Admission to Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media, Bachelor and Master of Arts (3 yrs + 2 yrs)
Admission schedule 2025
18 December 2024 | Preliminary assignments are published |
8 January 2025 at 8am/8.00 (UTC+2) | Application period starts |
23 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2) | Application period ends |
30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2) |
Deadline to submit the preliminary assignments AND Applicants who have graduated, and applicants completing a qualification outside Finland in spring 2025: deadline to submit academic documents AND Deadline to submit official language test results AND Deadline to submit passport or other ID and (if applicable) residence permit |
30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2) | Deadline to submit an application for individual arrangements for the interview (if applicable) |
28 February at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2) | Applicants completing an IB or EB diploma in spring 2025: deadline to submit predicted grades or preliminary marks |
19 March 2025 after 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2) |
Results of preliminary assignments are sent to applicants Intake assignments are sent to applicants who have successfully passed their preliminary assignments |
2 April 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Deadline to submit the intake assignments |
25 April 2025 |
Results of intake assignments are sent to applicants Invitations to interviews are sent to applicants who have successfully passed their intake assignments |
30 April 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Applicants completing a DIA diploma in Finland in spring 2025: deadline to submit final grades |
5-9 May 2025 | Interviews |
28 May 2025 | Admission results publication deadline |
13 June 2025 | Applicants completing a Finnish vocational qualification in spring 2025: deadline for degree completion |
10 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Deadline to accept the admission offer (study place) |
10 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Applicants completing an IB or EB diploma in spring 2025: deadline to submit the final grades or final diploma |
31 July 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Applicants completing a qualification outside Finland in spring 2025: deadline to submit the final diploma |
5 August 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) | Admission from the waiting list ends |
August–September 2025 | Studies begin with the orientation week |
Who can apply?
All applicants must fulfill the general eligibility requirements for higher education and submit the required documents by the given deadlines (see the Required application documents section).
You are eligible to apply if you have completed or will complete during spring 2025 one of the following qualifications:
- Finnish Matriculation Examination
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, completed in an accredited IB school
- European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma, completed in an accredited EB school
- Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) diploma or Reifeprüfung diploma (RP), completed in Finland
- Upper secondary education completed outside Finland, for example a high school diploma. The qualification must give eligibility to the corresponding level of higher education in the country in which it was awarded.
- A Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification, further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification as set in the Vocational Education Act (531/2017)
- Advanced International Certificate of Education -diploma (AICE) in Finland
Additionally eligible to apply are:
- applicants who have been granted the right to study in a university in Finland;
- applicants who have a higher education degree completed in Finland; or
- applicants who have at minimum a bachelor level degree completed outside Finland.
Please note that any high school diploma awarded outside Finland does not qualify for an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and any European high school diploma does not qualify for a European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma. Both the IB and EB are specific programmes, and only students who have studied at a properly accredited school participating in the IB or EB programme can be awarded an IB or EB Diploma.
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].
How to apply?
Admission to the Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media is organised through Aalto University's application to English-taught bachelor's programmes.
The application period for studies starting in autumn 2025 is 8 to 23 January 2025. Submit the online application form in the Studyinfo.fi system during the application period. You can submit only one application form. The link to the application form will be added here once the application period starts.
You can apply to a maximum of three study options with the one application form. You can find Aalto University's English-taught bachelor's programmes and study options on the Study Options page.
Rank your study options in the order of preference on the application form. Preference order means that if you are admitted to your first preference option, your other study options will be automatically cancelled. You can change the study options or their order of preference only during the application period.
Read the application instructions and document requirements carefully. You can edit your application form within the application period. Upload all the required application documents to your application form by the given deadlines.
If you apply in several admissions and are offered admission to more than one degree programme beginning in the same term, you may only accept one offer of admission at a university or university of applied sciences in Finland. The ‘one study place per term in higher education’ policy applies to all degree-granting higher education programmes, whether applying through joint application procedures, separate admissions procedures, or applying to doctoral education (to earn a licentiate or doctoral degree).
Please note that Aalto University's application to English-taught bachelor's programmes, the first joint application and the second joint application are completely separate processes. If you wish to apply in several application rounds, you must submit an application form separately during each application period.
Please note that you can only apply to one study option leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree at Aalto University during spring 2025. If you apply to the English-taught study option Design and Media, you will not be allowed to apply to the study options available in Finnish or Swedish in the field of art and design at Aalto University in the Joint Application to Finnish and Swedish degree programmes. The selection of study options is binding and cannot be changed after the application period has ended.
Admission process
Admission to the Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media consists of several stages. Admission is based on preliminary assignments, intake assignments, and an interview. Applicants can be screened out after each stage.
The preliminary assignments are evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Only applicants who pass the preliminary assignments will be invited to the next stages of the admission process.
Applicants are ranked based on their total score from the intake assignments and the interview, which includes a separate intake assignment. The maximum total score is 100 points.
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:
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:
- The score of the interview
- The number of intake assignments for which the applicant received the highest score
- 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.
