Studying in Estonia

What a year costs

Tuition. Study in Estonia, run by the Education and Youth Board, states that fees for English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes range from €1,500 to €15,000 a year, higher for medicine, law, business and social sciences. Doctoral study is free.

Published 2026-2027 schedules from the two largest universities:

• Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), non-EU students: €1,900-€4,200 per semester, so €3,800-€8,400 a year. IT programmes are €3,500 a semester, engineering and maritime €3,000. Non-EU students must pay two semesters before enrolment.
• University of Tartu: fees are published per programme. From 2026-2027 the university no longer offers tuition waivers to newly admitted non-EU/EEA students; some programmes instead offer reductions of 25% to 100%.

Living costs. Study in Estonia puts average student living costs at €300-€500 a month, with dormitory rooms at €150-€350 and private flats at €350-€750. Tallinn residents ride public transport free; Tartu's monthly student ticket is €7.67.

Be careful here: that estimate is well below the €880 a month the police require you to show. Budget to the immigration figure, not the brochure, especially in Tallinn.

The visa

You need a temporary residence permit for study. There are two routes:

• Apply for a D visa (€120) at an Estonian embassy, travel, and then apply for the residence permit in Estonia, or
• Apply for the residence permit directly at an embassy.

Fees. The Police and Border Guard Board's July 2026 Student Guide gives €120 for the D visa and €225 for the temporary residence permit at a service office.

Processing. D visa: up to 30 calendar days. Residence permit: a decision within 90 days of the application being accepted, and the card within a further 30 days. The permit route can therefore take four months. If you plan to apply in Estonia, the D visa is the faster way in.

The money. You must show €880 a month for 2026. The legal basis is four times the subsistence level, which is set each year in the State Budget Act, so the figure moves every January. The University of Tartu's own guidance, updated 22 September 2026, still mentions €800 a month in one place and €880 in another; the police figure governs.

Health insurance is required for the whole stay. You may choose any suitable provider, but requirements differ between the visa and the residence permit, so check which one your policy covers.

After the permit is granted, register your place of residence within one month.

Working while you study

Estonia sets no weekly hours limit for international students on a study residence permit, and you do not need a separate work permit. The conditions, from Study in Estonia and the police:

• The work must not interfere with your studies
• You must remain full-time, which in practice means successfully completing about 30 ECTS a semester
• You must finish within the nominal study period

These are conditions of the permit itself: fall behind and it is at risk even if the job is legal. Work only under a written contract: Study in Estonia warns that undeclared work leaves you without any employee protection.

After you graduate

Non-EU graduates may stay for nine months after graduation to look for work. Once you find a job you apply for a temporary residence permit for employment, which Study in Estonia says takes about one month to process.

Graduates of Estonian bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes also get easier terms for that permit: your employer does not have to meet the usual salary threshold or get permission from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Language

Estonia's English-taught offer is mostly at master's level: the University of Tartu runs 28 English-taught curricula, of which 25 are master's, two bachelor's and one integrated medicine programme.

The University of Tartu's English requirements are typical:

• IELTS Academic 6.0, no component below 5.5
• TOEFL iBT 75 for tests before 21 January 2026; for tests from 21 January 2026, 4 overall on the new 1-6 scale, with 4 in speaking and 3.5 in the other sections
• Cambridge 169, PTE Academic 59

No Estonian is required for the permit. Study in Estonia lists tutoring, IT, admin and customer service as common student jobs, and English carries you further in IT and international firms than in public-facing roles. Some Estonian widens your options for part-time work and for graduate jobs outside international companies.

When to apply

The main intake is late August or September; the University of Tartu's 2026-2027 year started on 31 August 2026. Applications usually go through the DreamApply system.

University of Tartu deadlines for 2026-2027 were:

• Master's: 15 March
• Bachelor's and integrated medicine: 15 April

Applications opened on 2 January. TalTech and Tallinn University publish their own dates on their admissions pages.

Allow for the permit timeline: up to 90 days for the decision and 30 for the card if you apply for the permit abroad. With a March deadline and results in spring, you have enough time only if you move straight away.

What to watch out for

The tuition waiver is gone at Tartu. Guides written before 2026 describe free places for strong non-EU applicants at the University of Tartu. From 2026-2027 new non-EU students pay, with partial reductions on some programmes only. Check the fee for your programme and year.

Pay-before-enrolment at TalTech. Non-EU students pay a full year up front. Make sure your visa prospects are clear before you transfer, and read the university's refund rules.

€880 a month is the floor, and it rises. It is set as four times the subsistence level, which changes with each State Budget Act. Check the current figure in January if your application straddles the new year.

Academic progress is a permit condition. No hours cap does not mean no limit. Failing to complete about 30 ECTS a semester or overrunning the nominal period puts the permit at risk.

Housing in Tallinn. Apply for a dormitory place as soon as you accept your offer. The private-flat range of €350-€750 a month is where many international students end up; budget for it.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and note that the €880 figure is reset each year with the State Budget Act.