Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Finland 2026/2027

Finland offers something rare: world-class universities, English-taught degrees at every level, a two-year post-study residence permit, and a society that genuinely values international researchers. It also requires honesty about funding. Finland does not have a single giant “Finland Government Scholarship” that pays tuition plus a monthly salary to every master’s student — and any website that promises you one is misleading you. What Finland does have is a layered system: 100% tuition waivers at its best universities, a doctoral fellowship that pays a monthly grant, EU programmes hosted by Finnish universities that are fully funded in the fullest sense, and salaried doctoral researcher positions that are, in practice, the most complete funding of all.

This guide ranks the top 10 routes for 2026/2027 and labels each one truthfully: fully funded (tuition plus living support), full tuition waiver (tuition covered, living costs are yours to fund), or salaried (you are employed as a researcher). Read those labels carefully — your budget depends on them. The guide is written for non-EU/EEA students from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Indonesia and beyond, who pay tuition in Finland and therefore need scholarships most.

One change matters above all others: the national Finland Scholarship for master’s students — a 100% tuition waiver plus a €5,000 relocation grant — ran from 2022 to 2024 and has ended. Aalto University’s official pages state plainly that Finland Scholarships will not be granted in future admissions because the programme ends in 2024. We explain below what replaced it in practice (university Category A / excellence waivers) so you do not waste an application cycle chasing a closed programme. Explore more options in our scholarship directory, compare Finnish universities in our university profiles and rankings, and see our companion guide to the Top 30 Fully Funded Scholarships in Europe for International Students 2027.

Scholarships in Finland at a Glance

The Finland Scholarship, honestly: from 2022–2024, participating universities awarded Finland Scholarships consisting of a 100% tuition waiver plus a €5,000 grant paid once in the first year after arrival. That national programme has ended and will not be granted in future admissions. University 100% waivers continue under each university’s own scheme — that is the replacement in practice, minus the €5,000 grant. Any article still advertising the Finland Scholarship as open for 2026/2027 without noting its end is out of date.

The Top 10 in Detail

1. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters with Finnish Partners — The Only True Full Package for a Taught Master’s

If you want a taught master’s in Finland with tuition and living costs covered, Erasmus Mundus is the clearest route. Finnish universities partner in consortia across fields where Finland is world-leading: mineral and materials engineering (the PROMISE programme runs through the University of Oulu), software and intelligent systems, environmental and forest sciences, public health, and more. The scholarship pays €1,400 per month for 24 months and covers participation costs, so your Finnish semesters — and your semesters in the other consortium countries — are fully funded. You apply to the consortium between autumn and January/February, can apply to up to three programmes, and are ranked globally. Start from the official Erasmus+ catalogue and each consortium’s own site. Our Erasmus Mundus guide walks through the application in full.

2. EDUFI Fellowship — Finland’s Doctoral Gateway Grant

The EDUFI Fellowship, run by the Finnish National Agency for Education, supports doctoral students from outside Finland who come to a Finnish university for research work, typically for an initial period at the start of a doctorate. Recent programme information puts the monthly grant at €1,500 — confirm the current rate and period in the live call, as EDUFI updates its terms. Crucially, the host university department applies or endorses in the EDUFI model and you need a Finnish supervisor first; this is not a cold online application from a student alone. Doctoral study itself in Finland is tuition-free, so a monthly grant plus later employment or foundation funding can amount to a fully funded PhD pathway. See the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI/OPH) for the current fellowship terms.

3. Salaried Doctoral Researcher Positions — Finland’s Best-Kept Funding Secret

Most funded PhDs in Finland are not “scholarships” at all: they are jobs. Universities advertise doctoral researcher vacancies — typically four-year, full-time, paid positions with a salary that rises with thesis progress, full social security, paid holiday and occupational healthcare. Åbo Akademi, Helsinki, Aalto, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, UEF and LUT all recruit internationally, in English, year-round. Because doctoral tuition is free in Finland, a salaried position is fully funded study in the most complete sense. The application is a researcher’s application: CV, publications or thesis, a research plan matched to the vacancy, and references. If you are finishing a master’s now, set vacancy alerts on each university’s careers page — this single habit wins more Finnish PhD funding than any scholarship portal.

