Study in Finland

Higher education has a significant role in Finnish society and the national innovation system: higher education is crucial when working towards a world-class knowledge society.

Finnish higher education consists of two strands:

• Universities provide academic education based on research. All 14 universities offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, licentiate and doctoral degrees (3 + 2 + 4 years).

• Universities of Applied Sciences (polytechnics) provide vocational education on a higher level and promote applied research. Polytechnics confer Bachelor’s (from 3.5 up to 4 years) and Master’s (1 – 1.5 years) degrees. A student is eligible for polytechnic/UAS Master’s level studies after accomplishing a Bachelor’s degree, and having acquired at least three years of relevant work experience after that.

Eligibility criteria for higher education

• eligibility criteria vary according to the degree programme/institution
• always check the entry requirements with the university/UAS you’re applying to
• keep in mind that eligibility does not as such guarantee admission – the student selection procedure can be quite competitive

The detailed eligibility requirements can be found on the institutions’ own websites, but generally speaking, the basic eligibility rules are as follows:

Applying to Bachelor’s programmes

For Bachelor’s level you are expected to

• hold educational certificates that make you eligible to apply for higher education in your home country
• fulfill the language skills requirements (and other possible programme-specific requirements) as set by the receiving institution
• successfully pass an entrance examination

NB: if you are currently holding a “certificate” or “diploma” level degree, also see our FAQ on diploma recognition!

Applying to Master’s programmes

For Master’s level you are expected to

• hold an undergraduate degree that makes you eligible to apply for Master’s level in the country where this undergraduate degree was issued. This undergraduate degree must be in a relevant field regarding the Master’s you’re considering applying to
• fulfill the language skills requirements (and other possible programme-specific requirements) as set by the receiving institution

Note that Master’s level programmes at polytechnics (UAS) additionally require that applicants hold a Bachelor’s degree followed by three (3) years of relevant work experience. The UAS Master’s programmes are primarily targeted for those already in the working life.

Entrance exams are not common on the Master’s level, but they may be required e.g. for some UAS Master’s or arts-related subjects. Check this and the other detailed entry requirements directly with the university/UAS offering the Master’s you’re interested in.

To apply for Doctoral/PhD level studies in Finland, you usually need to have completed aMaster’s degree. Please refer to the section Doctoral admissions for further advice, you will find the universities’ Doctoral Admissions pages listed there.

Applying to Finnish university Master’s programmes with a Bachelor’s from a Finnish Polytechnic/UAS

A polytechnic/UAS Bachelor’s degree gives you the general eligibility to apply for Master’s level studies in Finland, but it may not automatically fulfill the programme-specific entry requirements. You may, for example, be required to complete some bridging studies first, or the university can have other specific entry requirements for applicants with a polytechnic/UAS degree. You should ask the university for detailed information on whether you can apply, and what the exact requirements are.

Detailed information from the institutions

Your eligibility is always assessed by the Finnish higher education institution you are applying to, so for detailed information on the admission requirements of each programme it is best to consult the website of the institution you’re planning to apply to.

If you have doubts about your eligibility, you can contact the admissions office of the institution offering the degree programme.

The academic year in Finland can be divided into two terms:

• Autumn term (the start of the academic year; from late August/early September to mid-December approximately)
• Spring term (from early January to the end of May).

Most degree programmes only offer admission to the autumn term intake, but there may be individual exceptions for example in some UAS Bachelor’s programmes.

Scholarship options available for Doctoral (PhD) level

Scholarships in Finland are currently available mainly only for Doctoral level studies and research – for example the CIMO scholarship options. Please refer to the left-hand margin menu for information on different scholarship options.

Remember that first of all, you need to apply for a study/research placement – see section Doctoral admissions for advice & links to the universities’ Doctoral Admissions pages!

Scholarships for Bachelor’s and Master’s level degree studies?

It may be very difficult to find any scholarships from Finland for Bachelor’s or Master’s level studies. This is partly because the Finnish government is already covering the cost of the education – thus allowing that the tuition itself is free of charge. So you should be prepared to cover all your living expenses independently.

• CIMO / Study in Finland does not have any Bachelor’s or Master’s level scholarshipson offer.

In the Erasmus Mundus Master’s programmes, scholarships are however available. They are always applied via the university consortium offering the Erasmus Mundus programme in question (this is not necessarily a Finnish university!). Please also see the section concerning EU scholarships.

