Finland
Research degrees and applied professional routes in one national system.
Study overview
Finland has research universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS). The sectors differ in degree structure and entry preparation. A UAS master's normally requires work experience; university master's admission assesses the relevance of previous degree study.
English-Taught Fee Guide / Year
The official Study in Finland guide for fee-paying English-taught bachelor's and master's study. Programme and fee-status exceptions apply; each intake has its own terms.
Planning Guide / Month
Official monthly planning guide, varying by location. The EUR 800 permit minimum is a separate threshold and not a complete budget.
Typical degree length: University bachelor’s usually 3 years; UAS bachelor’s 3.5–4.5. University master’s usually 2 years; UAS master’s commonly 1–1.5.
Fields: Technology; computing; education; business; design; environmental and health sciences.
Official references
Study and admission
Understanding Finland’s two higher education routes
Research universities and universities of applied sciences offer different programme structures and admissions pathways.
Universities and universities of applied sciences
Finland’s higher education system has two complementary sectors. Universities connect degree study with academic research and offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral education. Universities of applied sciences, usually abbreviated UAS, emphasise professional practice and applied development. The official study portal describes bachelor’s degrees as typically three years at universities and three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years at UAS. University master’s degrees normally take two years; UAS master’s degrees commonly take one to one-and-a-half years. UAS master’s admission also requires relevant work experience, so it should not be assumed to follow immediately after a first degree.
Eligibility and the application route
Applications are made through Studyinfo, with either a joint application or a programme’s separate admission period. The joint application commonly allows up to six choices, but the programme instructions determine which selection rules apply. Bachelor’s applicants need a school qualification providing higher education eligibility; master’s applicants need an appropriate first degree. UAS master’s applicants also normally need two years of relevant work experience. Selection may use qualifications, an entrance examination, SAT or GMAT results, an interview, or another published method. Keep admission eligibility, competitive selection and acceptance of an offered place as separate steps.
Language evidence and entrance examinations
Finland has no single English score that covers every institution and programme. The International UAS Exam is a shared digital bachelor’s entrance examination used by participating universities of applied sciences; its sections depend on the programmes selected. English-language evidence is a separate requirement for invitation and selection under this route, even for native speakers unless an accepted qualification satisfies the rules. Other programmes may use SAT scores, portfolio assessment or their own selection method. Read the applicable intake instructions carefully: test versions, verification dates and accepted previous education can differ between application rounds.
Quality assurance and professional recognition
The Ministry of Education and Culture lists universities and universities of applied sciences; the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) audits institutional quality. For regulated careers, the Finnish National Agency for Education identifies the qualifications or practice rights required. Institutional quality assurance does not itself grant those rights. A student planning to work abroad must also meet the intended destination’s professional requirements, which may include further training or assessment.
Official references
- https://okm.fi/en/universities
- https://okm.fi/en/universities-of-applied-sciences
- https://www.karvi.fi/en/evaluations/higher-education
- https://www.oph.fi/en/services/recognition-qualifications/regulated-professions-finland
- https://www.oph.fi/en/services/recognition-qualifications/professional-qualifications
Financing and managing student life
Plan the full degree, use local housing channels early and treat work income as uncertain.
Tuition and scholarships
Students outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland usually pay tuition for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes, subject to exemptions. Study in Finland’s current guide gives a typical annual range of EUR 9,000–20,000, with exceptions above and below it. Finnish- and Swedish-taught degrees and doctoral programmes are tuition-free under the guide’s rules. A EUR 100 application fee generally applies to non-EU/EEA/Swiss applicants. Scholarships are mainly institution-specific and often reduce tuition without paying living costs. Examine the intake year, renewal requirements and remaining bill: an early-payment discount and a later academic-progress award operate differently from an admission scholarship.
Housing and the cost of settling in
Student housing is usually organised through local student housing foundations. Apply once admission is confirmed and use the university’s local advice, because demand rises sharply at the beginning of the academic year. Shared flats can be less expensive than studios or family apartments, which often have longer queues. Study in Finland recommends roughly EUR 900–1,200 per month for living costs, depending on location. This is a planning range rather than a room offer. Build a separate arrival budget for travel, deposits and household items, and check which utilities are included in the rental agreement.
