Master's Degree Programme in Forestry

Admission requirements

To assess an applicant's eligibility for the programme, the applicant must submit an application during the admission period. A previous Bachelor's degree corresponding to at least 3 years of full-time academic studies from an institution for higher education is required from all Master's degree applicants.​

​Eligibility criteria - Degree certificate & transcript of grades (A previous Bachelor's degree in forestry or in related field corresponding to at least 3 year's of full time academic studies from an institution for higher education is required from all Master's degree applicants. The degree must be awarded by an internationally recognized university. Applicants who have a previous Bachelor’s degree in forestry or in related field from a recognized university of applied sciences or polytechnic are also eligible.)

Language requirements - Applicants must either (1) meet the language proficiency criteria (see below), or (2) reach the minimum required language test results to be considered eligible to the University of Eastern Finland. No exceptions will be made and no waivers to the language proficiency requirements are given. 

(1) Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test 

a) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed Finnish Matriculation Examination, English language (A-language, advanced syllabus) with a minimum grade of magna cum laude approbatur (M)  

b) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed their secondary education in English language in EU/EEA -countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or in Switzerland. The applicants from EU/EEA -countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated on the educational documents. If the documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, applicants must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of their educational institution confirming this. 

c) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher degree in an English-taught programme in EU/EEA -countries, or in one of the following countries:
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South-Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The applicants from these countries must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated on the educational documents. If the documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, applicants must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of their educational institution confirming this.

d) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher degree in an English-taught programme in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom or the United States.  The applicants prove their language skills with a university degree.

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed in English (at least 50 % of the degree must be completed in English). If applicants verify their language skills with their education degree, the language of instruction must be clearly indicated on the educational documents.

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries/area cannot be used to indicate language skills, even if the degree-awarding institution is in one of the accepted countries.

(2) All other applicants have to take one of the following language tests 

• TOEFL iBT, overall score 92, min. 22 in writing
• IELTS (academic) overall score 6.5, min. 6.0 in writing
• PTE (academic), overall score 62, min 54 in writing
• C1 Advanced overall score C or 180, with min. 162 in writing
• C2 Proficiency overall score level C1 or 180, with min. 162 in writing

National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI-test: level 5 in all different subtests (reading comprehension, writing, speaking comprehension and speaking). It is possible to combine different examinations. 

Kindly note that the University of Eastern Finland also accepts the following tests:

• IELTS Academic online and UKVI tests, IELTS One Skill Retake test results
• PTE Academic online and UKVI tests
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests, MyBest Scores

No other degrees or statements of language proficiency will be accepted.

TOEFL, IELTS and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, i.e. the language test needs to be in effect during the application period, from 7 January 2024 onwards. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser. More information about submitting the language test reports is available here.

Required documents – You must attach the following documents in your application on Studyinfo. The documents must be high-quality scans of original documents.

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 28 January 2026 at 3 pm (EET) at the latest. UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

Certificates:

• Bachelor’s degree certificate (and an official English translation of it if needed)
• An official transcript of academic records (and an official English translation of it if needed)
• English language certificate
• A certificate of name change (if applicant’s name has changed after receiving the previous degree) 

Other:

• A motivation letter (applicant is required to answer a set of questions*)
• Curriculum vitae
• A copy of passport /ID

*In the motivation letter, the applicant is required to reply to a set of questions:

1. Why do you want to study in the MDP Forestry programme and/or in TransFor-M programme?

2. If you have already completed one Master’s degree, why would you like to complete another MSc degree in the MDP FOR/TransFor-M programme?

3. Why should you be selected for the MDP/TransFor-M programme?

4. What kind of research interests would you have related to MDP FOR/TransFor-M academic content?

5. What kind of hopes and wishes would you have related to your future career after graduation?

Applicants are allowed to use generative AI when making the motivation letter. The letter should be maximum one A4 page.

All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process. 

You will begin the application process on the national Studyinfo portal. Application form is available at studyinfo.fi only when the call for applications is open (next time 7 January 2027 - 21 January 2027 at 3 pm (EET). Go to Studyinfo portal and begin the application.

You must fill in the online application and submit it with the required scanned enclosures. We will not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

For more information about how to apply.

Application instructions in a nutshell

• When the application period begins, fill in the online application form and make sure you have attached the required application enclosures (in pdf format). At the application state we require only scanned enclosures attached (uploaded) to the application form. Note: The documents must be high-quality scans of original documents. Paper copies are not required during the application period.

Should you have any questions about completing your application, please contact our Admissions Office, admissions[at]uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8990. In case you have questions concerning the application requirements, please contact Ms Marjoriitta Möttönen, email. marjoriitta.mottonen(at)uef.fi, tel. +358 (0) 50 442 3031.

Application documents will not be returned to the applicant.

Further information on application procedure at the University of Eastern Finland.

Student selection procedure

The admission processes in the Master’s Degree Programme in Forestry aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation how the applicant’s skills and competences gained by the previous academic studies correspond to the Master's studies applied for. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the programme.

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria. The best 10 applicants are accepted to the programme and the rest of the applicants are rejected. The programme may accept more applicants by discretion to fulfill the available study places in the programme. Applicants are not placed on the waiting list.