Required application documents
Attach the following documents to your Studyinfo application form:
- Preliminary assignments
- Academic documents proving eligibility for higher education (with translations, if required)
- Documents proving English language proficiency
- Passport or other ID (with translations, if required)
- Residence permit card (if applicable)
This section has instructions for providing the academic documents proving eligibility for higher education, passport or other ID, and residence permit card. Read the instructions carefully and attach the documents to your Studyinfo application form by the given deadlines. Scan the original documents in colour and save them as PDF files. The copies do not have to be certified.
Your application will be rejected if you do not provide the required documents by the given deadlines. If we require further information about your application or documents provided, we will be in contact via email after the application period has ended. Your application will be rejected if you do not respond to our email by the given due date.
After you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. After submitting your application, you can modify it and upload documents via the My Studyinfo service. If you cannot log in to the My Studyinfo service, you can make changes and attach documents to your application using the link included in the confirmation email. You can make changes to the application form only during the application period. Once the application period has ended, you can still upload and modify your application documents until the document-specific deadlines.
Please note that if you apply in several application rounds, you must attach the required documents to each application form separately. Only attachments submitted for the correct application form will be considered.
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.
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 outside Finland 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).
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 12th 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 maintains a register of authorised translators who are based in Finland.
Language requirements
The language of instruction in the Bachelor’s Programme in Design and Media is English. All applicants must prove sufficient language skills when applying to the programme. Your application will be rejected if you do not do so by the given deadline.
Proficiency in English language can be proved with an official language test result or with a grade in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, International Baccalaureate (IB), European Baccalaureate (EB), or Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) or Reifeprüfung (RP) diploma (DIA/RP completed in Finland only). Language proficiency cannot be proved with English subject grades received in other national high school diplomas.
If you have completed your basic education (primary and secondary school), high school or a university degree in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, you do not need to submit a language test result. You must demonstrate your English language proficiency by submitting a degree certificate. The language of instruction must be clearly stated in the diploma or other official document issued by the school.
- If the degree that exempts you from the English test is also your qualifying degree, and you complete it in spring 2025, submit your documents by the deadline stated in the Required application documents section (depending on the qualification being completed). Admission is conditional until Aalto University Admission Services receives the official final grades. If the final grades do not meet the language requirements, the admission offer will be revoked.
- If the degree that exempts you from the English test is not the one qualifying you for admission, the degree must be completed, and you must submit the degree certificate by 30 January 2025 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).
Please note that 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. The results of all language tests will be verified electronically.
No language tests other than those mentioned below are accepted. If you have taken several language tests, the best official score that is still valid and received by Aalto University by the deadline will be considered. You cannot combine scores from different test dates (e.g. TOEFL MyBest scores is not accepted).
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 outside Finland 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.
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).
Tuition fees and scholarships
Tuition fees are collected from students who are not citizens of the member states of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland. Tuition fees apply to degree programmes taught in English.
The tuition fee for the Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media is 15 000€ per academic year. The normative duration of bachelor's degree studies is three academic years.
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 the following documents issued by the Finnish Immigration Service do not have to pay tuition fees (starting from 1 December 2024):
- a permanent residence permit in Finland, marked P on the residence permit card
- a continuous residence permit in Finland granted on grounds other than studying, marked A on the residence permit card, if the following cases do not concern you:
- 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. - an EU residence permit card in Finland for third-country nationals with long-term EU resident status, marked P-EU
- a residence card in Finland of a family member of an EU citizen
- 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.
The fee-exempting residence permit must be valid at the beginning of the academic year (1 August 2025) to be exempted from tuition fees for the academic year.
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 exempted from tuition fees on the grounds of your residence permit, upload copies of both the front and back sides of your residence permit card to your application form. In addition, a copy of your valid passport, or national ID card on which your citizenship is indicated, is required to prove your citizenship. A residence permit card is not a valid proof of identity.
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 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. Scholarships can be awarded to the best applicants admitted to the programmes.
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. To apply for a scholarship, you simply need to answer "yes" to the application form question "do you apply for scholarship". You cannot apply for a scholarship before or after the application period.
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.
Admission results
Admission results are published in the Studyinfo service by 28 May 2025. You can check the results by logging in to the My Studyinfo service. The admission result is also sent by email. If you cannot log in to the My Studyinfo service, please wait for the arrival of the admission result email.
Accepting your study place offer
If you have been admitted to a study programme, you will receive an email notification. You must accept the offer of admission by the given deadline, otherwise the admission offer will be cancelled.
You can only accept one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland for education that begins in the same academic term. The one study place per term provision applies to all higher education. Accepting an offer of admission is binding; it cannot be cancelled or changed later. Once you accept an offer of admission, all your other offers of admission will be cancelled automatically.
If you applied to multiple study options or in different application rounds, it is likely that you will not receive the admission results for all of your study option preferences at the same time. Think carefully whether you wish to accept an offered study place or wait for the results of your other study options.
Important information about accepting your study place offer and enrolment can be found at Studyinfo.
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.
Statistics
In 2024, there were 736 applications and 39 new applicants were accepted for the Bachelor’s Programme in Design.
Contact information
Contact information and opening hours for Aalto University Admission Services can be found at the Contact information page.