Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships

Fees will be collected from citizens outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, starting their studies in Bachelor's or Master’s degree programmes conducted in English.

Tuition Fee Exemption Criteria

Tuition fees are not required if the applicant meets one of the following conditions:

• Is a citizen of a European Union (EU) member state, a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland.
• Holds a permanent residence permit card in Finland (type P permit).
• Holds a continuous residence permit card in Finland (type A permit), based on grounds other than studying, provided the following exceptions do not apply:
  • If the first residence permit in Finland was granted for the purpose of studying, tuition fees must be paid, even if a type A permit is later obtained on other grounds.
  • If the type A permit is based on family ties, and the family member originally came to Finland on a residence permit granted for studying, tuition fees are required.
  • If the type A permit is granted for studying, tuition fees are required.
• Holds an EU residence permit card in Finland for third-country citizens with long-term EU resident status (type P-EU permit).
• Holds a residence card in Finland as a family member of an EU citizen.
• Holds an EU Blue Card in Finland.
• Holds a Brexit residence permit card, either:
  • SEU = Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, or
  • P SEU = Right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement.
• Holds a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection in Finland, provided the permit is valid at the beginning of the study right.

The degree programmes conducted in Finnish will remain free of charge regardless of the student’s citizenship.

Validity of Residence Permit and Tuition Fee Exemption

To be exempted from tuition fees for the academic year, the applicant’s residence permit must be valid at the start of the academic year, i.e. 1 August.

To verify residency status, the following documents must be enclosed with the application:

• Copies of both sides of a valid residence permit card in Finland
• A copy of a valid passport or national ID card indicating citizenship

The tuition fee exemption is tied to the validity period of the residence permit that grants the exemption. If the permit expires and is not renewed, the applicant will normally become liable for the full tuition fee starting from the beginning of the next semester following the end of the exempting permit.

More information about determining your liability to pay and exemptions from tuition fees can be found on Studyinfo (studyinfo.fi).

Information about the changes in applying for a residence permit for studies or research is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).

A full refund of the paid tuition fee (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges) will be granted if one of the following conditions is met:

• The student has registered as absent due to a statutory reason, or has not registered due to a personal force majeure reason. Note: Only reasons directly related to the student are considered. Reasons related to third parties (e.g. family members, friends, or other relatives) are not accepted.
• The student’s acceptance at UEF was conditional, but the condition was not met by the given deadline, resulting in the revocation of the right to study.

• residence permit in Finland was not granted, although the application was submitted before 31 July. In this case, a refund may be issued if the student registered as present but either: Did not complete any studies, or completed no more than 5 ECTS remotely.

  Any costs related to the refund will be deducted from the refunded amount. The university will also withhold a handling fee.

• The student’s residence permit status changes before the start of the academic year (i.e. before 1 August) and the new permit status no longer requires payment of tuition fees.
• The university is unable to offer studies in the degree programme to which the student was admitted.

Kindly note: The application for a refund of the first year's tuition fee must be made by the end of the autumn semester (31 December) in the year in which the student have been admitted to the studies. If the student is late for the given deadline (end of December), the university has no obligation to return the tuition fee.

If there is a change in the student's residence permit, the influence of this change to payments of the student will take effect from the beginning of the following academic term. The student must provide a Finnish residence permit as proof for university's decision-making. The already paid tuition fee will not be refunded.

Refund of Early Bird price:
Students who have paid a reduced Early Bird price may request for a refund of the amount paid if they have any of the above mentioned reasons. Kindly note, that it is not possible to transfer or use the Early Bird price later on.

NB! If the student has paid the Early Bird price and decides to renounce the right to study in writing because they have accepted another student place in another country, the payment will not be refunded. 


Updated on 26 June 2025. 

Number of Scholarships: One per programme.

Coverage: 100% tuition waiver for the entire duration of the studies (3 years for Bachelor’s, 2 years for Master’s).

Award Criteria: The UEF Scholarship is awarded to the highest-ranked tuition fee-liable student based on admission results. One additional student may be placed on a waiting list. The scholarship is tied to the tuition fee obligation.

Application Process: Apply through the application form when applying to UEF.

Availability: One UEF Scholarship is available per programme for all international Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, except for Erasmus Mundus and Joint Degree programmes

Number of scholarships: varies by programme

Coverage: 30 % or 50 % of the tuition fee (a partial exemption from the tuition fee). 

