Scholarships in Finland for International Students 2026/2027

Finland offers something rare in international education: a system that is honest about money. The official Study in Finland service, run by the Finnish National Agency for Education, states plainly that there are no governmental scholarships for bachelor’s or master’s studies in Finland, and it actively warns students about social-media posts advertising fully funded Finland government scholarships. Those posts, it says, are misleading and sometimes misuse Finnish authorities’ logos without permission. Real funding in Finland comes from individual universities, mainly as tuition fee waivers awarded with admission — competitive, usually covering tuition only, and never covering your living costs.

This guide explains that real system in full for the 2026/2027 cycle. You will learn how much tuition actually costs for students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, how university scholarships at institutions such as Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, Tampere University, the University of Turku and the University of Oulu work in practice, what the Finland Scholarship was and why you must check its status programme by programme for 2027, how doctoral funding differs — including tuition-free doctoral study for all nationalities, salaried doctoral researcher positions, and the EDUFI Fellowship for doctoral students — and how much money the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) requires you to show for a residence permit. Students from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria and Indonesia are the core audience, and the same rules apply to all non-EU/EEA applicants.

Finland remains a compelling destination despite the fees: hundreds of bachelor’s and master’s programmes are taught in English, universities are research-strong and egalitarian, student housing and services are well organised, and graduates can look for work after their studies under Finland’s post-study residence rules. Compare Finland with other destinations in the StudyGraduate scholarships directory and study abroad section, and if the Nordic region is your focus, read our guides to scholarships in Norway for international students and master’s scholarships in Norway alongside this one — the two countries fund students in very different ways.

Scholarships in Finland at a Glance

Two official figures anchor your budget. Tuition for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes for non-EU/EEA students typically ranges from EUR 9,000 to EUR 20,000 per year, according to Study in Finland’s fees guidance, plus a EUR 100 application fee for applicants from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. For living costs, Migri’s minimum is EUR 800 per month — EUR 9,600 per year — while Study in Finland recommends budgeting EUR 900 to EUR 1,200 per month in reality. A 100% tuition waiver therefore solves only part of the Finnish budget, and this guide will keep returning to that point because it is where applicants most often deceive themselves.

Eligibility: Who Pays, Who Is Exempt, Who Can Win a Waiver

• Tuition liability. Students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes. Some students are exempt based on residence status or other defined grounds — for example certain residence permits unrelated to study — so check the current exemption rules against your own situation on Studyinfo.fi and the university site.
• Programmes in Finnish or Swedish are tuition-free for everyone, and doctoral programmes are tuition-free regardless of nationality. Both facts are stated in Study in Finland’s official fees guidance.
• Admission eligibility comes first. A waiver is attached to an offer of admission. For a master’s you need a relevant bachelor’s degree; for a bachelor’s, a qualification giving eligibility for higher education in your country, assessed under Finnish rules. Each programme publishes its own requirements and any entrance examination or assignment.
• English proficiency. English-taught programmes require documented English skills, commonly IELTS Academic around 6.5, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic, with programme-specific thresholds and accepted alternatives published on Studyinfo.fi. Some programmes and universities of applied sciences use their own language tests or entrance exams. Check our test preparation guides early.
• Merit for scholarships. University waivers are awarded on academic merit, assessed from your previous studies and, where the programme uses them, entrance results or assignments. There is no separate national merit list.
• Renewal conditions. Many waivers continue into the second year only if you complete a required amount of study in the first year. The University of Helsinki, for example, requires scholarship students to complete at least 55 ECTS credits in the first year for the grant to continue.
• Financing for the residence permit. Whatever waiver you win, Migri requires proof of at least EUR 800 per month for living costs, plus payment of any remaining tuition, and valid insurance. A tuition waiver letter does not replace the living-cost evidence.

