Part-time studies kept gaining more popularity, as the number of applicants increased by almost 20% from the previous year. The total number of applicants remained close to that of the previous year. The number was 14,336 in 2017 and 14,520 in 2016. The number of first-preference applicants increased slightly: there were 5,762 applicants in 2017 and 5,609 in 2016.
The number of people applying for English-language degree programmes decreased from 701 to 465. Tuition fees collected from students from outside the EU/EEA entered into force for the first time in 2017, possibly contributing to the decrease in the number of applicants. The number of first-place applicants per place was 4.04 for all JAMK programmes.
The degree programme in Social Services became the most popular JAMK programme, attracting 1,326 applicants, 316 of whom had the programme as their first preference. This means 72 applicants more than in 2016. There were almost 16 applicants for a single study place.
The degree programme in Logistics, Bioeconomy, implemented in co-operation between JAMK and Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, also generated great interest this year. 108 people applied for the programme. Cyber studies remain popular as well: the Cyber Security Master’s degree programme attracted 123 applicants, 109 of whom had the programme as their first preference.