Admission to Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media, Bachelor and Master of Arts (3 yrs + 2 yrs)

Please note that as an Aalto University student you cannot be granted a right to pursue a degree in a study option (e.g. Bachelor’s Programme in Design and Media) if you have already earned a degree or have a valid right to pursue one in that study option.

At Aalto University, a student may have only one valid study right for a given degree. If you accept a new study right in a bachelor's programme leading to the same degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) at Aalto, your previous study right will be cancelled.

If you are a refugee or an asylum seeker, or have a refugee-like status in Finland and cannot prove your eligibility for higher education through documentation, you may be invited to an entrance examination or be required to take the SAT or the ACT.

You are required to provide reliable explanation of the degree that gives you eligibility to apply, additional information on the lack of requisite documentation, as well as the official decision on your refugee status. This can include a decision on being granted asylum, a residence permit based on need for international protection, or a certificate of a pending application for asylum. The University will determine your eligibility based on this additional information.

Please note that you are also required to submit an application to Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media during the application period. Your eligibility will only be determined after we have received your application. For detailed instructions on how to apply, please see the How to apply section.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Admission to the field of art and design at Aalto University includes evaluation of:

• Suitability and talent for the field of the study option
• Educability
• Ability to conceptualise
• Creative thinking
• Motivation (for learning and for the field of the study option)
• Vision
• Interactive skills

Admission to the Bachelor’s Programme in Design and Media also includes evaluation of applicants’:

• English language proficiency
• Prior scholastic and professional experience
• Analytical and critical thinking skills
• Problem-solving capacity
• Potential for working collaboratively and in groups
• Ability and potential to communicate ideas in written, spoken and visual formats
• Ability and potential to manipulate analogue and digital materials, structures and interfaces
• Ability and potential to contextualise problems and solutions

The preliminary assignments will be published on 18 December 2024 on the following page: 

Preliminary assignments

You must submit your preliminary assignments by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Submit the preliminary assignments to your Studyinfo application form, ensuring that you upload them in the correct attachment field. Your application will be rejected if you do not submit the preliminary assignments by the deadline.

The preliminary assignments are evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. You must complete the preliminary assignments independently and without guidance. The University does not answer any questions about completing the preliminary assignments.

The results of the preliminary assignments are sent to all applicants on 19 March 2025. Both the applicants who successfully passed the preliminary assignments and those who were rejected will be notified.

Applicants who pass the preliminary assignments proceed to the next stage, which is the intake assignments.

The intake assignments will be sent to applicants who have passed the preliminary assignments on 19 March 2025 after 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3).

You must submit your intake assignments by 2 April 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3). Submit the intake assignments to your Studyinfo application form, ensuring that you upload them in the correct attachment field. Your assignments will not be evaluated if you do not submit them by the deadline.

You must complete the intake assignments independently and without guidance. The University does not answer any questions about completing the intake assignments.

Invitations to interviews will be sent to applicants who have successfully passed the intake assignments on 25 April 2025. Rejected applicants will also be notified on 25 April 2025.

Invitations to interviews will be sent to applicants who have successfully passed the intake assignments on 25 April 2025.

The interviews will be organised between 5-9 May 2025. The interview includes a separate intake assignment, which tests skills such as three-dimensional visualisation under time pressure.

The specific date and time of the interview is included in the invitation. The interviews are conducted via Zoom.

You may be granted individual arrangements due to illness, disability or impairment. The arrangements granted depend on what kind of needs you have. See more information on the Individual arrangements for entrance examinations page (note that the page is yet to be updated for 2025). The deadline to submit an application for individual arrangements is 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

The order of admission is determined by the total score obtained on the intake assignments and the interview. The maximum total score is 100 points.

If several applicants receive the same total score, their ranking is based on the following criteria:

1. The score of the interview
2. The number of intake assignments for which the applicant received the highest score
3. The number of intake assignments for which the applicant received the second highest score and so on.
    

If the score is still tied after the rules above have been applied, all applicants with the same score are admitted.