Some individual Finnish universities may offer a small amount of institutional scholarships of their own for their international Master’s students. Please turn to the universities’ own websites to check if such options are offered by the university.

You might wish to check if you would be eligible to apply for some “study abroad” scholarships in your home country, and from international organisations and foundations. For information on these, please turn to the educational advisers and authorities in your home country. See also the Other sources of funding section on this site.

Also, if full degree studies are not an option for you, you could check if there are some student exchange options open for you. See section Exchange programmes

Scholarships for post-Doctoral studies and research?

CIMO (Study in Finland) has no scholarshipsor other funding opportunities for post-Doc level students and researchers. You can refer to the section Other sources of funding for some links that might help you forward in this regard (for example the Academy of Finland website.

Brazilian post-Doc researchers can profit from the Ciëncia sem Fronteiras PhD and post-Doc programme administered by the Academy of Finland.

Visa requirements depend on your country of origin.

Applicants from the EU/Nordic countries/Switzerland/Liechtenstein:

• Do not require visas or residence permits.
• Must obtain a certificate of registration from the police within three months (six for Nordic countries).
• Must prove that you have adequate funds to cover your stay in Finland.
• Health insurance is not mandatory, but it is very highly recommended.
• There are no restrictions on how many hours you can work.

Applicants from outside the EU/Nordic countries/Switzerland/Liechtenstein:

• Must obtain a residence permit from the Finnish embassy in your country of residence before entering Finland, for which you will need a letter of acceptance from a university. This must be renewed annually.
• Must have at least €6,720 per year (approximately US$8,570) to cover living expenses for the year. A bank statement, a certificate showing you have a grant or a guarantee of sponsorship must be shown as proof.
• Obliged to purchase health insurance to cover medical treatment of up to €30,000 (~US$38,260).
• You will be permitted to work for a maximum of 25 hours a week.
• It usually takes around a month to process applications. You’re advised to apply as soon as you receive your letter of acceptance.

Average monthly living expenses about 700-900€

In Finland, the general cost of living is relatively high. There are currently no tuition fees charged, but you will need to be able to cover your living expenses independently.

The average monthly living expenses for a student in Finland are approximately 700-900€. This may vary a bit, depending on your study location in Finland – for example, accommodation and other living costs may be higher in the Helsinki metropolitan area and other larger cities.

As a student you can get discounts in student restaurants and cafeterias, public transport, etc. Student housing with shared facilities is usually a low-cost accommodation option. For detailed information on the local student accommodation options available in different study locations in finland, the related costs etc. you are best advised to contact your hosting university/UAS in Finland.

The two national languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, and both are used in university tuition. It may also be possible to take courses taught in English, though this is more common at graduate level than for bachelor’s degrees.

Many of the undergraduate courses that are offered in English are found at polytechnics, rather than traditional universities. Also known as ‘universities of applied sciences’, these are institutions offering full degrees, but with a more vocational focus.

For example, Lahti University of Applied Sciences offers an English-taught degree in nursing; Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has English-taught courses in information technology and media engineering; and HAMK University of Applied Sciences has an English-taught bachelor’s in construction engineering.

For the majority of subjects, however, it is necessary to be able to study in either Finnish or Swedish if you want to complete a full undergraduate degree in Finland. Alternatively, you could study in Finland for a shorter period, for a summer school or as part of an exchange program; here there are more English-led options.

1. University of Helsinki
2. Aalto University
3. University of Turku
4. University of Oulu
5. University of Eastern Finland

Area: 338,424 km²
Inhabitants: 5,477,359
Capital:  Helsinki (621,863 inhabitants)
Official language: Finnish and Swedish

Parliamentary democracy with unicameral legislature

Head of state is president (largely ceremonial), head of government is prime minister.

Finnish and Swedish are official languages, though English is more widely spoken than Swedish.

Capital city is Helsinki, which is the second most northerly capital city in the world.

Part of Sweden until 1809, then duchy of Russia until gaining independence in 1917.

Homeland of Nokia and Santa Claus (Lapland is in Finland)

Finland has 180,000 islands and 230,000 reindeer.

Slightly larger than Malaysia, but with population (estimated to be 5,400,000) smaller than Kuala Lumpur alone

Currency: Euro (€)

Eastern European Time (UTC+2), switching to Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3) in summer

International dialling code: +358