Financing your stay in Finland

Fees and costs for students

English-language Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes do not have tuition fees for EU and EEA citizens. Students from outside the EU/EEA area are obligated to pay tuition fees, but they can apply for scholarships. Students at universities have to pay a student union membership fee, which is optional at universities of applied sciences. The fee is around 80 euros to 100 euros annually. Members of student unions get a student card that makes them eligible for discounts on public transport, for instance. Students also need to factor in the cost of living, which ranges from approximately 700 euros to 900 euros per month.

Financial aid for exchange students

Foreign students are in general not eligible for the type of financial aid that Finnish citizens and permanent residents receive. The number of scholarships offered to EU/EEA citizens is low because of the free tuition, since scholarships are used to cover tuition fees in many countries. The Finnish National Agency for Education offers scholarships for postgraduate studies, but not for Bachelor’s or Master’s studies. An exchange student studying in Finland through an exchange programme such as Erasmus may apply for and receive a scholarship from the exchange organisation itself to help with living expenses.

Ia Hynynen