VYY issued a statement on the points system draft for certificate-based admission

In 2022, at the initiative of the Universities Finland UNIFI, a student selection development project was launched. The purpose of the project is to develop selection exams and certificate selection based on research collaboration with Finnish universities and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project will last until the end of 2025. Currently, the scoring of certificate selection is being updated, i.e. how many points are awarded for each written subject of the matriculation examination.

The student union's stance is influenced by the student union's policy paper, approved by the student union's representative council. The policy paper states that student selection should allow entry to universities through different channels. Excessive emphasis on certificate selection creates too much pressure on young people to choose a profession at a very early stage. Poor performance in the matriculation examination should not be a barrier to entry to university. The starting point for the scoring is to clarify the scoring method of the certificate selection and reduce negative effects. We consider the clarity and consistency of scoring models important. The applicant is under a lot of pressure, and we would like the system to also serve the applicant's well-being. A minimal number of tables allows for weighing many different options. On the other hand, the choices should also reflect motivation for the field of study.

The Student Union of the University of Vaasa has stated this to both the University of Vaasa and directly to the project through the otakantaa.fi website. After discussions with the student union's statutory advocacy committee, we have come up with the following statement.

The draft scoring has increased the weight of the mother tongue, making it the subject with the highest number of points in fields other than mathematical and natural sciences. From the perspective of the importance of scientific writing, we believe that increasing the importance of the mother tongue is justified in all fields. We supported the increase in the weight of the mother tongue.

We found the emphasis on mathematics in the scoring draft to be partly justifiable in fields where it is genuinely useful. In this regard, we only hoped for a change in one table. In the table covering communication and social sciences, advanced and intermediate-level language should receive at least as many points as mathematics. We felt that mathematical skills are not as relevant in these fields as they are, for example, in business and technology. Mathematics should not, therefore, limit entry to these fields.

We believe that balancing the points of the test battery in the humanities and natural sciences is the right direction. It provides applicants with opportunities to apply to more than one field and may reduce stress during high school. On the other hand, we considered it essential to weigh the less relevant subjects. For example, we hope for more importance for relevant subjects, such as social studies or history, in social sciences and business studies. We felt that this would be useful in both measuring motivation and as foundational knowledge for the field of study.

 

More information

Laura Karppinen
Board member responsible for educational affairs
044 324 8962 (Phone calls only)
laura.karppinen@vyy.fi