Studying in Finland

What a year costs

Tuition applies to students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland on English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes. Study in Finland, the official portal, gives a range of €8,000-20,000 a year, varying by university and programme.

A concrete example: the University of Helsinki charges €13,000 a year for its English-taught bachelor's programmes and €13,000, €15,000 or €18,000 a year for its international master's, depending on the programme. Its fee stays the same for the whole of your programme. Many universities offer scholarships that reduce tuition, usually decided with admission.

There is also a national application fee of €100 for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, charged since 1 January 2025. It is paid once and covers all your applications for studies starting in the same term.

Living costs. Study in Finland recommends budgeting €900-1,200 a month depending on the city, covering food, accommodation and travel. Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa are at the upper end. The immigration minimum of €800 a month is below what most students actually spend.

The visa

Finland does not issue a student visa. You apply for a first residence permit for studies from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), normally online through Enter Finland, and then visit a Finnish mission or service point to prove your identity and give fingerprints.

The fee rose on 1 January 2026: €600 online, €750 on paper, up from €450 and €550. For under-18s it is €400 online and €430 on paper.

The money. You must have at least €800 a month at your disposal. For studies of a year or longer, that means €9,600 in your bank account when you submit the application. The rules on how:

• The money must be in your own account, for your personal use only. Joint accounts are accepted only for under-18s and some exchange students.
• Tuition is separate. If you have paid it, attach the receipt and still show the €9,600. If you have not, your account must hold the first year's tuition plus the living funds. Migri states that funds reserved for your support cannot be used to pay tuition.
• Grants and scholarships reduce the amount euro for euro. Migri's own example: a €2,000 grant means you need €7,600 rather than €9,600 for a one-year programme.
• If your institution provides free accommodation, the monthly minimum falls to €400; with free accommodation and meals, €270.

Health insurance. You need private insurance covering medical and pharmaceutical costs, valid when you arrive. Holders of a Kela card, an EHIC or a UK GHIC are exempt. Migri publishes the minimum cover required on its insurance page: check it before you buy a policy.

Higher education students receive a continuous (A) permit.

Working while you study

You may work in any field for an average of 30 hours a week. The average is calculated over the year, so weekly hours can vary, and you can work full time during holidays as long as your yearly average is no more than 30 hours a week.

That is generous by European standards. But note the proposal described below: if your income falls short and you turn to social assistance, the consequence may be losing your permit, not just a hard month.

After you graduate

You can apply for a residence permit to look for work for up to two years. Unusually, you do not have to apply straight away: Migri allows you to apply within five years of your study permit expiring.

• You can work without restrictions in any field while you hold it.
• You must show €800 a month for the period, around €19,200 for two years.
• The fee is €750 online, €800 on paper for a first permit, and €230 online for an extended permit.
• If you apply for an extended permit before your study permit runs out, you can start working as soon as you find a job. Apply late and you cannot start until you have a decision.

Language

English-taught programmes need no Finnish or Swedish. English test requirements are set by each university and programme: check the admissions page for accepted tests and minimum scores.

Outside universities and the tech sector, many part-time and graduate jobs expect Finnish, which is hard to learn quickly. The government has also said it will add a language competence requirement to study permits to prevent misuse; the details were not published when we checked. Take the Finnish courses your university offers from your first term if you want to stay.

When to apply

The main route is the joint application through Studyinfo (opintopolku.fi), for English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes starting in autumn. The University of Helsinki gives the period for studies starting in autumn 2027 as 5-19 January 2027. Other universities use the joint application too, but some master's programmes run their own rounds: check each programme page.

Results normally come out in spring. Then you accept, pay the first year's tuition or show the funds, and apply for the permit. Finnish permit processing can take weeks to months at peak times, so apply the day you accept.

What to watch out for

Proposed: losing your permit for claiming social assistance. On 30 April 2026 the Finnish government submitted a bill under which drawing social assistance even once would, as a rule, lead to cancellation of a student's residence permit. It also plans fixed euro income thresholds, a language requirement, and a rule that family members can only join after the student has lived in Finland for a year. The first package was expected to take effect in autumn 2026; we could not confirm on the checking date whether it had entered into force. Check Migri's news page before you apply.

The €800 is a legal minimum, not a budget. Study in Finland itself recommends €900-1,200. Students who arrive with the minimum and plan to fill the gap with work are exactly the group the new proposals target.

The money has to be in your name. A parent's account, a joint account or funds deposited by a relative into their own account will not satisfy Migri for an adult applicant.

Fees went up this year. Anything quoting a €350 or €450 permit fee is out of date. The first-permit fee has been €600 online since 1 January 2026.

Housing. Student housing foundations in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and Oulu allocate rooms by application, and demand peaks in August. Apply as soon as you accept your place, and be wary of private listings that ask for payment before you have a signed contract.

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 we could not confirm on the checking date whether the 2026 student permit reforms had taken effect.