Credits and independent study
Credit values describe total study effort rather than classroom time. Aalto’s study guidance uses 27 hours of work for one credit and 60 credits for a full-time academic year. Assessments may include examinations, portfolios, learning diaries, presentations and project assignments, depending on the course. A personal study plan maps the curriculum, electives and timing of the degree; at Aalto it is maintained in Sisu. Students should register for courses and examinations under the local deadlines, seek advice when prerequisites or schedules conflict, and allow adequate time for independent preparation between teaching sessions.
Residence permission and employment
Students who need a Finnish residence permit apply separately after receiving an eligible study place. Migri assesses the study purpose, finances, tuition arrangements and required insurance; mainly online study without a need to live in Finland does not normally support a study permit. Its published rules allow paid work averaging 30 hours per week, with specific treatment of degree-related training. That permission does not provide a job or guarantee enough income for fees and rent. Check the current rules before applying, including family arrangements where relevant, and keep a funding plan that works without future earnings.
Official references
Entrance and language assessments
International UAS Exam
Applies to: Participating English-taught UAS bachelor’s programmes
A shared remote digital entrance examination, with sections determined by the study choices. Separate English evidence and acceptable identity documents are required. The spring 2027 page is already published but explicitly states that information can change.
SAT
Applies to: Programmes that explicitly use SAT-based selection
Participating institutions set their own minimum scores, accepted test dates and score-delivery instructions. An SAT result is not a universal requirement for Finnish higher education and does not substitute for the Studyinfo application.
IELTS Academic and other English evidence
Applies to: Applicants using the International UAS Exam or specified certificate-selection routes
Published UAS guidance includes IELTS Academic 6.0 overall, PTE Academic 55, or TOEFL iBT 3.5 for tests from 21 January 2026; accepted prior education can also qualify. These are route-specific benchmarks, not national university minima. Check the intake and verification rules.
Scholarships and funding routes
University of Helsinki tuition-fee waivers
Support: Published 2025–26 application-round categories waive 50% or 100% of tuition; most available awards are 50%. No living-cost support.
Eligibility: Fee-liable applicants assessed for academic excellence, prior study performance and motivation for the master’s programme.
Application: Request scholarship consideration on the master’s application form; admission and scholarship evaluation are separate.
Conditions: Limited and competitive. The published award lasts two years subject to full-time progress, normally at least 55 ECTS annually. Verify the next intake’s categories and remaining tuition bill.
Aalto University Excellence Scholarship
Support: Full tuition waiver for the target programme duration. Living costs and other study expenses are not covered.
Eligibility: Tuition-fee-liable applicants selected on the programme’s academic evaluation criteria.
Application: Select scholarship consideration on the admission application during the application period; a late scholarship application is not available.
Conditions: Very limited; programmes may award none. Accept the scholarship terms and check progress conditions. Continuing from an Aalto bachelor’s to a master’s has separate eligibility rules.
University of Turku Merit Scholarship
Support: 50% of the following eligible year’s tuition under the published scheme; no living allowance.
Eligibility: Fee-paying students meeting progress requirements: normally 55 credits for second-year support, an average grade of at least 3.0/5, and at least four credits of Finnish or an accepted equivalent. Bachelor’s third-year support requires 110 credits.
Application: Apply in the separate merit-scholarship round after completing qualifying studies; eligible students are invited by admissions.
Conditions: No first-year tuition scholarship under the current standard scheme. A separate EUR 2,000 early-payment discount is available for eligible new master’s students within its deadline. Recheck intake terms.
University of Eastern Finland tuition reductions
Support: 30% first-year early-payment reduction; later 30% tuition waivers in programmes offering them. These are partial tuition reductions, not maintenance grants.
Eligibility: Fee-liable admitted students meeting programme-specific conditions. Later waivers normally require at least 55 ECTS in the first academic year, counted toward the approved degree plan.
Application: For the first-year reduction, accept and pay as instructed in the admission letter, normally within 21 days of results. Apply separately for later progress-based waivers.
Conditions: UEF explicitly says full 100% waivers cannot be applied for under the 2027 scheme. Published future terms should be checked again; the older 2026 awards are different.
Selected university profiles
The ministry lists universities and universities of applied sciences separately. See also https://okm.fi/en/universities-of-applied-sciences. This selected directory contains 10 detailed university profiles and 20 additional providers; it does not include every Finnish higher education institution.
