Strategic Management (1,083 applicants)
Numbers from www.lu.se
Translation: Richard Helander