Benefits and Coverage: Reading a Finnish Scholarship Offer Correctly

Finnish scholarship language is precise, and learning to read it will save you from expensive surprises. A 100% tuition fee waiver means the university does not charge you the tuition fee for the stated period. It does not include a stipend, housing, flights, insurance, the student union fee of roughly EUR 50 to EUR 70 per academic year, or the student healthcare fee of around EUR 35 per term for bachelor’s and master’s students. A 50% waiver halves the fee: on a programme charging EUR 14,000 per year, you still pay EUR 7,000 per year plus all living costs.

The Finland Scholarship needs careful handling because older websites describe it as a standing national scheme. As funded through participating universities, it offered outstanding non-EU/EEA master’s students 100% of first-year tuition plus a relocation grant of at least EUR 5,000, with many universities continuing tuition support into the second year for students who progressed as required. However, Study in Finland’s current scholarship guidance does not list a national Finland Scholarship, and its December 2025 scholarship facts article directs students to individual university waivers instead. The honest position for a 2027 applicant is this: treat the Finland Scholarship as real only where your chosen university and programme page states it for your intake, with its current terms. If the programme page offers a university waiver instead, plan on that basis. Never budget a EUR 5,000 relocation grant that is not written in your own offer.

Doctoral funding works on different logic. Because no tuition is charged, the question is income. Doctoral researchers in Finland are frequently employed by their university on fixed-term salaried contracts attached to projects or doctoral programmes, or funded by grants from foundations and the Research Council of Finland. The EDUFI Fellowship is a specific, documented bridge: the Finnish National Agency for Education describes it as initial funding of EUR 1,900 per month for 3 to 12 months for a doctoral student from outside Finland, applied for by the hosting Finnish university department — not by the student directly — with applications made about five months before the intended start and no fixed annual deadline. It does not cover travel, insurance or permit costs, and after it ends you need a position, grant or other funding for the remaining years of the doctorate. Verify the fellowship’s current status and terms on the official EDUFI page before relying on it, because programme funding arrangements can change.

Part-time work is permitted on a student residence permit — on average 30 hours per week under Migri’s rules for work related to your permit conditions — and many students work in services, logistics, cleaning, restaurants or university assistant roles. Finnish or Swedish language skills significantly widen the job market. Earnings support your monthly budget; they are not accepted as a substitute for the funds Migri requires you to show in advance.

Universities and Their Scholarship Patterns

Every Finnish university that charges tuition runs its own scheme, and the details below summarise the patterns published by the largest institutions. Percentages and programme coverage change by intake, so use this as a map and confirm your programme’s page on Studyinfo.fi.

Fields with the widest English-taught provision include computer science and data/AI, engineering and sustainable technology, business and economics, education, health and biomedical sciences, environmental and forest sciences, and design at Aalto. Use our university rankings and universities directory to compare Finland’s offer with other countries, but make your funding decision from Studyinfo.fi programme pages, which carry the binding tuition and scholarship text for each degree.

How to Apply: Step by Step

1. Search programmes on Studyinfo.fi. Studyinfo.fi is Finland’s official application portal. Filter by level, field and language, and for each programme note the tuition fee, scholarship description, eligibility requirements and application period in the programme description itself.
2. Check your eligibility and English evidence. Confirm your qualification is recognised for the level you want, and whether you need IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or a programme-specific test or entrance assignment. Book tests in autumn, well before the January round.
3. Apply in the joint application round. Most English-taught programmes starting in autumn use the joint application in January — in recent cycles a window of roughly two weeks in January, with the University of Helsinki’s master’s round, for example, running 5 to 19 January for 2027 entry in published guidance. Some programmes and UAS degrees use separate or later application periods, so follow your programme’s dates exactly. Pay the EUR 100 application fee if you are a non-EU/EEA applicant.
4. Request the scholarship inside the admission application. At most universities you indicate scholarship interest in the same Studyinfo.fi application, or the university assesses you automatically from your admission result. There is rarely a separate scholarship portal. If a programme says a separate step exists, complete it before its deadline.
5. Complete any entrance examination, interview or assignment. Business, technology and UAS programmes in particular may rank applicants partly on these. The same performance often influences both admission and waiver decisions.
6. Receive admission and scholarship results together, usually in spring. Your offer letter states the waiver percentage and its conditions. Read the renewal credit requirement and the tuition payment deadline for any remaining fee.
7. Accept the study place and pay any remaining first-year tuition by the deadline. Universities set a payment date, commonly in late spring or early summer. Your residence permit application normally requires evidence that tuition is paid or waived.
8. Apply for the student residence permit with Migri. Provide the admission letter, tuition payment or waiver evidence, proof of at least EUR 800 per month for living costs — EUR 9,600 for one year — valid comprehensive insurance, and your passport. Apply through Migri’s Enter Finland service and prove your identity at a Finnish mission as instructed.
9. Arrange housing immediately. Apply to your city’s student housing foundation as soon as your place is confirmed. Helsinki, Tampere and Turku queues are competitive, and housing is the most common practical crisis for new students.

