Admission system

Where to submit your application

Most Finnish higher education institutions use an on-line electronic admissions system for their Bachelor’s and Master’s level student intake. You will also need to send in copies of your earlier educational certificates and other required documents. Additionally, depending on the programme, applicants may need to successfully pass an entrance examination.

How you should apply depends on whether you're applying to a university or a polytechnic (UAS), and also on your entry level. (For an explanation on the difference between 'university' and 'polytechnic (UAS)', please see our FAQ section.)

Please refer to the advice below to find out where to submit your application.

Bachelor’s level UAS programmes:

• for all Bachelor’s level programmes at polytechnics (UAS), you should use the joint application system at www.admissions.fi
  
• there are two application periods per year - see the section "Application times"

Master’s level UAS programmes:

• applications are made directly to the polytechnic (UAS) in question. You can find the UAS's web pages listed under the section 'Institutions'.
  
• note that to be an eligible applicant for a polytechnic (UAS) Master's programme, you need a Bachelor's followed by at least three years of relevant work experience.
• application times may vary. Please see the section "Application times"

Bachelor’s level programmes:

• applications to Bachelor's programmes provided by the universities are made directly to the institutions.
• note that at universities, there are only a small number of Bachelor's level programmes available. Please refer to the study programmes database on this site to locate them.
• universities generally only have one application period per year - see the section "Application times"

Master’s level programmes:

• each university generally only has one application period per year
• several universities use the centralised University Admissions Finland (UAF) application service at www.uaf.fi
• however, some universities/degree programmes have a separate admission procedure, in which case you need to contact the university directly
  - please see below for the list of those universities that have a separate admissions route from UAF
  
• application times generally fall between the period from November to February/March
• the exact dates of this application period may vary from one university to another, or even withing one single university, depending on the programme!
  Please see the section "Application times" - if in any doubt about the application period, contact the Admissions Office of the university you're applying to.
  
• the application periods of those universities that have their Master's level admissions via UAF are listed on the UAF web page.

Admissions pages of those Finnish universities that have a separate admissions route from UAF

Please visit the admissions pages listed below for information on when and how to submit an application to these universities!

• Aalto University - http://studies.aalto.fi/en/admissions/
• Tampere University of Technology - www.tut.fi/admissions
• University of Vaasa - http://www.uwasa.fi/english/admissions/

• Academy of Fine Arts - http://www.kuva.fi/portal/english/applying/
• Sibelius Academy - http://www.siba.fi/en/how-to-apply
• Theatre Academy - http://www.teak.fi/Admission

Doctoral studies and research:

• applications are made directly to the university in question
• some universities may have fixed application periods for Doctoral studies, some may accept applications on a continuous basis
• please see the section 'Doctoral Admissions' for further info!

• applications are made to the coordinating higher education institution of the Erasmus Mundus Master's/Doctorate consortium in question
• please refer to the information in the sections "Erasmus Mundus" and "Erasmus Mundus scholarships"

If you have any doubt about the application procedure, you are best advised to check the correct application procedure from the web pages of the degree programme in question. You can also turn to the admissions offices of the Finnish higher education institutions for assistance.