As the most populous city in Northern Finland, Oulu has over 100,000 inhabitants. The city is home to the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the University of Oulu, and a vocational college.

The formal higher education system of Finland is the 7-3-2-2 pattern. The university takes two years in vocational or technical education and finally two-year pre-tertiary education. Finland also has several public as well as private universities that have enabled accessibility of higher education to students.

A masters is earned after students complete an undergraduate degree program. To obtain a masters, you usually need to complete 12 to 18 college courses that often involve completing comprehensive tests and/or a thesis.