Bachelor's Degree Programme in Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Development

In most cases, applicants who are eligible to pursue higher education in their home country are also eligible to apply for bachelor's level studies in Finland. To be eligible for admission to a bachelor's programme at the University of Eastern Finland, applicants must submit their application during the official admission period. The following documents must be uploaded as attachments during the application process:

· Certificate of completed upper secondary education (or higher education degree) ➤ Eligibility Based on Educational Background

· Proof of English language proficiency ➤ Language Requirements

Programme-specific requirements are listed below and on the Studyinfo application portal. Please review them carefully before applying.

General instructions about the application process are available on How to apply?

Admission procedure Admission group I – entrance examination using online interview 

To be eligible to apply in this admission group I the applicants must meet the general eligibility criteria defined earlier. 

The admission to the programme in Admission group I is based on online interview. Online link and guidelines will be sent to eligible applicants by February 16, 2027. The online interview is organized between February 15 and 21, 2027. The purpose of the online interview in English is to check the applicant’s identity and find out about the applicant’s motivation and interests in the field of education and sustainability, and readiness for managing academic studies. The applicants must have the technical tools to conduct the online interview: a computer or a mobile device with a camera and microphone, a quiet private space and a stable internet connection. The responsibility to organize these technical and physical facilities lies with the applicant. 

In the online interview there will be evaluated using points on scale 0 to 25, and the applicant must receive at least 10 total points out of 25 points from the interview. In admission group I study places will be offered to top 18 eligible applicants ranked based on the points of the online interview. 

The applicant’s eligibility for application and selection will be checked before the final selection decision. 

Admission group II: Open university route 

To be eligible to apply in admission group II applicants must have completed basic studies (25 ECTS) of Bachelor’s degree programme in Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Development at the University of Eastern Finland Open University by 16 May 2026 with grade 3 or higher on scale 1-5. 

Additionally, the applicant must meet the above-mentioned language requirements to be eligible to apply in this admission group.

 Applicants must submit their current open university study transcript of courses completed so far by 28 January 2027 at 15:00 pm. All five courses must have been completed by 9 April so they can be graded and the basic studies study unit (25 ECTS) compiled by university administration by 16 May 2026. 

Applicants are ranked according to the weighted mean of grades of the five basic studies courses, calculated to two decimal places. If applicants have the same weighted mean, they will be ranked according to the points received in book and lecture exams at the course Introduction to education and lifelong learning (5 ECTS). 

If some of the 3 study places in this Admission group II are not filled, remaining places will be transferred to be filled in the Admission group III. 

Submit a current transcript of records of open university studies by January 28, 2027, at 3:00 PM (UTC+2), 

Admission group III: Based on the grades obtained in the Finnish matriculation examination, or IB, EB or DIA/RP diplomas 

The results of the certificate-based admission will be announced in the My Studyinfo service on 31 May 2027 at the latest. 

Scoring the certificate-based admission 

In Admission group III, Finnish matriculation examination results are taken into account if they are available to universities in the Studyinfo (Opintopolku) service by 18 May 2027. 

Instructions and deadlines for EB, IB, and DIA qualifications are available on the university’s website. 

Applicants are ranked based on their admission score. The admission score will be calculated based on applicant’s grades in the matriculation examination. If the applicant has completed multiple examinations or parts thereof, the combination of grades that gives them the highest admission score will be considered. 

To be selected through the certificate-based admission, you must obtain at least 54 certificate points. 

If two or more applicants have the same number of certificate points, they will be ranked based on tie-breaking criteria. If, after applying these criteria, applicants at the admission threshold are still ranked equally, all applicants with the same rank will be admitted. 

The scoring tables of Educational Sciences for certificate-based admission can be found on the Yliopistovalinnat.fi website: 

the Finnish matriculation examination Finnish matriculation examination scoring table (will be updated in August 2027)

• International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma International Baccalaureate scoring table 
• European School’s European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma European Baccalaureate scoring table 
• Reifeprüfung (RP) diploma or Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) diploma in Finland Deutsches Internationales Abitur and Reifeprüfung scoring table  

The same page contains the criteria for equal points as well as the rules for calculating scores.

If several applicants on the threshold of admission have the same score after applying these criteria, all applicants with the same score will be accepted.  

The applicant’s eligibility for application and selection will be checked before the final selection decision.

Applicants must upload high-quality scans of their 1) original educational documents, 2) proof of English language proficiency, and 3) any programme-specific attachments to their electronic application during the application period. Paper copies are not required at the first application stage. Instructions on Studyinfo must be followed, and all documents submitted by the given deadlines.

Students in the final semester of their studies are eligible to apply. Their admission will be conditional until graduation is confirmed. For details, see: Eligibility Based on Educational Background

Copy of passport or residence permit card

Applicants must upload a copy of their passport's ID page or their ID card, or upload copies of both sides of their residence permit card to the online application form. 

General information on types of documents and how to submit them.

Document verification for accepted students

All applicants are conditionally admitted pending verification of their educational documents*. To finalize admission, students must submit verified copies of their degree certificates or diplomas by the specified deadlines. The university will assess the authenticity and eligibility of all submitted documents. Failure to verify documents will result in cancellation of the conditional admission. 

*Degrees completed at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences, as well as the Finnish matriculation examination, are verified through the national database.

There are several ways to submit documents for verification:

1. Educational documents shared through electronic credential services

2. Electronically signed or verified educational documents

3. Educational documents sent by e-mail by the awarding institution

4. Educational paper documents sent by post

We recommend using electronic verification methods. For detailed instructions, deadlines and tips, please refer to verification of official documents.

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. 

No scholarships are available for the first year of studies. Instead, applicants who accept their study place and pay the tuition fee within three weeks of the admission decision receive a 30% early bird discount on the first-year tuition fee. For the second year, students who complete at least 55 credits during their first year receive a scholarship covering 30% of the tuition fee.

More information about the tuition fees and waivers.

Other National Fees: In addition to tuition fees, degree students are required to pay the Student Union membership fee and the Kela student healthcare fee. Please also note: a national application fee is collected from applicants from countries outside EU/EEA. 

Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships