Aalto University vs South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences - XAMK vs Arcada University of Applied Sciences - UAS vs Estonian Business School - EBS vs VAMK University of Applied Sciences

Side-by-side comparison from 73 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences - XAMK (4.90)
Aalto University: wins 0/7 categories
South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences - XAMK: wins 3/7 categories
Arcada University of Applied Sciences - UAS: wins 1/7 categories
Estonian Business School - EBS: wins 0/7 categories
VAMK University of Applied Sciences: wins 1/7 categories
JAMK University of Applied Sciences: wins 2/7 categories
University of Jyvaskyla - JYU: wins 0/7 categories
Comparing
Espoo, Finland
4.70
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35 reviews
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Best programme: Computer Engineering
Best programme: BHC in Nursing
Best programme: Finance
Best programme: International Business Administration
Best programme: Energy Engineering
Best programme: Business Information Technology
Jyväskylä, Finland
Not rated
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0 reviews
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Category ratings
Facilities
4.40
4.79
Win
4.67
3.98
4.00
4.00
Not rated
Location
4.06
4.50
4.33
4.95
2.00
5.00
Win
Not rated
Professors
4.11
4.92
5.00
Win
4.67
4.00
4.00
Not rated
Internationality
4.31
4.75
4.33
4.25
5.00
Win
3.00
Not rated
Student life
4.28
4.54
Win
4.33
4.17
3.00
3.00
Not rated
Value
4.37
4.75
4.67
4.40
4.00
5.00
Win
Not rated
Accommodation
4.25
4.42
Win
4.00
2.42
4.00
Not rated
Not rated
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Independent learning, flexibility, and practical, hands-on experiences
  • +Strong sense of community, readily available support, and active student life
  • +Excellent facilities and multidisciplinary, diverse course opportunities
  • +Passionate, supportive, and communicative educators
  • +Practical, career-focused programmes and real-world connections
  • +International atmosphere and flexible learning paths
  • +Practical, relevant learning and real-world projects
  • +Supportive and knowledgeable staff
  • +Modern facilities and updated resources
  • +Practical, skill-focused academics and helpful professors
  • +Value for money and flexibility for combining study with work
  • +Internationality and diverse academic and career opportunities
  • +Industry connection and practical experience
  • +Relevant, real-world focused curriculum
  • +High quality of education and supportive teachers
  • +Excellent teaching that maximizes student learning

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Cons
  • -Administrative & management issues disrupt learning.
  • -Outdated facilities and resources hinder progress.
  • -Lack of student support and engagement is prevalent.
  • -Inefficient administrative processes cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment hinder learning.
  • -Lack of clear communication and transparency from staff creates confusion.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and insufficient resources hinder learning.
  • -Poor communication and lack of support are prevalent concerns.
  • -Administrative and management issues are a frequent source of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and a lack of modern resources are consistently criticized.
  • -The curriculum is perceived as irrelevant or poorly structured by many students.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and resources are a persistent problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a recurring complaint.
  • -Students dislike administrative and management issues.
  • -Students find the facilities to be outdated.
  • -Students express dissatisfaction with the curriculum and teaching quality.

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Rating summary
What students say

This institution demonstrates a solid reputation across multiple facets. Areas like Facilities and Student Life received particularly high marks. Internationality and Value also stood out positively. While still strong, Professors were rated slightly lower than other categories. Overall, the university presents a well-rounded and appealing environment for students.

This institution earns exceptionally high marks, particularly in the **professors** category with a near-perfect score. **Facilities** and **internationality** also stand out with strong ratings. Areas receiving slightly lower, though still positive, scores include **student life** and **accommodation**. Overall, the university demonstrates a well-rounded positive profile.

This institution demonstrates outstanding strengths in its **Professors**, achieving a perfect score. Facilities and Value also receive exceptionally high marks. Conversely, Accomodation is the lowest-rated category. Other aspects like Location, Student Life, and Internationality are well-regarded, indicating a generally positive student experience.

This institution receives particularly high marks for its Location, scoring an impressive 4.95, and Professors, rated at 4.67. Students also appreciate the Internationality and Value, with scores of 4.25 and 4.4 respectively. The weakest area identified is Accomodation, with a rating of 2.42, suggesting room for improvement in this aspect. Facilities and Student Life also received solid, though not exceptional, scores.

This institution demonstrates notable strengths in its **internationality**, achieving a perfect score, and its **facilities**, **professors**, and **accommodation**, all receiving high marks. Conversely, the **location** stands out as its weakest area, indicated by a lower rating. Student life and overall value are rated respectably in the middle tier.

This institution scores exceptionally well for **Location** and **Value**, both receiving perfect marks. **Facilities** and **Professors** also demonstrate considerable strengths with ratings of 4. However, the **Accomodation** category presents a significant weakness, earning a score of 0. **Student Life** and **Internationality** are moderately rated at 3.

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Reviews summary
Highlights

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive (~92%), with students praising flexible learning, excellent facilities, and active student life. A few reviewers mentioned that courses sometimes lack depth.

All 26 reviews are positive, averaging 4.88/5. Students praise practical, student-centered education, supportive teachers, and innovation. A minor concern was difficulty securing clinical practice due to language skills.

All 100% of reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.25/5. Students highlight a sense of belonging, welcoming staff, practical learning, and modern facilities. Some mention concern about course scheduling.

All 6 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.67/5. Students praise the excellent academics and helpful professors, noting practical learning and international focus.

This single review offers a positive perspective, highlighting strong industry connections and relevant, real-world focused coursework. The average rating is 4/5, with 100% of feedback being positive.

With an average rating of 4/5 based on one review, the feedback indicates a highly positive student experience. Students praise the good quality of education and helpful faculty. Negative feedback is negligible.

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Rating distribution
5★
54%
88%
25%
67%
0%
0%
0%
4★
40%
12%
75%
33%
100%
100%
0%
3★
11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2★
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Student

Aalto University is honestly such an amazing place. The campus is right in the middle of nature, with woods and water all around. The student life here is super active, there are tons of student clubs that host different events all over the week, which provide great opportunities to make some new friends! One thing that really surprised me was how multidisciplinary the courses are. Being able to collaborate in diverse teams of designers and engineers is a rare opportunity that simply doesn't exist at many other institutions. It really pushes you to think outside the box and reflect more deeply on your work. P.S. If you’re lucky, you can even catch the Northern Lights right from campus!

My experience studying nursing at Xamk.

Studying nursing at Xamk has been a practical and rewarding experience to me regardless of my previous background in-terms of profession. The programme strongly focuses on hands-on skills, simulation training, and clinical placements, which has helped me connect theory directly to real nursing practice. The teachers are supportive and approachable, and the learning environment encourages growth both professionally and personally, being able to also learn a new language (Finnish) within a short period of time with the help of Xamk has been a great milestone to me. Overall, Xamk has prepared me well for working life in healthcare.

ARCADA experience - Mechanical Engineering

In all honesty, my university offers a fantastic level of education, dedicated and extensively knowledgeable lecturers, as well as a spacious, clean, modern campus. These items make it a great place to study. However, one specific trait that bothers me personally is that some of the more important courses are limited to a single period (half a semester), to make space for other courses that I deem unnecessary or that could be optional instead of mandatory. Overall, my experience at Arcada has been outstanding.

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