4. Aalto University Scholarship (Category A / Excellence) — 100% Tuition Waiver

Aalto — Finland’s flagship for technology, business and design, formed from Helsinki’s technology, business and art universities — awards merit scholarships to fee-paying students as tuition waivers. The top category has historically been Category A: a 100% tuition fee waiver for the normative duration (two years for a master’s), requiring full-time study and steady progress; Aalto’s current excellence scheme continues the 100% waiver model for its best-ranked applicants. You apply simply by indicating scholarship interest on the admission form — there is no separate essay competition to miss. What Aalto does not pay is living costs: Helsinki is Finland’s most expensive city, and you must show the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) that you can fund your living expenses for your residence permit regardless of a waiver. Aalto’s own scholarship pages are the authority — read them at Aalto University before you apply.

5. University of Helsinki Scholarship — Full Waiver at Finland’s Oldest University

The University of Helsinki, Finland’s top-ranked research university, offers scholarships to outstanding non-EU/EEA master’s applicants in 100% and 50% tuition waiver categories, awarded on academic merit at admission. A 100% Helsinki waiver removes tuition entirely for the degree’s normative length, subject to progress. As with Aalto, living costs are not included — a distinction Helsinki states openly and applicants must budget for. Helsinki’s breadth is its advantage: from computer science and data science to environmental change, education and law, almost every field has an English-taught master’s and a waiver cohort attached to it. Apply through the January joint application and indicate scholarship eligibility in the same form.

6. Tampere University Scholarships — Up to 100% in Finland’s Student City

Tampere University awards tuition fee scholarships to its most merited international bachelor’s and master’s applicants, with awards up to 100% of tuition in recent schemes, plus incentives in some cycles for Tampere bachelor’s graduates continuing to a master’s. Tampere’s strengths — engineering, health technology, social sciences, game studies and education — pair with living costs noticeably lower than Helsinki’s, which makes a Tampere full waiver go further in real life than the same waiver in the capital. Scholarship consideration is built into admission: apply in the January window, perform at the top of your programme’s ranking, and the waiver follows the offer.

7. University of Turku Scholarships — Merit Waivers on the Southwest Coast

The University of Turku offers scholarships to high-merit non-EU/EEA master’s students, principally as 100% and 50% tuition waivers decided at admission. Turku is strong in biosciences, medicine-adjacent fields, future technologies, education and law, and it hosts active doctoral schools for students who later move to salaried research. Turku also participated in the former Finland Scholarship — its own merit waivers are the continuing route now that the national programme has ended. Check the exact categories for your intake year on Turku’s tuition and scholarship pages, because percentages and the number of awards per programme change between cycles.

8. University of Oulu Scholarships — Northern Innovation, Lower Costs

The University of Oulu, a leader in 6G, wireless technology, health and Arctic research, supports international students through tuition scholarships awarded with admission, with high-percentage waivers for top applicants in recent intakes. Oulu’s practical advantage is cost: rents and daily expenses in Oulu are among the lowest of any Finnish university city, so a strong waiver plus part-time work is a genuinely workable budget. Confirm the current waiver percentage for your specific programme — Oulu has varied its scheme between cycles, and we deliberately do not print a percentage the university has not confirmed for 2026/2027.

9. University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Scholarships — Generous Waivers in Joensuu and Kuopio

UEF has, in recent schemes, offered some of Finland’s most generous university waivers, including awards covering up to 100% of tuition for merited applicants across its English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes in forestry, environmental science, health, computer science, education and law. UEF’s two campuses sit in affordable eastern Finnish cities, and its forestry and photonics research is internationally distinctive. As with every entry in this list, the live figure is the one on UEF’s current scholarship page — schemes are revised, and the honest habit is to screenshot the terms for your intake when you apply.

10. LUT, Vaasa and Jyväskylä — Rolling, Early-Bird and Merit Routes Worth Combining

Three more universities complete a realistic top 10. LUT University (Lappeenranta/Lahti), a specialist in clean energy, water and business, runs multiple intakes and merit/early-bird tuition reductions that can stack into very high coverage for strong applicants. The University of Vaasa, focused on business, energy and technology, and the University of Jyväskylä, strong in education, sport science and natural sciences, both award admission-linked tuition scholarships to top non-EU applicants. None of these should be described as a guaranteed 100% for every student — coverage depends on the scheme and your ranking — which is exactly why they sit at number 10 as a group: apply broadly across them, compare the actual waiver in each offer letter, and choose on total cost, not headline percentage. Use our cost and deadline tools to model each offer.

