How to Get an Education in Finland: Admission, Cost, Scholarships

Until 2023, Finland was often chosen as a study destination with the possibility of staying in the country and pursuing a professional career. In that year, approximately 114,100 international students were enrolled across all levels of education. Out of this number, more than 63,000 applicants studied in English-taught higher education programs.

However, despite the overall growth in previous years, by the 2025 admission cycle, the number of applications decreased. Only about 32,400 applications were submitted to English-taught programs, which is roughly half of the previous year’s figure.

To understand whether the situation in Finnish education has genuinely worsened or if the drop is temporary, it is important to examine how the Finnish education system works and what makes it unique.

Overview of the Finnish Education System

The Finnish education model is based on equal access at all levels and is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Management is decentralized: municipalities are responsible for funding and maintaining schools, while educational institutions have broad autonomy in developing their curriculum and teaching methods.

The Finland education system includes the following stages:

• Early childhood education and care covers ages 1–6. It usually takes place in kindergartens with a focus on social development.
• Pre-primary education begins at age 6 and lasts one year. It became mandatory in 2015.
• The comprehensive school includes students from 7 to 16 years old. All children study in the same type of school without academic tracking or entrance exams.
• Upper secondary education has two main pathways. The academic route (lukio) ends with the matriculation examination and gives access to higher education. The vocational route (ammatillinen koulutus) provides professional qualifications.
• Higher education includes Finland universities and universities of applied sciences.

Public education in Finland is free at all levels, from primary school up to the master’s degree, but this applies only to EU and EEA citizens. All children attend the same comprehensive school for nine years. There is no division into strong or weak classes, and to avoid competition between schools in Finland, rankings are not published.

Early Childhood Education in Finland

Preschool education in Finland focuses on developing social, emotional, and cognitive skills through play, exploration, and free interaction. It covers children from age 1 to 6. At age 6, children begin one mandatory year of pre-primary education.

Most early childhood institutions are publicly funded. Over 70 percent are municipal, and the rest include private providers. As an alternative, families may choose home-based early learning.

The pedagogical approach is based on four core principles:

• Individual learning paths. Education is centered on the child’s interests rather than a fixed curriculum. Each teacher prepares a personal development plan, varhaiskasvatussuunnitelma, for every child.
• Learning through play. Activities are structured as play and exploration. Children develop communication, numeracy, fine motor skills, and cooperation in practical tasks and game-based situations.
• Equal access. Children with special educational needs learn within the general group and receive support from specialists when required.
• Partnership with families. Parents are actively involved in the learning process and can participate in adjusting the development plan.

Finland's preschool education in kindergartens is partially subsidized by municipalities. Average parental fees range from 200 to 290 euros per month for one child. Families with low income or multiple children receive reduced fees, and many are fully exempt from payment. As a result, about 45 percent of children attend municipal kindergartens free of charge or with minimal fees.

The mandatory pre-primary year includes 700 hours of instruction per year, which equals about four hours per day. There are no grades. Teachers monitor individual progress and regularly discuss it with parents. Pre-primary education can take place both in kindergartens and in primary schools.

School Education in Finland

Compulsory schooling, or secondary education in Finland, lasts nine years and is divided into two stages. The lower stage includes grades 1 to 6, where most subjects are taught by one teacher. The upper stage (yläkoulu) covers grades 7 to 9. At this level, different teachers teach individual subjects, and students begin planning their next educational track.

Schools have a high level of autonomy. They develop their own curricula based on the National Core Curriculum. Teachers choose instructional materials, teaching methods, and assessment approaches independently.

After completing grade 9, students choose one of two pathways: general upper secondary school (lukio) or vocational education (ammatillinen koulutus).

General upper secondary education in Finland is academically oriented and usually lasts three years. Students create an individual study plan by choosing subjects from a flexible selection of courses. The final goal is the matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto), a national standardized exam whose results are considered during university admission.

