Scholarships

The university is obliged by law to report all scholarships to Finnish tax authority on annual basis.

Scholarships in Finland are generally tax free up to the value of €26,269.46 per calendar year (in 2024; the exact amount changes annually). The amount exceeding the set limit is generally subject to tax. The set limit includes scholarships paid in Finland by a non-public entity including, but not limited to, any combination of Aalto University's scholarships (including tuition fee waivers), travel grants, one-off payments and living-expense scholarships you may get from the university for your studies.

If your combined scholarships and grants exceed the value of €26,269.46 for a calendar year (in 2024), the exceeding amount is generally subject to tax and you may be contacted by the Finnish tax authority.

For further information, please see the Finnish Tax Administration's pages on taxation of students and trainees and taxation of grants and scholarships.

Aalto University Scholarships are offered as tuition fee waivers. The scholarship covers either 100 % (Category A scholarship) or 50 % (Category B scholarship) of the tuition fee.

If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen liable to tuition fees and apply for admission at Aalto, you can apply for the scholarship with the same application form you use to apply for your preferred study option(s) by ticking the relevant section in the form. Please note that only students who are liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto University are eligible to apply for Aalto University Scholarships. It is not possible to apply for the scholarship after the application period has ended and there are no reserve lists for the allocation of scholarships.

The scholarships are allocated on the basis of the academic evaluation of the applicants when they are selected to the study programmes. The decisions are made by the selection committees of the relevant degree programme. You will receive the decision about the scholarship together with the decision about the admission. Please note that decisions regarding scholarships are final and may not be appealed (as defined in the Finnish Universities Act).

In order for the scholarship to be valid, the scholarship terms and conditions must be accepted by the student by signing and returning the 'Aalto University's Scholarship Terms' document to the university by the given deadline.

Scholarships are granted for the standard duration of the relevant degree programme. The standard duration 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 steady progress in studies according to the approved personal study plan.

New students are requested to draft their first personal study plan when they accept their place for study. Relevant academic support may also be offered depending on the programme. The university requires students to have a study plan, which has been approved according to their degree programme's instructions.

The review of studies monitoring students’ progress is done by the end of March in the spring term and any issues, such as missing credits or possible discontinuation of scholarship, must be resolved by the end of April. This is to enable registration for the following term in the beginning of May, and for students needing to renew their residence permits to get their documentation in order as early as possible. You can also draft a revised study plan if needed and get it approved with the help of Study Office. However, you can only have one approved study plan at a time.  

The progress of your studies is checked each term and your scholarship may be discontinued if your studies do not follow your personal study plan. If you have any issues affecting your study progress, it is essential that you contact the Student Services of your degree programme and actively seek help so that your scholarship is not affected. A failure to resolve any pending issues may result in the discontinuation of your scholarship on the basis of insufficient study progress.

As a guideline, scholarships are automatically continued for the standard duration of the degree programme unless:

• studies do not follow personal study plan so that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term
• studies progress so slowly that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term
• studies progress below 45 ECTS credits per academic year leading to discontinuation of residence permit
• the terms and conditions of scholarship agreement are broken
• In such cases the school will contact the student and request a meeting where the scholarship is discussed and further course of action agreed.

Please note also, that the Finnish Immigration Authority (Migri) requires students to complete at least 45 ECTS credits per each academic year for the renewal of their residence permit. A failure to comply may result in the discontinuation of your residence permit and subsequent inability to complete your studies and continue your scholarship. Hence it is essential that you contact the Student Services as early as possible should you feel the need to revise your study plan for any reason.

The university is committed to helping students to achieve steady progress throughout their studies and offers many forms of assistance towards this aim.

The Finland Scholarship includes an Aalto University Scholarship (Category A, 100% tuition fee waiver) for two years and a grant worth 5000 € for relocation and other costs for the first year of studies.

The Aalto University Scholarship is identical to the Category A scholarship described in the Aalto University Scholarships section.

The 5000 € grant is paid to the student’s Finnish bank account after they have arrived in Finland and registered as attending. The grant is paid once and only during the first year of studies.

The tuition fee waiver (Aalto University Scholarship, Category A) is granted for the standard duration of the degree programme, i.e., two years full-time study for master’s degree. The scholarship requires full-time study and steady progress in studies according to the personal study plan. More information on the duration and the continuation of the tuition fee waiver in the Aalto University Scholarships section.

The 5000 € grant is paid once in a single installment, and only during the first year of studies. The grant will be paid to the student’s Finnish bank account after they have arrived in Finland and registered as attending. The students will be contacted via email during autumn term regarding the payment details.

The grant payment may be made later if the student has difficulties opening a bank account in Finland. However, students who are enrolled as attending and who fail to supply their payment information by the end of the first academic year will lose their Finland Scholarship grant. Students who are absent for reasons permissible by law during the first year, or who are prevented from beginning studies in Finland due to force majeure circumstances, may postpone their Finland Scholarship for a maximum of one year.

The grounds for discontinuing the Aalto University ‘Category A’ tuition fee waiver can be found in the Aalto University Scholarships section.

The Finland Scholarship grant is paid only once. If the student is granted a tuition fee exemption that is valid during their first attendance term, the 5000 € grant will not be paid. If the student is, based on universities act section 10, liable to pay tuition fees during their first term of studies, there is no effect on the Finland Scholarship grant.