Eligibility: The Rules That Decide Finnish Funding

Fee liability: university waivers are only for students liable for tuition — generally non-EU/EEA citizens without an exempting residence status. Merit ranking: waivers are decided inside admission, programme by programme; there is rarely a separate application, so your admission file is your scholarship file. Progress: waivers continue only with full-time progress (commonly around 55 ECTS per year — confirm your university’s rule). Residence permit means test: Migri requires proof you can support yourself — the required amount is set by Migri and updated periodically, so check Migri for the current figure rather than relying on any guide’s number. A tuition waiver does not remove that requirement. Doctoral routes: EDUFI needs a Finnish host and supervisor; salaried positions need a research profile matched to an advertised vacancy.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Pick programmes on Studyinfo.fi. Finland’s national portal lists every English-taught degree and its tuition and scholarship links. Shortlist three to five programmes.
2. Apply in the joint application (January). Most master’s and bachelor’s admissions for autumn entry run through the January joint application on Studyinfo. LUT and some programmes have separate or rolling windows — note each date.
3. Tick scholarship interest on the same form. At Aalto and most others, this single step is your scholarship application. Missing it cannot be fixed after the deadline.
4. Upload documents early: degree and transcripts, language proof as the programme specifies, passport, CV and motivation material where requested. Legalisation rules for your country are stated on Studyinfo.
5. For a PhD: contact supervisors and watch vacancy pages year-round; prepare an EDUFI plan with your host department if you are at the doctorate’s start.
6. On admission, compare waiver letters side by side — percentage, duration, progress conditions — then accept and pay any remaining first-year amount by the university’s deadline if required.
7. Apply for the Migri residence permit immediately, with your admission, waiver letter, insurance and proof of living funds for the full period Migri requires.

Required Documents Checklist

• Passport and passport photo to Migri specification (permit stage)
• Degree certificate and transcripts, with translations/legalisation as Studyinfo requires for your country
• English proof exactly as your programme lists (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE or prior English-taught degree where accepted)
• CV, and motivation letter / study plan where the programme asks for one
• For doctoral routes: research plan, publications list, supervisor correspondence, references
• For the residence permit: admission letter, scholarship/waiver letter, comprehensive health insurance, proof of funds in your own bank account

Deadlines and Timeline

Living Costs, Work and Life After Graduation in Finland

Understanding the real monthly budget is what turns a tuition waiver into a workable plan. Helsinki is the most expensive student city in Finland: a room in a student foundation flat (HOAS in the capital region, TOAS in Tampere, TYS in Turku, PSOAS in Oulu) costs substantially less than a private studio, and joining the housing queue the day you receive your admission offer is the single best money decision you will make. Student housing foundations exist precisely because the private market is expensive, and scholarship students who apply late for housing routinely pay hundreds of euros more per month than classmates who applied on time. Beyond rent, budget for food (student restaurants offer a subsidised lunch that remains one of Finland’s best student benefits), transport (student-priced city travel cards), a phone contract, winter clothing in your first autumn, and the residence permit and insurance costs themselves. The universities’ own cost-of-living pages give city-by-city estimates — use the page for your city, not a national average, because the gap between Helsinki and Joensuu or Oulu across a two-year master’s can amount to several thousand euros.

Work rights support, but do not replace, that budget. Students holding a residence permit for studies have, in recent Migri rules, been permitted to work an average of 30 hours per week during the academic year, with degree-related practical training treated separately — always confirm the current figure on Migri, because the rule is set in law and can change. Realistically, English-speaking part-time work concentrates in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, in delivery, hospitality, cleaning, IT support and research or teaching assistant roles inside your own university. Assistant roles are doubly valuable: they pay, and they put you inside a research group, which is exactly where salaried doctoral vacancies are first heard about. Finnish language study, offered free or cheaply by universities and integration services, steadily widens the job pool, and students who reach even conversational Finnish by their second year report a visibly different part-time market.

