A total of 4,809 academic engineers and architects graduated in Finland in 2025. Of them, 3,342 answered the TEK Graduate Survey. The response rate of the survey was 69%.

Of the respondents, about 68% were male and 32% were female. Less than 1% chose the option ‘other’.

The median age of the respondents was 27 years. Respondents with a university of applied sciences (UAS) background were slightly older on average than those from other educational backgrounds.

70% of the respondents were Finnish. 4% of the respondents came from other EU countries and 27% from outside the EU. Notably, the share of respondents from outside the EU has increased compared with previous years.

Before pursuing a master’s degree, 52% had completed a bachelor’s degree at the same university. 17% had obtained a bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences and 24% at some other university.

36% of the respondents had studied or worked abroad during their studies.

20% of the respondents had registered as absent from their studies during one or more academic semesters. International graduates had fewer absences than Finnish graduates.

43% of the respondents felt that their studies had not been delayed at all. 18% had experienced a delay of over 12 months.

Working alongside studies was the most frequently cited reason for delayed graduation. Overall, two out of three respondents with a university of applied sciences (UAS) background who reported a delay mentioned working while studying as a contributing factor. The reasons for delayed studies have remained broadly similar to those reported in previous years.

The survey examines 30 areas of expertise to measure

• the perceived importance of different areas of expertise for the graduate's career
• the development of the areas of expertise in studies
• the development of the areas of expertise due to work experience during studies

The areas of expertise can be examined individually or by dividing them into 6 groups (3–9 areas of expertise per group), where their order in terms of perceived importance (from most to least important) was:

1. Working life skills
2. Analytical skills
3. Social skills
4. Communication and information processing
5. Expertise and substance knowledge
6. Business and management

Work-life skills were perceived to have developed the most alongside subject matter expertise and analytical skills during studies. Working life skills developed the most also due to work experience.

As in recent years, business and management skills were ranked last in terms of perceived importance and development in both work and studies.

The respondents were mostly satisfied with the support and guidance they had received during their studies. 82% of the respondents agreed with the statement "When needed, I have found a person from whom I can ask for help". There was also particular satisfaction with the communication with the teaching staff.

31% of the respondents had been worried about coping during their studies either constantly or several times. The concerns about coping had caused e.g. difficulties sleeping and problems in personal relationships.

25% of respondents had either actively participated in student activities or had been on the board member or an officer of a guild or student association in their field. Overall, 54% indicated that they had participated in student activities seldom or never. Among respondents with a university of applied sciences (UAS) background, this share was even higher, with as many as three out of four reporting little or no participation.

Of the active participants, 40 % thought the participating in the activities had been very useful for their studies and career.

Not all students are satisfied with the level of integration at the university. 22% disagreed (somewhat or fully) with the statement “I’ve become a part of the university community the way I want to be”. Prior educational background did not differentiate respondents in this regard, as perceptions of integration were very similar across groups.

53% of the respondents had completed their master’s thesis in collaboration with an organisation outside their university, typically a private company. 25% had completed their master’s thesis without collaboratio, making independent thesis work slightly more common than in previous years. This trend can be partly explained by the fact that, as in earlier cohorts, non‑Finnish graduates were more likely than Finnish graduates to complete their master’s thesis without collaboration.

44% had received a monthly or an hourly salary for their master’s thesis, and 14% had been awarded a scholarship. 26% had not received any extra funding or compensation for writing their master’s thesis. Graduates with a university of applied sciences (UAS) background were more likely than other groups to be able to use their regular working hours to complete their master’s thesis

About 60% were satisfied with the guidance they had received from the university and their partnering organisation when writing their master’s thesis.

68% of the respondents had gained at least one year of work experience in their own field during their studies. However, there were notable differences between respondents with different educational backgrounds, with those holding a university of applied sciences (UAS) background accumulating the most field‑related work experience during their studies. In contrast, many international graduates who had come to Finland specifically to complete their master’s degree did not gain any work experience in their own field while studying.

Overall, gaining work experience and study-related practice in one’s own field during studies is considered very useful.

Of the respondents, 71% stated that they already had a job, or they knew where they would be employed after graduation. The employment situation was worse for international graduates than for Finnish graduates.

74% of those who were employed had a job that corresponded well to their field of education, and 74% said that the job demands corresponded well to their level of education. 

The median salary of those who were employed full-time was €3 800 per month.

Only 19% worked for an employer with whom they had no previous relation either through working there during their studies or writing a master’s thesis for the organisation. Jobs were most found through public job advertisements, and the second most common source was personal networks.

24% of the respondents considered it likely that they will work somewhere other than in Finland within 5 years of graduating. International graduates, especially those from EU countries, considered moving abroad more likely than Finnish graduates.

Graduating academic engineers and architects are generally highly satisfied with their studies. If they could choose again, 78% would choose the same basic degree and degree programme. 12% would choose a different university degree programme in the field of technology.