Tuition-fee liable students who complete their Aalto bachelor's degree in English in normative time (i.e. three years or six terms) with a final grade point average of 3.80 or above, will receive upon application a full, category A scholarship for their Aalto Master's programme.

The scholarship covers 100% of the tuition fees for the normative duration of the master's programme (i.e. two years or four terms). The normative duration in considered to start directly after graduating as bachelor, except when registering as non-attending due to reasons specified in the law.

The scholarship is applied for in Sisu when filling in the bachelor’s degree graduation request. The 'Aalto University's Scholarship Terms' document will be sent in connection with the scholarship decision. In order for the scholarship to be valid, the scholarship terms and conditions must be accepted by the student by signing and returning the 'Aalto University's Scholarship Terms' document to the university by the deadline indicated in the document.

If you haven't applied for the scholarship in Sisu when filling in the bachelor’s degree graduation request, please contact the student services of your degree programme.

The scholarship is granted for the normative duration of the master's programme (ie two years or four terms). The scholarship is to be used for the completion of degree studies only.

The scholarship will be continued for the second academic year provided that you have progressed in your studies according to your approved personal study plan (HOPS) during the first academic year and provided that you have a goal-oriented study plan for the second year.

The progress of your studies is checked each term and your scholarship may be discontinued if your studies do not follow your personal study plan. If you have any issues affecting your study progress, it is essential that you contact the student services of your degree programme and actively seek help so that your scholarship is not affected. A failure to resolve any pending issues may result in the discontinuation of your scholarship on the basis of insufficient study progress.

As a guideline, scholarships are automatically continued for the standard duration of the degree programme unless:

• studies do not follow personal study plan so that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term
• studies progress so slowly that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term
• studies progress below 45 ECTS credits per academic year leading to discontinuation of residence permit
• the terms and conditions of scholarship agreement are broken
• In such cases the school will contact the student and request a meeting where the scholarship is discussed and further course of action agreed.

Please note also, that the Finnish Immigration Authority (Migri) requires students to complete at least 45 ECTS credits per each academic year for the renewal of their residence permit. A failure to comply may result in the discontinuation of your residence permit and subsequent inability to complete your studies and continue your scholarship. Hence it is essential that you contact the Student Services as early as possible should you feel the need to revise your study plan for any reason.

The university is committed to helping students to achieve steady progress throughout their studies and offers many forms of assistance towards this aim.

You can apply for the scholarship on the condition that your studies have progressed in accordance with the approved study plan and that you have a realistic, approved plan to complete the remainder of the programme.

You can normally apply for the scholarship between April and May, but applications may be considered at other times if the circumstances demand it.

Please note that the additional term is likely to impact on your residence permit, student accommodation and financial arrangements, so it is highly recommendable that you start planning as early as possible and use the help of student services in the process.

The scholarship for one additional term is offered as a 100% tuition fee waiver. 

The scholarship has a strict requirement that you submit your Bachelor's or Master's thesis (as applicable) by the agreed deadline, successfully complete the programme, and apply for graduation within the additional term.

Please note that the scholarship can be used only for completing the remaining compulsory studies in your programme. This means that you cannot apply for the additional term scholarship to e.g. complete studies outside your degree or go on exchange, unless an exchange period is a compulsory part of your studies. 

If your programme includes a compulsory exchange period and you apply for the scholarship for one additional term to go on one, bear in mind that the scholarship terms require you to complete your studies and apply for graduation within the additional term. For example, course registrations after an exchange period might take some time, so it is good to take this into account when planning your studies.

• Advanced Materials for Innovation and Sustainability (EIT Raw Materials)
• Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems (SELECT)
• European Mining, Minerals and Environmental Program (EMMEP)
• ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Security and Cloud Computing (SECCLO)

You can find several external scholarships and loan schemes suitable for international students liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto University on the external scholarships page. You can also look for different scholarship opportunities from e.g. the Scholarship Portal.

A prestigious scholarship for Aalto master’s degree students from the United States with the collaboration of Fulbright Finland Foundation. The award offers many outstanding benefits for the right candidate, including generous living allowance, comprehensive support services and excellent networking opportunities. Please note that the scholarship is available only to U.S. citizens.

You can find more information on the Fulbright Aalto University Graduate Award on the Fulbright Finland Foundation's website. If you have any further questions regarding the award at Aalto, please contact [email protected].

The award has a dual application procedure where separate applications need to be submitted to the Fulbright grant competition and admission to the university. The application deadline for the award (from Fulbright) is typically in early October. When applying to Aalto University, applicants should apply for Aalto University Scholarship and/or Finland Scholarship in conjunction with 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).

Helsinki-Aalto Center for Information Security (HAIC) selects several HAIC Scholars from the top applicants admitted to the Security and Cloud Computing in the Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences or SECCLO – Master’s Programme in Security and Cloud Computing (Erasmus Mundus).

A HAIC Scholar will receive generous financial aid including support towards living costs. This is offered either in the form of Living Cost Scholarship or Honours Student Position (i.e. part-time research-related employment during your studies).

For more information about the scholarship and how to apply, please check the HAIC website.