Ministry of Education and Culture higher education institution lists
University of Helsinki
Helsinki operates across four city campuses with distinct academic settings. The City Centre brings together humanities, education, law, theology and social sciences; Kumpula concentrates on exact natural sciences. Viikki accommodates agriculture, biological and environmental sciences, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, while Meilahti provides the medical setting. The university has eleven faculties and additional research institutes. This campus structure makes the location of laboratories, teaching and student services an important detail when choosing a programme and housing.
- Subjects
- Natural sciences; Medicine; Law; Humanities; Agriculture and forestry
- Address
- P.O. Box 3, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- Website
- https://www.helsinki.fi/en
Aalto University
Aalto combines art, design and architecture with business, science and engineering in six schools. It was created in 2010 through the merger of the Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki University of Technology and University of Art and Design Helsinki. Its main campus is Otaniemi in Espoo. The university’s foundation structure and cross-disciplinary origins distinguish its academic organisation, while the programme curriculum determines which combinations of major, elective and project work a student can actually undertake.
- Subjects
- Art and design; Architecture; Business; Engineering; Science
- Address
- P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
- Website
- https://www.aalto.fi/en
University of Turku
Turku has eight faculties: education, humanities, law, medicine, science, social sciences, technology and the Turku School of Economics. Its English-language degree information includes fields such as biomedical imaging, biosciences, information and communication technology, and futures studies. Applicants should distinguish these particular international programmes from the university’s full Finnish-language academic range. The central admissions service handles questions about applying, while faculty-level information explains subject choices, research settings and the structure of the intended qualification.
- Subjects
- Medicine; Science; Technology; Law; Education; Business
- Address
- FI-20014 Turun yliopisto, Finland
- Website
- https://www.utu.fi/en
Tampere University
Tampere University was established in its current form in 2019 through the merger of the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. It is a foundation university with seven faculties and an academic emphasis connecting technology, health and society. Teaching takes place at the city-centre, Hervanta and Kauppi campuses. Tampere University of Applied Sciences is a distinct institution within the wider Tampere Universities community, so applicants should identify which institution offers and awards their chosen degree.
- Subjects
- Technology; Health sciences; Social sciences; Humanities
- Address
- Kalevantie 4, FI-33100 Tampere, Finland
- Website
- https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau
University of Oulu
Oulu’s eight faculties span biochemistry and molecular medicine, education and psychology, humanities, medicine, information technology and electrical engineering, science, technology, and business. Its main university settings include Linnanmaa and Kontinkangas, with different academic facilities and services at each. Multidisciplinary research centres connect work across faculty boundaries, while the graduate school coordinates doctoral education. Applicants comparing technical and health-related courses should check the teaching campus and the precise programme prerequisites rather than treating Oulu as a single-subject technical institution.
- Subjects
- Information technology; Engineering; Medicine; Biochemistry; Education; Business
- Address
- Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, FI-90570 Oulu, Finland
- Website
- https://www.oulu.fi/en
University of Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä brings together six faculties covering education and psychology, humanities and social sciences, information technology, mathematics and science, sport and health sciences, and business and economics. The Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences is Finland’s university-level unit for sport and physical exercise education. Independent institutes include the Finnish Institute for Educational Research and the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication. Its Open Science Centre combines library and museum functions and supports research and information literacy across the university.
- Subjects
- Education and psychology; Sport and health sciences; Information technology; Business; Humanities; Science
- Address
- P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
- Website
- https://www.jyu.fi/en
University of Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland operates in Joensuu and Kuopio. Its four faculties are the Philosophical Faculty; Science, Forestry and Technology; Health Sciences; and Social Sciences and Business Studies. This organisation supports subjects ranging from education and business to environmental science, health and forestry. English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes are offered alongside doctoral routes. The two-campus structure is practical rather than merely administrative: the programme’s location determines the local accommodation search, facilities and day-to-day student services.
- Subjects
- Forestry; Health sciences; Business; Education; Natural sciences; Technology
- Address
- P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland; P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
- Website
- https://www.uef.fi/en
LUT University
LUT’s academic structure includes its Business School, School of Energy Systems and School of Engineering Sciences. Degree fields connect energy, engineering, software, business and social questions, with offerings such as circular economy, water technology and digital social science. Lappeenranta and Lahti are its principal campuses, while regional units and programme locations broaden the physical footprint. Students should compare the named study location, language and admission route for each course, especially when reviewing joint degrees and rolling-admission options.