For applicants completing their IB or EB diploma, or a foreign qualification giving eligibility to higher education studies, the admission is conditional until you submit a copy of the final diploma to Aalto University Admission Services, or for IB diplomas, until Aalto University Admission Services receives the final grades from the IBO. If the degree is not completed or the required documents are not delivered by the given deadline, the admission offer will be revoked. Please check the deadlines for delivering application documents in the Required application documents section.

Attach a copy of your valid passport or some other government-issued identity card (with photo) including information on your citizenship to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

Please note that if you have Finnish citizenship, you do not have to submit a copy of your passport or identity card.

If your official identification card is issued in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish, you must also submit a translation. You can translate the document yourself, but it must be accurate

If your name has changed after your studies and your name in the passport does not match your study documents, an official proof of name change is required. Submit a copy of an official document of your name change issued by a governing body. This can be, for example, a marriage certificate if your family name has changed in marriage.

If you are exempted from the tuition fee based on your residence permit, attach copies of both the front and back sides of your residence permit card in Finland to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). See Scholarships and Tuition Fees for more information about residence permits that grant exemptions from tuition fees. 

The residence permit that exempts you from tuition fees must be valid at the beginning of the academic year (1 August 2025). If your residence permit expires before August, you are considered liable to tuition fees at the time of applying. In case 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.

A residence permit card alone is not a valid proof of identity. In addition, you must submit a copy of your valid passport or other official ID card that indicates your citizenship.

More information on tuition fees (aalto.fi).

If you have completed the Finnish matriculation examination in 1989 or earlier, attach copies of your diploma to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

If you have completed the Finnish Matriculation examination in 1990 or later, you do not need to submit a copy of your diploma, as we receive your information electronically.

Please note that any high school diploma awarded abroad does not qualify for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. The International Baccalaureate is a special programme and only students who have studied at a school that participates in the International Baccalaureate programmes can be awarded an IB Diploma. 

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed your IB Diploma before spring 2025, attach a copy of your diploma to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Attach both pages of the IB Diploma (the page stating your grades and the page stating the diploma has been awarded). 

If you have graduated in November 2024 and have not yet received your IB Diploma, attach a report of your final grades (a screenshot of the results is enough) to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). You must also order a Transcript of Grades document to be delivered to Aalto University directly from the IBO by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing your IB Diploma in spring 2025, attach your predicted grades report to your application form by 28 February 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3). 

Official final grades must be delivered to Aalto University by 10 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3).You must order a Transcript of Grades document to be delivered to Aalto University directly from the IBO. Aalto University will check the final grades electronically from the IBO after the final results have been published. 

Please note that any European high school diploma does not qualify for the European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma. The European Baccalaureate is a special programme and only students who have studied at a school that participates in the European Baccalaureate programmes can be awarded an EB Diploma. 

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed your EB Diploma before spring 2025, attach a copy of your diploma to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Attach all pages of the diploma.

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing your EB Diploma in spring 2025, attach your preliminary marks report to your application form by 28 February 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) and a copy of your final diploma by 10 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3).

More information (dsh.fi)

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed your DIA or RP diploma in Finland before spring 2025, attach a copy of your diploma to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Attach all pages of the diploma.

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing your DIA diploma in Finland in spring 2025, attach a copy of your final grades report to your application form by 30 April 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3). Attach all pages of the diploma.

Upper secondary education completed outside Finland, for example a high school diploma or A-levels (excluding the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the European Baccalaureate Diploma, which have different requirements). The qualification must give eligibility to university-level studies in the country in which it was awarded.

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed the qualification before spring 2025, attach to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2)

• A copy of the final diploma
• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing the qualification in spring 2025, attach to your application form:

By 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2)

• A copy of the most recent academic transcript or a certificate of ongoing studies issued by the school. The academic transcript must include the title of the qualification you are completing, and it must indicate that you are on the final year of upper secondary education. For example, if you study in a country where the duration of primary and secondary education is 12 years, you must submit an academic transcript that indicates that you are currently on the 12^th grade. 

  Alternatively, you can submit a certificate of ongoing studies issued by your school. The certificate must state the title of the qualification you are completing and the estimated completion date of your studies.

• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.

By 31 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3)

• A copy of the final diploma
• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed the qualification before spring 2019, attach a copy of the final diploma to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

Please note that if you have completed the qualification in 2019 or later, you do not need to submit a copy of your diploma, as we will receive your information electronically.

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing the qualification in spring 2025, it must be completed by 13 June 2025.

If you have already graduated or will graduate before applying

If you have completed the degree before spring 2025, attach to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2)  

• A copy of the final degree certificate
• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.   

If you are graduating in spring 2025

If you are completing the degree in spring  2025, attach to your application form:  

By 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2)  

• A copy of the most recent academic transcript/transcript of records  
• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.   

By 31 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3)   

• A copy of the final degree certificate
• Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English). More information on translations can be found below.

All application documents must be available in Finnish, Swedish or English. If the original document was written in some other language, an official translation of the documents must be submitted. 

The translation is official if it has been done by the educational institution that awarded the degree or by a certified translator (authorised translator). The certified translator’s stamp and/or signature must be on the translations. 

Submit scanned copies of the official translations. In addition to translations, submit copies of the original documents in the original language; translations by themselves are insufficient.  

The Finnish National Agency for Education (www.oph.fi/en) maintains a register of authorised translators who are based in Finland.

To prove your language proficiency in English with the Finnish Matriculation Examination, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum grade of M (magna cum laude) in the advanced (A language) English 

OR

• Minimum grade of E (eximia cum laude approbatur) in the basic syllabus

If you are graduating in spring 2025 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Language test results arriving after this deadline will not be considered.

Please note that any high school diploma awarded abroad does not qualify for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. The International Baccalaureate is a special programme and only students who have studied at a school that participates in the International Baccalaureate programme can be awarded an IB Diploma.

To prove your language proficiency in English with the IB Diploma, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• The A-level English test (literature / language and literature / literature and performance) is passed

OR

• Minimum grade of 5 (good) in the B-level English test

For applicants completing an IB Diploma in spring 2025, admission is conditional until Aalto University Admission Services receives the official final grades from the IBO. If the final grades do not meet the language requirements, the admission offer will be revoked.

If you are graduating in spring 2025 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Language test results arriving after this deadline will not be considered.

Please note that any European high school diploma does not qualify for the European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma. The European Baccalaureate is a special programme and only students who have studied at a school that participates in the European Baccalaureate programme can be awarded an EB Diploma. 

To prove your language proficiency in English with the EB Diploma, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• The language 1 (L1) syllabus is completed in English

OR

• Minimum grade of 7 in the language 2 (L2) syllabus in English 

For applicants completing an EB Diploma in spring 2025, admission is conditional until the applicant submits information on the final grades to Aalto University Admission Services. If the final grades do not meet the language requirements, the admission offer will be revoked.

If you are graduating in spring 2025 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Language test results arriving after this deadline will not be considered.

More information (dsh.fi)

To prove your language proficiency in English with the DIA/RP diploma completed in Finland, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum grade of 8 in the English-language test based on the advanced syllabus (completed in writing or orally)

OR

• Minimum grade of 10 in the English-language test based on the basic syllabus (completed in writing or orally)

Please note that if you are graduating in spring 2025 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). Language test results arriving after this deadline will not be considered.

To prove your language proficiency in English with TOEFL you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum score of 92 in theTOEFL iBT 

Also TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests are accepted.

Attach a PDF copy of your TOEFL test report to your application form, if you have already received the report. You must also enter your TOEFL iBT appointment number (16 digits) to your application form. The appointment number is required for verifying your test result.

The official TOEFL test result must be received by Aalto University by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

TOEFL results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2025 admissions, the TOEFL test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 8 January 2023.

To prove your language proficiency in English with IELTS you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum score of 6.5 (overall band score) in theIELTS Academic test

Aalto University also accepts IELTS Online (Academic), IELTS Indicator (Academic) and IELTS UKVI Academic test. Only the IELTS Academic tests are accepted. General-level tests are not accepted.  