Vocational education is intended for students who want to gain a practical profession. The program also lasts about three years, and at least 50 percent of the study time takes place in real working environments. Each student follows an individual competence development plan. After receiving the qualification, graduates can enter the labor market immediately or continue their studies.

Both pathways give students the opportunity to continue their study in Finland at universities or universities of applied sciences.

Higher Education in Finland

Higher education in Finland is a two-tier system that includes universities (yliopisto) and universities of applied sciences (ammattikorkeakoulu, UAS). This structure enables the country to educate both academic researchers and practice-oriented specialists.

Structure of higher education:

• Universities (Yliopistot). Focus on academic research and theoretical training. They award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral (PhD) degrees. The bachelor’s degree requires three years of study, and the master’s degree requires two years. Doctoral programs generally take about four years.
• Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS/AMK). Oriented toward practical professional skills, internships, and close cooperation with companies. Bachelor’s programs last from three and a half to four and a half years. Master's programs in Finland take one and a half to two years. A key difference from traditional universities is mandatory practical training in a company setting.

Higher education institutions independently define research priorities, curricula, and admission requirements. The state does not interfere with academic decisions, but it sets quality standards and allocates funding.

Each institution must maintain an internal quality assurance system. During accreditation, reviewers assess academic results, graduate employment rates, involvement in research projects, and international mobility.

Finland's primary education system actively develops English-taught higher education. For the 2024–2025 academic year, the country offers more than 700 programs in English, including around 400 master’s programs.

Higher education is publicly funded. Finnish and EU citizens study free of charge. Students from outside the EU and EEA pay tuition fees. The average annual cost is:

• Bachelor’s programs: 6000 to 12,000 euros.
• Master’s programs: 8000 to 18,000 euros.

Most universities offer tuition fee waivers that cover 50 to 100 percent of tuition. International students also have access to housing subsidies, public transport discounts, and the right to work up to 30 hours per week.

After completing a degree, non-EU graduates receive a residence permit to search for employment for up to two years. According to data from the Ministry of Labor for 2024, approximately 55 percent of international graduates find a job during this period.

Admission to Universities

Schooling in Finland for international students begins with submitting an electronic application to a university. The main national platform is Studyinfo.fi (Opintopolku), where applicants submit all applications, including for English-taught programs.

Types of application rounds:

• Joint Application. Held twice a year, in January and September. Applicants can apply to up to six programs at different universities and indicate their order of priority.
• Rolling or Separate Application. Opened individually by universities, most often for master’s programs and English-taught programs.

All documents are submitted online, but a scanned copy cannot be uploaded without verification. It must be notarized or signed digitally, depending on the university’s requirements.

Although requirements vary across institutions, each program level has general rules:

• Bachelor’s programs. Universities of applied sciences (UAS/AMK) and academic universities require a secondary school certificate or college diploma, proof of English or Finnish proficiency, a motivation letter or portfolio for certain programs, and entrance exams, which are almost always required for UAS.
• Master’s programs. Applicants need a completed bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record, a motivation letter, and proof of language proficiency.

English language requirements usually start with IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 or equivalent scores:

There are exceptions. Language proficiency can be proven with a Finnish language school certificate, an International Baccalaureate (IB/EB/A-level), or a previous degree completed in English.

A key feature of the admission process is compulsory entrance examinations. These are not simple tests. They measure critical thinking, the ability to analyze information, and the application of knowledge in practical tasks.

The motivation letter plays an important role. Universities evaluate not the style of writing but the reasoning, the connection between past experience and the chosen program, and whether the applicant’s career goals are realistic.

Distance Learning and Open Universities

Finland actively develops online education through the Open University (Avoin yliopisto) and Open UAS platforms. Courses are open to everyone regardless of age or citizenship, and formal admission to a university is not required.

Key features of distance learning programs:

• Many courses are free, and paid courses usually cost €15–50 per ECTS credit.
• Students can complete individual courses from full university degree programs.
• Earned ECTS credits can later be transferred if the student applies to a Finnish university.
• These programs are widely used for professional development and retraining.

