Scholarships and Tuition Fees

Information on this page about tuition fee liability and exempting documents is valid starting from 1 December 2024 due to amendments to the Universities Act.

What is your citizenship?

• Most non-EU/EEA citizens have to pay tuition fees for bachelor's and master's degree studies.
• If you are a citizen of the member states of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you do not have to pay tuition fee.

Will you study in a bachelor's or master's programme taught in English?

• Bachelor's and master's programmes taught in English have a tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens. 
• Tuition fees do not concern doctoral / PhD studies or bachelor's and master's degree studies that are taught in Finnish or Swedish. Studies in programmes taught in Finnish or Swedish require fulfilling the language proficiency criteria.

Do you have a residence permit in Finland that exempts you from tuition fees?

Certain residence permit types issued for residence in Finland exempt from tuition fee liability.
Tuition fees do not concern those non-EU/EEA students who have:

• a permanent residence permit card in Finland, type P permit
• an EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (type P-EU permit)
• a residence card in Finland of a family member of an EU citizen. You must hold the residence permit yourself. Being a family member of a person who has a residence permit in an EU country does not grant you a tuition fee exemption.
• an EU blue card in Finland
• a Brexit residence permit card, type SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, or P SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement 
• a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection in Finland, as referred to in the Aliens Act. The permit has to be valid at the beginning of the study right, and the permit cannot have later been revoked.

In addition, a continuous residence permit card in Finland, type A permit, may exempt you from paying tuition fees if it is granted on grounds other than studying. However, you are required to pay tuition fees in the following cases:

• If your first residence permit in Finland was granted for the purpose of studying, you must pay tuition fees, even if you later obtained a continuous residence permit (type A) on other grounds.
• If you have a continuous residence permit (type A) based on family ties in Finland, and your family member originally came to Finland on a residence permit granted for studying, you are also required to pay tuition fees. 
• If your continuous residence permit (type A) is granted for studying, you are required to pay tuition fees.

More information about the residence permit types is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).

Is your residence permit valid?

Your residence permit has to be valid at the start of that academic year, i.e. 1 August to be exempted from tuition fees for the academic year.

If your residence permit expires before August when applying to Aalto university, you are considered liable to tuition fees at the time of applying. Applicants liable to tuition fees can apply for a scholarship when applying to the university.

If you receive a document that exempts you from tuition fees after the application period, you must submit a copy of the document to the university as soon as possible.

The tuition fee exemption is tied to the validity period of the residence permit. If the permit's validity period runs out during the studies and the permit is not renewed, full tuition fee liability will normally start from the beginning of the academic year following the end of the permit.

If you become liable to tuition fees in the middle of your studies due to a change in your residence permit type, you may be entitled to apply for a scholarship. See Aalto Reserve Scholarships for more information.

When applying to the university, you must enclose copies of both sides of your valid residence permit card in Finland to your application to prove your residency status. A copy of your valid passport, or national ID card with citizenship information, is required to prove your citizenship.

Will you study in an Erasmus Mundus programme?

If you have an Erasmus Mundus scholarship and you study in the Erasmus Mundus programme funded by the European Union, you are not required to pay the Aalto University tuition fees.

More information on tuition fee liability

• Information about the residence permit types is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).
• More information about determining your liability to pay and exemptions from tuition fees can be found on the national Studyinfo (studyinfo.fi) webpage.

The tuition fee covers educational expenses such as courses, academic supervision, exams, counselling and university support services such as student services, library services and IT services in accordance with the university regulations. 

The tuition fee does not cover living costs, personal study related costs such as study materials or other costs that may be charged according to the university rules or national legislation. The tuition fee does not cover the compulsory membership fee of the Student Union (ayy.fi).

• Read more information about living costs in Finland at: Financial matters.

You must ensure that you have enough financial means to pay for your rent, personal expenses, transportation costs, meals, insurance etc.

For information about living costs in Finland, please see Financial matters.

Students must pay the compulsory membership fee of the Student Union AYY (ayy.fi). In the academic year 2024-2025 the AYY fee is 65 euros. As a Student Union (AYY) member you are entitled to significant student discounts on public transport and meals in student restaurants.

University students in Finland are provided basic health care services by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). To have access to FSHS services, bachelor and master students must pay the mandatory healthcare fee for students in higher education annually to Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland). In 2024, the student healthcare fee is 37 euros per semester.