Required Documents

• Degree certificates and transcripts for your qualifying education, with official English translations where documents are in another language; country-specific legalisation may be required after admission.
• Proof of English proficiency accepted by the programme, or documentation for an exemption route the programme recognises.
• Passport copy and a passport-style photograph for the application.
• Programme-specific material: entrance exam registration, pre-assignment, portfolio for design programmes, or motivation material where requested.
• Curriculum vitae where the programme asks for one, especially for master’s and UAS master’s programmes that require work experience.
• For the residence permit: admission letter, tuition payment receipt or waiver letter, bank documentation showing at least EUR 9,600 for a year, and insurance meeting Migri’s requirements.
• For EDUFI Fellowship candidates: a host supervisor and department at a Finnish university who agree to apply on your behalf, with a research plan for the fellowship period.

Deadlines and Timeline

Application periods differ between the joint application, separate applications and rolling UAS rounds. The dates above are the pattern from the most recent cycles; the binding period for your programme is the one printed in its Studyinfo.fi description for your intake.

Selection Criteria and How to Improve Your Chances

Finnish waiver decisions reward the same evidence that wins admission, because the two decisions are usually made together. Strong prior grades are the foundation. Programmes that use entrance examinations or assignments weight that performance heavily, so prepare for the specific exam format the university publishes rather than generic test material. Where a motivation element exists, connect your background to the programme’s actual curriculum and research groups; Finnish assessors value directness and fit over dramatic personal narratives.

Three strategies materially improve outcomes. First, spread applications across the joint application intelligently: you can rank multiple programme choices, so include both a highly competitive Helsinki-region option and strong programmes in Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä or the UAS sector, where living costs are lower and waiver competition can be less intense. Second, protect your renewal: once enrolled, treat the first-year credit requirement — 55 ECTS at Helsinki is a typical benchmark — as a funding condition, not an academic suggestion, and choose a realistic course load from the first semester. Third, for doctoral ambitions, build the host relationship early: EDUFI Fellowships and salaried positions both begin with a supervisor who wants your research in their group. A precise, short research proposal aligned with a group’s funded projects is worth more than a long list of applications. Keep your applications and deadlines organised with the StudyGraduate student tools and strategy in our study guides.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Believing in a fully funded Finland Government Scholarship. Study in Finland states there are no governmental scholarships for bachelor’s or master’s studies and warns that such advertisements are misleading. Do not pay anyone selling access to one.
• Reading a tuition waiver as full funding. Waivers never cover living costs. You must still show Migri at least EUR 800 per month and realistically budget EUR 900 to EUR 1,200 per month.
• Budgeting a Finland Scholarship relocation grant you were not offered. The EUR 5,000 grant belongs to specific university offers. If your offer letter does not state it, it is not part of your funding.
• Missing the short January window. Most autumn-entry programmes close in January. Preparing documents in February is too late for that year.
• Ignoring renewal credit rules. Losing a second-year waiver for missing a credit target is a common and avoidable financial shock.
• Assuming doctoral study is automatically funded. Doctoral tuition is free for all nationalities, but your living costs require a salaried position, a grant such as the EDUFI Fellowship as initial funding, or your own resources.
• Applying for the EDUFI Fellowship yourself. The hosting Finnish university department must apply. A student-submitted application is not the route.
• Underestimating Helsinki living costs. Choose your city as a financial decision as well as an academic one; rents differ significantly across Finland.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a Finland Government Scholarship for international students?