Attach a PDF copy of your IELTS test report to your application form, if you have already received the report. You must also enter your Test Report Form (TRF) number to your application form. The TRF is required for verifying the scores. If you have taken the IELTS Indicator test, enter your IELTS Indicator Score ID on the application form.

The official IELTS test result must be received by Aalto University by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

IELTS results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2025 admissions, the IELTS test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 8 January 2023.

To prove your language proficiency in English with PTE you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum score of 62 in the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE A) test 

Attach a PDF copy of your PTE score report to your application form, if you have already received the report. You must also enter your Score Report Code (10 characters) to your application form. The code is required for verifying your result.

The official PTE test result must be received by Aalto University by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

PTE A results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2025 admissions, the PTE A test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 8 January 2023.

To prove your language proficiency in English with Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum grade of C in the C1 Advanced exam 

OR

• Minimum grade of Level C1 in the C2 Proficiency exam 

No Cambridge language tests other than C1 Advanced (formerly known as Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, CAE) and C2 Proficiency (formerly known as Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, CPE) are accepted.

Log into the language test administrator's service and share your test results to Aalto University. Upload a PDF copy of your C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency results report to your application form. Enter your test taker's ID number (e.g. ABC1234567), Reference number (e.g. 173YU0034522) and Statement of results number to the application form. The results are verified electronically.

The official Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency test result must be received by Aalto University by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

For the C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency test, only tests that can be verified online, i.e. tests taken after 2005, are accepted.

The National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) (in English) issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education. To prove your language proficiency in English, you must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• the English test completed at the proficiency level of 5 in all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking). Subtests from different test sittings may be combined.

Attach a PDF copy of the official YKI test result to your application form by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

Most non-EU/EEA citizens are required to pay tuition fees. 

Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland are not required to pay tuition fees. In addition, students who have any of the following documents issued by the Finnish Immigration Service do not have to pay tuition fees: 

• A permanent residence permit for Finland (marked P on the residence permit card)
• A continuous residence permit for Finland (marked A on the residence permit card), based on other grounds than studying. If you have a continuous residence permit card in Finland (type A) issued for studies, you are liable to pay tuition fees.
• An EU residence permit card in Finland for third-country citizens with long-term EU resident status (marked P-EU)
• Resident permit card in Finland for a family member of an EU citizen
• 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 

Note that the above information on residence permits that exempt from tuition fees may change due to amendments proposed by the Government to the Universities Act. The information will be updated as the legislative process progresses and the law enters into force. More information on the proposed amendments can be found on the Government's website.

The residence permit that exempts you from tuition fees must be valid at the beginning of the academic year (1 August 2025).

If your residence permit expires before August, you are considered liable to tuition fees at the time of applying. In case 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.

If you are exempt from tuition fees on the grounds of your residence permit, upload a copy of both sides of your residence permit card to your online application form. A residence permit card alone is not a valid proof of identity. Additionally, a copy of your valid passport, or a national ID card indicating your citizenship, is required to prove your citizenship.

For more information about determining tuition fee liability and tuition fee exemptions, see Studyinfo. For more information on residence permit card types, see the Finnish Immigration Service website.

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.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are granted in the form of a tuition fee waiver. The scholarships do not cover living costs. Students are expected to cover living expenses (approx. EUR 800 per month) and other study related costs from their own financial resources.

Non-EU/EEA citizens who are liable to pay tuition fees can apply for the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship directly on the Studyinfo application form. It is not possible to apply for the scholarship after the application period has ended.

The scholarship decision is given together with the admission decision. According to the Universities Act, no appeal may be lodged against a university decision pertaining to a scholarship.

You can find more information on scholarships and tuition fees at Scholarships and Fees.

The rectification request procedure gives you the possibility to appeal your admission results if you believe that there has been an error in the admission decision-making process. The rectification request must be submitted to the University Registry within 14 days of the publication of the admission results. The University will not process rectification requests received after the deadline or before the publication of the results. Rectification request must contain the grounds for your request. Rectification requests are not intended to be used as a tool for requesting feedback or additional information on the admission process, including admission results.

Instructions for requesting rectification to student admissions will be updated in spring 2025.