Photo: Mikko Lehtimäki

Eligibility criteria for higher education

To be considered an eligible applicant to a particular degree programme, you need to fulfill certain requirements.

The eligibility requirements may vary from one programme to another, so it is very important that you always check the details of these requirements directly with the admissions office of the institution you are applying to. If for some reason you are not considered eligible, your application will not be processed.

The detailed eligibility requirements can be found on the institutions' own websites, but generally speaking, the basic eligibility rules are as follows:

Applying to Bachelor’s programmes

For Bachelor’s level entry you are expected to

• hold educational certificates that make you eligible to apply for higher education in your home country
• fulfill the English language skills requirements (and other possible programme-specific requirements) as set by the receiving institution
• successfully pass an entrance examination

Note that the Finnish higher education system does not include "certificate" or "diploma/advanced diploma" level degrees. If you currently hold a one-year or two-year certificate or diploma degree, and are applying to an undergraduate programme in Finland, it is likely that your application would be based on your upper secondary school certificates rather than your certificate/diploma degree.

If you are admitted, it may be possible for you to receive some credit point compensation based on your previous higher education studies, but this you should negotiate with the Finnish higher education institution after you've been admitted. It is up to the policies and decisions of the individual higher education institutions whether such credit point compensation can be awarded.

Applying to Master’s / Doctoral programmes

If you already hold a higher education qualification from your home country, and are applying to a Master’s or Doctoral level programme in Finland, then your eligibility is decided based on

• the extent and quality of your earlier academic qualifications - usually a three-year Bachelor's is the minimum
  
• your language skills and other possible faculty-specific requirements

Note that Master’s level programmes at polytechnics (UAS) additionally require that applicants hold a Bachelor’s degree followed by three (3) years of relevant work experience. The UAS Master's programmes are primarily targeted fro those already in the working life. The Master's programmes offered by the universities, as opposed to the polytechnic/UAS Master's, do not usually have any work experience requirements, unless otherwise specified in the entry criteria of the university Master's programme in question.

Applying to Finnish university Master's programmes with a Bachelor's from a Finnish Polytechnic/UAS

You may, for example, be required to complete some bridging studies first, or the university can have other specific entry requirements for applicants with a polytechnic/UAS degree. You should ask the university for detailed information on whether you can apply, and what the exact requirements are.

Detailed information from the institutions

Your eligibility is always assessed by the Finnish higher education institution you are applying to, so for detailed information on the admission requirements of each programme it is best to consult the website of the institution in question.

If you have doubts about your eligibility, you may contact the admissions office of the institution offering the programme.