INTRODUCTION
Finland is one of two Nordic countries in the Schengen area. Throughout the last couple of decades, it has become a popular destination for international students, with Finnish higher education institutions having over 20 000 international students studying in several locations around the country. The reasons behind this choice are easy to guess:
- Finland has one of the best higher education systems in the world.
- All universities and universities of applied sciences have scholarship opportunities for international students.
- You do not speak Finnish? No worries! There are over 500 bachelor’s and master’s degrees across 13 universities and 22 universities of applied sciences.
- The Finnish government invests a lot in research and its education system.
Since the country attracts students from all around the globe, the Finnish Administration created a governmental agency called “The Finnish National Agency for Education” dedicated to international students.
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS, CREDIT SYSTEM
Higher education in Finland follows the 3+2 European scheme, which is the Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate.
Bachelor’s is the first-level degree. If you want to apply, you must have an upper secondary school certificate or equivalent. University of Applied Sciences (UAS) bachelor’s amounts to 210–270 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits, and the duration is between 3.5–4.5 years, depending on the degree program. Standard university degrees amount to 180 ECTS credits, and the period is three years. These degrees usually offer continuation to a master’s degree.
Master’s are somewhat different depending on the type of university you attend in Finland. You must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent to apply for the continuation program.
University of Applied Sciences (UAS) master’s degrees take 1-1.5 years to complete and amount to 60–90 ECTS credits. The degrees in Standard colleges take two years of full-time study, amounting to 120 ECTS credits.
Note: To be eligible to apply to a UAS master’s program, you also will need at least two years of work experience in the field after completing your bachelor’s degree. (University master’s do not usually include this work experience requirement.)
Doctoral-level degrees depend on the universities. You will need a master’s degree to be eligible to apply for a doctoral degree program. A doctoral degree usually takes around four years and consists of 240 ECTS credits.
HOW TO APPLY
So, how can you send an application to study in Finland?
To begin with, you will decide which programs you would like to study and apply for on the studyinfo.fi website. It is a national database for all programs taught in the country.
There are two possible routes for application:
1. JOINT APPLICATION
The studyinfo.fi joint application to studies starting in the fall (September) is arranged annually in January (3–17 Jan 2024). All degree programs available via the joint application share the same application period. The joint application also means you can apply to up to six programs with one single application.
Some degree programs may also offer a January study start option. To these, the joint application period is usually open in September (4–14 Sept 2023). Note, however, that the September joint application has a limited selection of programs offered compared to January.
SEPARATE APPLICATIONS
Some degree programs may have their application periods open outside the joint application duration. You can read more about separate applications at the national website studyinfo.fi i. In different applications, the period can vary significantly depending on the program.
After the application period and possible entrance exams end, the universities you have applied to will process and make a final admission decision. The schedule of the result release is available in the studyinfo.fi program description and on the university websites.
Once accepted as a student, you will receive an official letter of admission from the institution in question. Follow the guidelines given by the college to confirm your study place. You can, however, only accept one study place per term, even if you receive several offers.
If you have been admitted to a study program, you shall receive a notification in your email. You will have to accept the offer of admission by the given deadline, or you can lose your chance–remember, you can go for one offer of admission per academic term. Accepting an admission offer is a binding choice that cannot be canceled or changed later. When you take on an offer of admission, all your other submissions will be canceled automatically. Other programs starting in the same academic term will not accept you if you have previously accepted another offer.
Once accepting your study place, you can start your student residence permit. Start your student residence permit application process as soon as possible after your approval.
TUITION FEES
If you are from outside the EU/EEA area, you are required to pay tuition fees for bachelor’s and master’s level programs which are taught in English. The annual tuition fee depends on the university and the degree program, varying between 4,000€ and 18,000€ approximately (2019/20). You can check the tuition fee of the program you wish to apply to in the studyinfo.fi program description or with the college offering the program.
There are some tuition fee exemption rules–use the checklist at the tuition fees checklist at studyinfo.fi to find out if these apply to you!
At the doctoral level, tuition fees are not charged, regardless of your nationality.
Remember that if you are required to pay tuition fees, you are also eligible to apply for a scholarship from the university.
Other things to be considered are living expenses such as food, accommodation, travel, etc. They are around €700 – €900 depending on your city and personal habits. Moreover, University students must pay an annual student union fee of approximately €80 – €100.