After graduation, Finland offers a residence permit for seeking work or starting a business — in recent years granted for up to two years — which makes Finland one of Europe’s more generous post-study destinations. That permit changes the scholarship calculation: a 100% tuition waiver plus two years to find skilled work in Finland’s technology, gaming, health, forestry-technology and clean-energy sectors can repay a family’s living-cost investment in a way that a waiver in a country without post-study rights cannot. Doctoral graduates are in particular demand, and time spent as a salaried doctoral researcher counts toward later residence categories in ways that student time alone may not — another reason the doctoral employment route at number 3 in this ranking deserves more attention than it usually gets. None of this is guaranteed employment, and this guide promises none. It is, however, the honest context in which a Finnish tuition waiver should be judged: not as a free degree, but as a heavily discounted entry into one of the world’s most stable labour markets, provided you fund the living-cost side with open eyes.

How to Improve Your Chances

Because Finnish waivers are decided inside admission, the lever is your programme ranking: choose programmes where your prior degree matches the stated background requirements precisely, show the required credits in the named subjects, and treat any motivation material as a fit document, not a life story. For doctoral funding, publish or present something from your master’s thesis, learn the host group’s recent papers, and write to one supervisor at a time with a specific idea. Finally, apply to more than one city: a 100% waiver in Oulu, Kuopio or Tampere can be worth more in real monthly terms than a 50% waiver in Helsinki.

Common Mistakes

• Budgeting as if a tuition waiver covers living costs — it never does in Finland’s university schemes.
• Chasing the ended Finland Scholarship (2022–2024) or paying an agent who still advertises it as open.
• Missing the scholarship tick-box on the admission form — at most universities there is no second chance.
• Underestimating Migri’s means requirement and arriving at the permit stage without funds in your own account.
• Applying only to Helsinki: competition for waivers is national, and smaller cities offer better waiver odds and lower rent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fully funded Finland Government Scholarship for master’s students in 2026/2027?

No single programme by that name is open. The national Finland Scholarship ended after the 2024 intake. For a taught master’s, Erasmus Mundus is fully funded; university schemes cover tuition in full for top applicants but not living costs.

What replaced the Finland Scholarship?

In practice, each university’s own 100% tuition waiver (Aalto Category A/excellence, Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and others). The €5,000 relocation grant that came with the national programme is no longer offered.

Can I cover living costs by working in Finland?

Students on a residence permit for studies may work an average of 30 hours per week in recent Migri rules — confirm the current limit on Migri. Part-time work helps, but Migri still requires proof of funds up front.

Is a PhD in Finland really tuition-free?

Yes, doctoral education carries no tuition fee in Finland. Most doctoral researchers fund living costs through salaried positions, EDUFI at the start, or foundation grants.

Do I need Finnish language skills?

Not for English-taught degrees or most research positions. Basic Finnish greatly improves part-time work and integration, and universities offer free or cheap courses.

When is the application deadline for autumn 2027?

The joint application runs in January, with exact dates on Studyinfo each year. Aalto’s master’s window for the 2027 cycle was published as early December to 5 January in secondary reporting — always confirm the binding dates on Aalto and Studyinfo directly.

Which Finnish city is cheapest for a scholarship student?

Oulu, Kuopio, Joensuu and Jyväskylä are consistently cheaper than Helsinki and Tampere for rent. Your waiver percentage matters less than your total monthly budget.

Can a 50% waiver ever be the better offer?

Yes — if it is at a cheaper-city university, in a programme with better employment outcomes for you, or combined with an assistantship. Compare total two-year cost, not the headline percentage.

Sources & Verification

Verified against: Aalto University scholarship pages (Finland Scholarship programme ran 2022–2024, will not be granted in future admissions; Finland Scholarship = Category A 100% waiver + €5,000 one-off grant for 2024 and earlier cohorts), University of Helsinki, Tampere University, University of Turku, University of Oulu and UEF scholarship descriptions, Finnish National Agency for Education / EDUFI fellowship information, Erasmus+ programme pages (€1,400/month Erasmus Mundus rate), Migri student residence permit guidance, and Studyinfo.fi admissions information. Figures that universities revise per cycle are described as such in the text.

Disclaimer: Scholarship details change yearly. Always confirm deadlines, amounts and waiver percentages on the official university and Studyinfo websites before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise selection, admission or visa approval.