Make sure you have valid health insurance, as the FSHS only provides basic health care services and does not have its own accident and emergency service unit. Valid health insurance is also required for residence permit.

Read more information on health insurance requirements at Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi) .

You are considered liable to tuition fees at the time of applying to the university, if you do not have a document exempting you from tuition fees that is valid at the start of the academic year, i.e. 1 August. 

If your residence permit in Finland expires before August, you must mark to the admission application form that you do not have a fee-exempting residence permit. Applicants who are liable to tuition fees can apply for a scholarship (i.e. tuition fee waiver) during the application period.

If you receive a document that exempts you from tuition fees after the application period, you must submit a copy of the document to the university as soon as possible:

1. If you receive the document before the publishing of the admission results, submit copy of the document to Aalto University Admission Services ([email protected]).
2. In case you receive the document after you have been admitted to the university, submit copy of the document and request for exemption from tuition fees to the Aalto University School that you have been accepted to.

Tuition fee must be paid as a single instalment for the following academic year. It is not possible to pay the tuition fee in two or more instalments per year.

If you are a new student, you will receive instructions on how to pay the tuition fee shortly after you have accepted the admission offer. For subsequent instalments, you will receive instructions in advance of each academic year. The payment is due before the start of the term.

The practice of paying tuition fees may change in spring 2025, so information on the payment method and schedule will be updated later.  

Students who are liable to pay tuition fee cannot enroll at the university before paying the tuition fee.

• If you have any questions about paying the tuition fee, please contact [email protected].

You have a right to full refund of the paid tuition fee (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges):

• if you are conditionally admitted and do not fulfil the admission requirements and your study place is cancelled,
• if you are not granted a residence permit in Finland,
• if your residence permit status changes before enrolment to the university and you are no longer required to pay fees (copy of residence permit in Finland must be submitted before the end of enrolment period),
• if Aalto University is unable to offer the degree programme you have been admitted to

You may have a right to partial refund of the paid tuition fee (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges), if your residence permit status changes during your studies and you are no longer required to pay fees.

You must provide a Finnish residence permit as proof for university’s decision-making. When a change in fee status is made during an ongoing semester, reimbursement of the tuition fee for that semester is, as a rule, not possible. The fee will be reimbursed for the upcoming semester.

According to the Universities Act Section 39 you are not able to postpone the beginning of studies, unless in situations specified in the Act. New students must register as attending for the first academic year.

Aalto University offers a small number of scholarships to fee-paying students.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are merit-based and are granted on a competitive basis to the highest-achieving applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria.

Scope of scholarship

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are awarded as tuition fee waivers. The scholarship covers the full tuition fee.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships do not cover living costs. Students need to cover all living expenses (at least 800 euros per month) and other study related costs from their own financial resources. 

• Read more information about living costs at: Financial matters.

How to apply for a scholarship?

If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, you can apply for the scholarship when you apply to Aalto University. The scholarship application is part of the application form for admission.

On the application form, you will be asked questions by which your liability to fees is determined. If you are liable to a tuition fee, you will be offered an option to apply or not apply for a scholarship. Only students who are liable to pay tuition fees can apply for Aalto University Excellence Scholarships (i.e. tuition fee waivers).

Scholarship must be applied during the application period. You cannot apply for a scholarship after the application period. You cannot get a scholarship if you have not applied for it during the application period.

Scholarship decisions

Scholarships can be awarded to the best applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria. Applicants are ranked according to the criteria indicated on the programme's webpage.

In master's admissions scholarships are allocated during the academic evaluation stage as part of the admissions process of a degree programme. The best applicants liable to tuition fees may be awarded a scholarship. The academic evaluation criteria are available on the study option websites.

The scholarship decision is given at the same time with the admission decision.

As defined in the Universities Act, the scholarship decision cannot be appealed to.

Duration of scholarship

Scholarships are granted for the normative period of study of the degree programme.

The normative study period is three years full-time study for bachelor’s degree and two years full-time study for master’s degree. Scholarship requires full-time study and studying according to the approved personal study plan.

New bachelor’s students will receive a 25% reduction on the tuition fee for their first academic year if they accept their admission offer and pay the tuition fee within a separately specified time period after receiving the offer. The time period will be specified in detail later.

Tuition fee liable students who graduate from an Aalto University bachelor’s programme taught in English may receive an Aalto University scholarship for master’s studies if they have received the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship for their bachelor’s programme. More detailed scholarship criteria will be published later. 

