If you are going to apply to a university, it is time to act now. The applying period to the universities is going to start – or has already started – and in most cases, it will end in April or May.
Universities offer Bachelor´s and Master´s degrees and postgraduate degrees (Licentiate and Doctorate). The principal language of teaching is Finnish or Swedish, although courses conducted in English are becoming more available. The selection procedures, selection criteria and application deadlines may vary considerably from one university to another. Check the university websites for more information.
Basic information on applying to a university:
Admission requirements
The person who is applying to a university needs to have taken a degree in one of the following:
- Finnish matriculation examination
- International Baccalaureate, European Baccalaureate, Reifeprüfung-degree
- Vocational qualifications of three or more years
- Foreign qualifications providing eligibility for university entrance in the country they are awarded in.
Application forms, entrance examinations
Applications should be sent directly to the individual university, which will provide further information, including application forms and application times. To some universities it is possible to apply online through the electronic application form www.universityadmissions.fi».
Student selection is based either on grades in the matriculation exam or an entrance exam, or both. Entrance examinations are held mostly between May and June and normally there is no invitation to the exam. The results of the student selection will be published in July at the latest.
One-place-per-student provision
According to the provision, a student may accept only one studying place in a degree programme leading to a higher education degree during any one academic year (from the 1st of August to the 31st of July). The purpose of this is to ensure admission to the institutes of higher education for as many students as possible.
The applicant can also accept the studying place as conditional and queue for another place possibly available later on. Please note that the reserve studying places are not necessarily available in all degree programmes at universities. Remember to check the deadlines of the reserve studying places from the university website.