• Tuition waiver is granted to Master's students for two academic years (= 4 semesters)
• Tuition waiver) is granted to Bachelor's students for three academic years (= 6 semesters).

Award Criteria: In most cases, the tuition waiver is awarded to a limited number of accepted students based on their application scores. There is no waiting list. The scholarship is tied to the tuition fee obligation.

Application Process: Apply through the application form when applying to UEF.

Availability: Available for all international Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, except for Erasmus Mundus programmes. 

30% Tuition Waiver: Available to all accepted students who are liable to pay tuition fees in the following programmes: 

• Environmental Policy and Law
• Research Chemists
• Joint Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Law
• Urban Sustainability Studies (YUFE Bachelor)
• Data Engineering

50% Tuition Waiver: Offered in all other programmes, but only a limited number of students will receive this waiver. For UEF Business School programmes, the 50% waiver is granted to only a very limited number of the accepted students.

The Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waivers at UEF are aimed at incentivizing students to immerse themselves in Finnish language and culture studies. It rewards those who excel beyond the required courses outlined in their degree programme. The aim is to support international UEF students as they integrate into Finnish society and the local working environment.

Eligibility

 All students enrolled in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at UEF who pay tuition fees and meet the scholarship criteria can apply for the Finnish Proficiency tuition waivers.

Application Process

 UEF Students must apply for the waiver according to the specified application periods and conditions while studying at UEF. You cannot apply for the Finnish Proficiency tuition waivers when you first apply to UEF. It is available only to students who are already enrolled at UEF, and it is applied during the studies. 

Award Criteria

The waiver is granted to all students who meet the scholarship criteria.

Coverage

The Finnish Proficiency tuition waiver can be awarded only once (either A or B) and for one semester (autumn or spring). This waiver is an additional supplement on top of the actual possible earlier granted tuition waiver or scholarship. Tuition waivers cannot exceed 100%.

Certification-based tuition waiver (A): Students who pass the National Certificate of Language Proficiency in Finnish (YKI-test) at intermediate level 3 or 4 (all levels) OR pass the Civil Service Language Proficiency Examination in Finnish (VKT) in written and oral skills with satisfactory skills while enrolled at UEF are eligible.
• 100 % tuition waiver for the next semester’s tuition fee (one semester, autumn or spring). The value of the one semester 100 % tuition waiver varies by programme, depending on the tuition fee, and ranges from €4000 to €5000.

B) Study-based tuition waiver (B): To be eligible, students must demonstrate A2.2 level proficiency in Finnish by passing the “SUOMI 3” course or a higher-level course while enrolled at UEF.
• 50% tuition waiver for the next semester’s tuition fee (one semester, autumn or spring). The value of the one semester 50 % tuition waiver varies by programme, depending on the tuition fee, and ranges from €2000 to €2500.

The student is eligible to apply for The Finnish Language Tuition Waiver only from one of the categories (A or B). The Finland Proficiency tuition waiver can be awarded only once (A or B), and for one semester (autumn or spring). 

For more details, please visit Kamu.

Students who have been admitted to an English-taught bachelor's or master's degree programme at the UEF and are under temporary protection in Finland, and who would otherwise be required to pay tuition fees, are eligible for a 100% tuition fee waiver.

This waiver applies for the standard duration of the degree programme.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The student must be admitted to an English-taught Bachelor's or Master's degree programme at UEF.
• The student must be liable to pay tuition fees.
• The student must have been granted temporary protection by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).

Instructions:

• If a student has not yet received a decision on temporary protection, they can still apply by providing proof that their application for temporary protection is pending. In this case, a provisional waiver decision may be made.
• Once the student receives a decision on temporary protection, they must submit it to UEF as soon as possible.
• If the student’s application for temporary protection is denied, student will not be eligible for the tuition waiver.

For Joint Programmes: Students enrolled in joint programmes under UEF’s tuition fee system can apply for the tuition waiver for any semesters during which they are liable to pay tuition fees to the UEF.

Tuition Fee Refund: If a student pays the tuition fee and later receives a decision on temporary protection, the tuition fee will be refunded.

The tuition waiver is subject to the terms and conditions of UEF's tuition fee system.