For example, the University of Helsinki and Tampere University offer more than 300 online courses, including several taught in English.

Top Universities in Finland

Although Finnish universities are relatively small in size, they consistently appear in global rankings such as QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Finland's top universities:

• University of Helsinki. The most prestigious university in the country. Strong fields include biomedicine, neuroscience, molecular biology, agriculture, politics, law, and environmental sciences. The university regularly ranks within the top 1 percent of global institutions in biotechnology and life sciences. More than 30 percent of all doctoral candidates are international students, which makes the University of Helsinki the most chosen institution among foreigners.
• Aalto University. A relatively young university in Finland, founded in 2010. Priority areas include engineering, IT, entrepreneurship, design, and architecture. Every year up to 100 startups are created at Aalto, and the Aalto Startup Center is recognized as one of the strongest university-based accelerators in Europe.
• Tampere University. Specializes in bioengineering, robotics, electrical engineering, and game technology. One of the largest tissue bioprinting research centers in Europe operates here.
• University of Turku. Key fields include biology, pharmaceuticals, and digital humanities. The university is research-oriented in medicine and hosts its own bioincubator campus for health tech and biotechnology startups. It collaborates with Finnish colleges and conducts early selection of prospective applicants.
• University of Oulu. Considered the birthplace of many technologies used in modern mobile networks. Researchers from Oulu contributed to the development of 4G and 5G infrastructure for Nokia. Strong study areas include 5G and 6G technologies, biomedical engineering, and Arctic studies.
• LUT University (Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology). Last in our list of universities in Finland. It specializes in sustainable and clean technologies. Focus areas are energy systems, industrial engineering, and business analytics.

Cost of Education in Finland

Finland’s education system is primarily funded through public sources. For citizens of Finland, the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, education is free. Students from non-EU/EEA countries pay tuition fees, which can be partially or fully covered by scholarships and grants.

At the primary and lower secondary levels, Finnish education costs nothing. The state not only covers school costs but also provides:

• free hot meals every school day,
• learning materials and equipment, including laptops or tablets in upper grades,
• medical care and access to a school psychologist,
• transportation when the distance from home to school exceeds 5 km.

Private schools represent less than 2 percent of all educational institutions. They receive government co-funding and must follow the same principles of free education, meaning they cannot charge commercial tuition fees.

Finnish- and Swedish-language programs remain free for all students. English-taught programs, however, usually involve tuition fees, and the final amount is set by each institution.

Average Finland study cost:

With scholarships taken into account, international students typically pay between €3000 and €7000 per year. Most universities offer merit-based reductions that can cover from 50% to 100% of tuition.

In addition to tuition fees, students pay a student union membership fee of about €100–150 per year. Membership provides access to student health care.

Living costs for students (per month):

Students receive a student card that grants about 50% discounts on public transport, meals and museum tickets. Most universities offer student housing, where monthly rent averages €250–400.

Scholarships for International Students in Finland

Students from outside the EU have broad access to state and university scholarships. Funding comes from the government, individual universities, foundations, and partner organizations. The main scholarship options include:

• Finland Scholarship (national program). Managed by universities and funded by the state budget. Available for English-taught master’s programs at public universities. Covers 100 percent of tuition for the full two-year master’s program. Eligible for students who are not citizens of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.
• University Scholarships. Every Finnish university offers its own grants and tuition waivers. They typically cover full tuition or provide a discount of at least 25 percent. Some packages also include additional living allowances, often from €6000 to €10,000 per year.
• Research and PhD scholarships. Doctoral studies are tuition-free for all students, including non-EU citizens. In addition, PhD candidates frequently receive paid research contracts or grants. Many doctoral students also work as teaching or laboratory assistants and earn approximately €2200–2800 per month.
• Merit-based scholarships. Most universities use a progress-based model that gives tuition reduction or a full waiver to students with strong academic performance after the first year, typically above 4.0/5.0, and who show active engagement in research or university volunteer projects.