OREANDA-NEWS. April 24, 2015. Approximately 70% more applications than last year were submitted to the curricula in English in the University of Tartu. Interest of Estonian applicants in curricula in foreign language increased more than three times. The most popular curricula among Estonians as well as foreigners were IT courses: Software Engineering and Computer Science.

Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Tartu Martin Hallik was happy that foreign as well as local applicants see the University of Tartu among hundreds of foreign universities and several Estonian universities as the most attractive educational institution, where to acquire higher education. „From one side the increased interest of local applicants shows recognition of the quality of the study environment in English in the University of Tartu, while from the other side it reveals competency of the programme managers of the University of Tartu in sensing the needs of the society and composing interesting curricula,“ said Hallik.

According to the words of the Senior Specialist for International Studies of the University of Tartu ?lle Tensing, local and foreign applicants submitted 2132 applications for 17 BA and MA curricula in English and integrated curriculum of medical science. Estonian applicants submitted 165 applications. Increase of the number of application is caused also by addition of five new curricula in English.

The highest number of applications were submitted to the curriculum of Software Engineering (322 applications from foreign and 44 from local applicants), and new curricula of Computer Science (259/37 applications) and International Relations and Regional Studies (208/16 applications).

Beside the new curricula also the curriculum of Applied Measurement Science of the Institute of Chemistry is noteworthy, which is conducted within the framework of Erasmus Mundus cooperation programme Excellence in Analytical Chemistry and where over hundred applications more than in the previous year were submitted – 180 applications in total.

„Professor Ivo Leito has developed the curriculum with devotion and increased visibility of the speciality by opening an extremely popular web based course or MOOC, which recently received the title „E-course of the year 2015” from the Information Technology Foundation for Education,“ Martin Hallik said.

Tensing pointed out that at the moment it is only possible to count the applications submitted correctly in electronic environment. „How many of these applicants will submit proper educational documents and fulfil the minimum point sum required for application, will be clear in the beginning of June, when admission decisions will be made,“ said Tensing, and added that in case of international admission it should be taken into account that almost 35% of the applicants do not meet the requirements or quit.

Applications were submitted from approximately 110 countries. As already for several years, most applications were submitted from Finland, Pakistan, Ukraine, India and Georgia. Applications were also submitted from Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Maldives. How many foreign students and from which countries will come to study in the University of Tartu, will be clear in the autumn.