Establishing sub-campuses in China: A Finnish perspective

Abstract

By taking Finland as an example, this article discusses how foreign higher education providers can enter the Chinese market in terms of strategies on both branding and operation. Recent Finnish policies have encouraged Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) to export education, with China being an important destination. The article argues that developing joint education provisions is the most suitable model for Finland’s education export to China, as it may meet the expectations and interests of both sides. The article then particularly analyses the need for Finnish HEIs to develop cross-border education in China as well as the Chinese expectations of foreign education provision. Strategies are then discussed for Finnish HEIs to harmonize the interests and needs of both countries, and the article concludes with a number of ‘selling points’ that can be used for marketing Finnish higher education in China.