The scholarship is available only for Aalto master’s programmes to which the student has a direct right to study, i.e. without applying through an external master's admissions procedure.

The scholarship is granted as a 100% tuition fee waiver for the target time frame of a master’s degree. The target time for completing a master’s degree is two years.

Some international joint degree programmes have their own tuition fees and scholarship schemes, read more on programmes' web pages.

Programmes with their own scholarship schemes:

• Additive Manufacturing for Full Flexibility (EIT Master's Programme in Manufacturing)
• Advanced Materials for Innovation and Sustainability, AMIS (EIT Raw Materials)
• Autonomous Systems and Intelligent Robots - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Cloud and Network Infrastructures and High-Performance Computing - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Data Science - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems (SELECT)
• Human-Computer Interaction and Design - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Re:Anima (European Joint Master in Animation)
• Re:Play European Joint Master 
• Smart Systems Integrated Solutions
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions (EIT Urban Mobility)
• Zero Defect Manufacture for a Circular Economy (EIT Master's Programme in Manufacturing)

Please see External Scholarships webpage for several external scholarships and loan schemes suitable for international students who are liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto University. You can also find useful advice and tips for scholarship seekers on the page.

Aalto University does not administer the scholarship programs listed on the external scholarship page directly or indirectly. They are entirely external scholarships listed for your convenience. For any inquiries on criteria, application process, decision making or timetables, kindly reach out to the respective institutions directly.

If you have any questions related to external scholarships or you are planning to apply to Aalto University with another scholarship not listed on the page, please send a message to [email protected].

You can find information about scholarship possibilities available in your country at:

• Scholarship Portal (scholarshipportal.com)

Fulbright-Aalto University Graduate Award is a prestigious scholarship for Aalto University master’s degree students from the United States.

The award offers many benefits including generous living allowance, comprehensive support services and excellent networking opportunities.

The application deadline for the award from Fulbright is typically in early October.

The award has a dual application procedure. Separate applications need to be submitted to:

• the Fulbright grant competition and
• Master's admissions at Aalto University.

Applicants should apply for Aalto University Scholarship in their application for admission if they wish to be considered for the full award (the grant from Fulbright and the tuition fee waiver from Aalto).

Read more information on the Fulbright-Aalto University Graduate Award on the Fulbright Finland Foundation website.
For more information from Aalto, please contact Aino Turunen at [email protected].

If you are required to pay a tuition fee, you can apply for a scholarship during the application period for admission.

If you are a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, you are not required to pay tuition fees for your degree studies and are not eligible to apply for Aalto University Excellence Scholarship (i.e. tuition fee waiver).

At the moment, Aalto University does not offer university-wide scholarships to cover living costs.

The costs of living are higher in the capital region (Espoo, Helsinki and Vantaa) than elsewhere in the country. Thus, you should prepare to have at least 800 euros per month to cover your living costs. 

In order to be granted a residence permit, the Finnish immigration authorities require you to have sufficient means to support yourself financially in Finland.

Information about living costs is available on the Financial matters page.

For information about student's residence permit requirements, see the Finnish Immigration Service website (www.migri.fi).

Yes, you can go on an exchange period or internship abroad.

You do have to pay the tuition fee even if going for exchange studies or for an internship abroad.

If you have been awarded a scholarship for your degree at Aalto, you will receive the scholarship for your studies abroad as well.

Applicants admitted off the waiting list cannot get a scholarship. Scholarships have been allocated to the best applicants.

Students who are liable to tuition fees and are admitted off the waiting list must cover the tuition fees and living expenses (at least 800 euros per month) from their own financial resources. Aalto University does not have additional scholarships or other financial support for students.

Scholarships are study-option-specific in the Master's admissions. If you have been granted a scholarship to your second study option, it does not transfer to your first study option. You lose the scholarship, if you do not accept the study place bindingly to your second study option.

If you wish to receive the scholarship and start studies in your second study option, accept the study place bindingly.

No, applying for scholarship makes no difference to your application for admission. Applicants are ranked for each programme according to the admissions criteria. Your chances of getting admission are the same with or without applying for a scholarship.

You may also decline the offer for a scholarship and still accept the offer for admission if, for example, you obtain funding from another source.

You can only apply for Aalto University Excellence Scholarship when you apply for admission.

Yes, you can, but you will need to have the funds for the tuition fee and living expenses.

Read more about living costs at: Financial matters.