The applications will be graded using the following criteria: 

All eligible applications will be evaluated according to five selection criteria: 

1. Suitability and content of the previous studies to the area of forestry: 0–20 p (0=poor, 20=excellent), grading will be based on the degree certificate and transcript of academic records
2. Academic excellence: 0–30 p (0=poor, 30=excellent), grading will be based on the transcript of academic records
3. Prestige and level of the home university: 0–5 p (0=poor, 5=excellent), grading will be based on international university rankings
4. Work experience, international experience and other projects: 0–15 p (0=poor, 15=excellent), grading will be based on the CV
5. Applicant’s own explanations about the motivation to apply for studies: 0–10 p (0=poor, 10=excellent), grading will be based on the motivation letter

The ranking list is made according to the total score. Whenever two or more applicants have the same total points, the one who has higher score in academic excellence will be placed first.

Delimitation of granting right to study 

According to One study place per term provision, a student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term. This rule applies to all higher education.

Applicants cannot be granted a new right to study resulting in a Master of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) degree in Forestry (major) if they already have a valid right to study in the MDP FOR degree programme resulting in a Master of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) degree in Forestry (major) at the University of Eastern Finland. 

Selection results

Results for studies starting in September 2026 will be published on 27 May 2026 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to applicants by e-mail.

Admitted students shall inform whether they accept their study place by latest on 9 July 2026 at 3 pm (EEST) electronically via Studyinfo portal or by submitting the confirmation form to the admission office, [email protected].

Additional information

Conditional acceptance 

All accepted students must provide officially certified copies of their degree certificate and transcript of academic records. Verification can be done electronically or by sending certified paper documents, according to the UEF instructions. Admission will remain conditional until document verification is complete. Failure to verify documents by 29 May 2026 will result in the cancellation of the conditional study offer.

In addition, non-EU/EEA students who are required to pay tuition fees will be conditionally accepted until they have paid the required tuition fees. 

Appeal 

If the applicant disagrees with the student selection decision, the applicant may apply for rectification of the decision from the Dean of the faculty. It is possible to make a request for rectification only after the admission results have been made and published. The deadline is 10 June 2026 at 3 pm (EEST) at the latest. The instructions for making a request for rectification can be found on Admissions results website. 

Tuition fees

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 10,000 EUR. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. 

For more details: Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships

Tuition fee waivers and scholarships at UEF in 2026

Annual tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students will be 10 000 EUR. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. 

Non-EU/EEA applicants can apply for the tuition fee waivers when applying for admission to the university by filling out the relevant section on the application form. The decision about the waiver is made in connection with the student admission, and the applicant is notified of the matter in the letter of notification of the admission results. The waiver is personal, and it is awarded for two academic years. The waiver exempts the student from the tuition fee partially (50%). Tuition fee waivers are awarded to a limited number of accepted students (maximum 70%) based on their application scores. There is no waiting list. The waiver is tied to the tuition fee obligation.

One UEF Scholarship: 100% tuition waiver for the entire duration of the studies (2 years for Master’s degree) would be available. It will be awarded to the highest-ranked tuition fee-liable student based on admission results. The scholarship is tied to the tuition fee obligation.

The Early Bird deduction ends on 10 June 2026. The tuition fee payment for the academic year 2026–2027 needs to be made by 31 August 2026. In addition, Student Union membership fee and Kela student health care fee are obligatory for the degree students. Kindly note that there is an application fee. 

For more details: Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships

Services provided by UEF

UEF offers all students - irrespective of whether they are required to pay tuition or not - a range of services that take off some of the financial burden on the student. The cost of living in Finland is relatively high and students are expected to cover these independently and have access to sufficient funds (this will be checked at the time of applying for/renewing your residence permit).

For example, students have free access to the collections of the University Library, there are computers and a free WiFi on campus available to students, as well as a number of other supporting services designed to facilitate the everyday life of our students. And last but definitely not least, membership in the Student Union comes with a variety of leisure time activities organised for free by, for example, your field's subject association. Membership in the Student Union is mandatory for all degree-seeking students. For further information and annual updates about the exact amount of the student union fee, please see the website of the Student Union.

Founded in 1982, the School of Forest Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland is an international research and education centre, providing the highest level of expertise in forestry and related sciences. The School of Forest Sciences is an internationally renowned research and education centre which produces highly competent and responsible professionals with excellent management skills for forestry and other environmental management fields for Finland and the rest of the world. The School's situation in the City of Joensuu places it at the core of a dynamically developing national centre of expertise in the forest, wood, and environmental sciences as well as education.

The School of Forest Sciences has over 300 undergraduates and approximately 80 post-graduate students. Each autumn about 70 new forestry students begin their studies.

Studies

MSc Forestry students major in Forestry and they can specialize in A. Management and ecology of forest ecosystems or B. Forest technology and economics.

Research priorities

The research priorities in our school are:

• Effects of climate change on forests
• Forest ecology and biodiversity
• Multi-objective and participatory forest planning
• Wood science
• Wood procurement
• Forest resource inventory and GIS
• Economic evaluation of forest benefits
• Forest economy and marketing
• Forest energy and its procurement