- Subjects
- Energy technology; Engineering; Business; Software engineering; Sustainability; Social sciences
- Address
- Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
- Website
- https://www.lut.fi/en
Åbo Akademi University
Åbo Akademi is Finland’s Swedish-language multidisciplinary university, with campuses in Turku and Vaasa. Its current organisation groups academic work within the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The Turku and Vaasa locations have separate buildings and student-office contacts, making the teaching location an important part of programme research. Applicants should also inspect the actual language of their chosen course rather than assuming that the university’s English-language website establishes an English-taught degree.
- Subjects
- Human and social sciences; Science; Engineering
- Address
- Tuomiokirkontori 3, FI-20500 Turku, Finland
- Website
- https://www.abo.fi/en/
University of Vaasa
Vaasa organises teaching and research through four schools: Management; Accounting and Finance; Marketing and Communication; and Technology and Innovations. Its institutional priorities connect the energy transition, business development and changes in society, with links to the region’s energy-technology industry. This combination offers a focused alternative to a comprehensive university with medical or arts faculties. Applicants should compare how a programme divides its work between technical subjects, quantitative analysis, management and communication before deciding on the best academic fit.
- Subjects
- Management; Accounting and finance; Marketing and communication; Technology and innovations
- Address
- Wolffintie 32, FI-65200 Vaasa, Finland
- Website
- https://www.uwasa.fi/en
Further institutions
| Institution | Location and type | Official website | Book page |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Lapland | Rovaniemi / Public-law university | https://ulapland.fi/en/frontpage/ | 179 |
| Hanken School of Economics | Helsinki / Vaasa / Public-law university | https://www.hanken.fi/en | 179 |
| University of the Arts Helsinki | Helsinki / Public-law arts university | https://www.uniarts.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Arcada University of Applied Sciences | Helsinki / University of applied sciences | https://www.arcada.fi/en | 179 |
| Centria University of Applied Sciences | Kokkola / Ylivieska / Pietarsaari / University of applied sciences | https://net.centria.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences | Helsinki / Porvoo / Vierumäki / University of applied sciences | https://www.haaga-helia.fi/en | 179 |
| Häme University of Applied Sciences | Hämeenlinna and regional campuses / University of applied sciences | https://www.hamk.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Jamk University of Applied Sciences | Jyväskylä / Saarijärvi / University of applied sciences | https://www.jamk.fi/en | 179 |
| LAB University of Applied Sciences | Lahti / Lappeenranta / University of applied sciences | https://lab.fi/en | 179 |
| Lapland University of Applied Sciences | Rovaniemi / Kemi / Tornio / University of applied sciences | https://lapinamk.fi/en/homepage/ | 179 |
| Laurea University of Applied Sciences | Espoo / Vantaa and Uusimaa campuses / University of applied sciences | https://www.laurea.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Metropolia University of Applied Sciences | Helsinki / Espoo / Vantaa / University of applied sciences | https://www.metropolia.fi/en | 179 |
| Novia University of Applied Sciences | Vaasa / Turku / Raasepori / University of applied sciences | https://www.novia.fi/en | 179 |
| Oulu University of Applied Sciences | Oulu / University of applied sciences | https://oamk.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Satakunta University of Applied Sciences | Pori / Rauma and regional campuses / University of applied sciences | https://www.samk.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Savonia University of Applied Sciences | Kuopio / Iisalmi / Varkaus / University of applied sciences | https://www.savonia.fi/en/homepage/ | 179 |
| Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences | Seinäjoki / University of applied sciences | https://www.seamk.fi/en/ | 179 |
| Tampere University of Applied Sciences | Tampere / University of applied sciences | https://www.tuni.fi/en/tamk | 179 |
| Turku University of Applied Sciences | Turku / Salo / University of applied sciences | https://www.turkuamk.fi/en/ | 179 |
| South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences | Kotka / Kouvola / Mikkeli / Savonlinna / University of applied sciences | https://www.xamk.fi/en/ | 179 |