No. Study in Finland, the official service of the Finnish National Agency for Education, states that there are no governmental scholarships for bachelor’s or master’s studies, and warns that posts promoting fully funded Finnish government scholarships are misleading. Funding comes from individual universities, mainly as tuition fee waivers.

How much is tuition in Finland for international students?

For non-EU/EEA students on English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes, tuition typically ranges from EUR 9,000 to EUR 20,000 per year, depending on the university and programme, plus a EUR 100 application fee. Programmes taught in Finnish or Swedish, and all doctoral programmes, charge no tuition.

What does a Finnish university scholarship actually cover?

Usually tuition only, most commonly as a 50% or 100% tuition fee waiver awarded with admission on academic merit. It does not cover living costs, housing, travel or insurance. Continuation often depends on completing a set number of credits, such as 55 ECTS in the first year at the University of Helsinki.

Does the Finland Scholarship still exist?

Participating universities have offered Finland Scholarships combining a 100% first-year tuition waiver with a relocation grant of at least EUR 5,000. However, Study in Finland’s current guidance directs students to individual university waivers and does not list a national scheme. Treat it as available only if your programme page states it for your intake, and rely only on what your offer letter confirms.

How much money must I show for a Finnish student residence permit?

Migri requires at least EUR 800 per month for living costs — EUR 9,600 for one year — in addition to paying any tuition not covered by a waiver, plus valid insurance. Study in Finland recommends budgeting a more realistic EUR 900 to EUR 1,200 per month.

Is a PhD in Finland free, and how is it funded?

Doctoral tuition is free for all nationalities. Funding for living costs comes separately: many doctoral researchers hold salaried, fixed-term university positions, others hold foundation or Research Council grants, and the EDUFI Fellowship can provide initial funding of EUR 1,900 per month for 3 to 12 months, applied for by the host department.

When do I apply to study in Finland?

Most English-taught programmes for autumn entry use the joint application round in January on Studyinfo.fi — the University of Helsinki’s master’s round, for example, runs in mid-January. Some programmes use separate or later periods. Scholarship consideration is normally part of the same admission application.

Can I work while studying in Finland?

Yes, within the conditions of the student residence permit — on average up to 30 hours per week — and full-time during holidays under Migri’s rules. Work helps your monthly budget but cannot replace the funds you must document for the permit, and Finnish or Swedish skills greatly improve your options.

Sources and Verification

The facts in this guide were checked against the following official sources at the time of writing:

• Study in Finland — Scholarship Facts (Finnish National Agency for Education, updated October 2026): no governmental scholarships for bachelor’s or master’s studies; university tuition waivers are competitive and do not cover living costs.
• Study in Finland — Fees and Cost of Living: tuition typically EUR 9,000–20,000 per year, EUR 100 application fee, tuition-free Finnish/Swedish-taught and doctoral programmes, Migri minimum EUR 800 per month and recommended EUR 900–1,200 per month, student union and healthcare fees.
• Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) — EDUFI Fellowship: EUR 1,900 per month for 3–12 months, host department applies, rolling with applications about five months before the start.
• University scholarship pages for Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, Tampere University, the University of Turku, the University of Oulu, the University of Eastern Finland and LUT University, for waiver percentages, tuition ranges and renewal conditions such as 55 ECTS.
• Studyinfo.fi programme descriptions, for application periods and programme-level tuition and scholarship text.

Disclaimer: Scholarship details change yearly, so always confirm deadlines, amounts and eligibility on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency. We never promise selection, admission or visa approval, and no one can guarantee those outcomes.