Master's Degree Programme for Research Chemists

The application period opens on 7 January 2027 and closes on 21 January 2027 at 15.00 (EEST). Applicants must submit their application through the national Studyinfo portal at studyinfo.fi. Each applicant may complete and submit only one application form in the first joint application round.

Eligibility criteria 

You can apply to the Master’s Programme for Research Chemists if you meet the following criteria:

• You have completed (or will graduate during the spring semester) a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry, corresponding to at least three years of full-time academic studies at an internationally recognized institution of higher education. Degrees in general science, biochemistry, or pharmacy (for example) are not eligible for this programme.
• A relevant degree in chemical engineering from a recognized Finnish university of applied sciences is also accepted.
• Your degree must include a sufficient number of laboratory courses in chemistry.

Applicants must demonstrate the required level of language proficiency for admission by either (1) achieving at least the minimum required results in one of the approved language tests or (2) meeting the language proficiency criteria outlined below. These requirements apply to all applicants. No exceptions or waivers of language proficiency requirements will be given.  

(1) Applicants must complete one of the following language tests, with at least the minimum scores listed:

• TOEFL iBT
  Total score: 92, with a minimum of 22 in writing (the test was completed before January 21, 2026)

Overall score: 4.5, with a minimum of 4.0 in each component (the test was completed on or after January 21, 2026)

• IELTS Academic
   Overall score: 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component 
• PTE Academic: 
   Total score: 68, with a minimum of 61 in writing
• Cambridge C1 Advanced
   Overall grade: C
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency
   Overall result corresponding to level C1
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI-test)
   Level 5 in all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking). Results from different examination sessions may be combined.

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 2025 onwards. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser. 

Kindly note 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.
  OR

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

• 2. 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)  
   
• 2. 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/ETA -countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated on the educational documents. If your documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, you must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of your educational institution confirming this. 
• 2. 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 your documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, you must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of your educational institution confirming this.

• 2. 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).  When language proficiency is demonstrated through the education degree, the language of instruction must be clearly indicated in 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.

 A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a degree at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences, provided that the degree includes the mandatory foreign language studies in English required by Finnish degree regulations (Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004 or Government Decree on Degrees of Universities of Applied Sciences 1129/2014).

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

Enclosures 

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 29 January 2025 at 3 pm (EEST) at the latest. UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline. All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process. Missing enclosures will result in the application being ineligible for evaluation.

Certificates 

• Degree certificate (in the original language) and an English, Finnish or Swedish translation of the degree certificate
• An official transcript of academic records (in the original language) and an English, Finnish or Swedish translation of the transcript of records. The transcript should include the course units, their completion time, grades, and credits awarded
• Certificate of name change (if needed)
• English language certificate (See admission requirements) 

Other documents

• Motivational video (Check instructions from admission requirements)
• At least two letters of recommendation from your previous academic instructors
• Grading scale of the institution (official attachment)

1. Check the admission requirements​​ carefully.

2. Check the application period​.

3. Gather your documents​.

4. Submit the electronic application​ by the deadline 21 January 2027.

5. After submitting your application, ensure you submit your documents by the deadline 28th January 2027.

6. Results for studies starting in September 2027 will be published on 31 May 2027 at at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to the applicants by e-mail.

The admission process in the Master's degree Programme for Research Chemists aims at a fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and an evaluation of how the applicant's skills and competences gained during their previous academic studies correspond to the master's studies they have applied for. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the programme.

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria, and the best 20 applicants will be accepted into the program, while the rest are rejected. The programme may accept more applicants by discretion to fulfil the available study places in the programme.  Applicants are not placed on a waiting list.

The applications will be graded using the following criteria (0-100 points): 

1. Relevance and extent of chemistry studies in the degree (0-40 points):

• Relevance and topicality of completed studies to the applied programme.
• Amount of completed chemistry studies.

2. Academic performance (0-30 points):

• Grading of completed courses (grading scale of the institution should be included in the application).

3. Motivational video (0-20 points): In the video, the applicant should explain why they are the perfect candidate for this program. The applicant should address at least the following topics:
4. Introduce yourself and briefly describe your study and work history.
5. Describe your experience in laboratory work during your previous degree.
6. Express interest in chemistry education and research (e.g., specific research topics of interest) at the University of Eastern Finland.
7. Outline your future goals.

The maximum duration for the motivational video is two minutes. The accepted video formats are as follows: x-m4v, x-matroska, x-msvideo, mpeg, ogg, webm, 3gpp, 3gpp2, mp4, MP2T, quicktime, x-ms-wmv, and x-ms-vob. The applicant’s educational background and motivation for applying to the master’s program will be assessed based on this submission

4. Two Letters of recommendation (0-10 points):

• Freshness of the letters of recommendation.
• Recommender must be someone who has supervised and taught the applicant during the previous studies in the higher institution. Other letters of recommendation will not be considered.
• The letter should express an assessment of the applicant's suitability for the programme. The applicant's previous educational background is reviewed based on this attachment
• Letters should be signed and stamped documents, or they should be delivered directly to the program coordinator by email from the official email address of the higher institution.

The final selection is based on the combined scores from different sections. Applicants must score at least one point in each section. To be selected, the total score must be at least 50 points. 

Selection results

Results for studies starting in September 2027 will be published on 31 May 2027 at at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to the applicants by e-mail.

Applicants must confirm their study place electronically in Studyinfo by latest on 13 July 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+3). Applicants without a Finnish personal identity code use the confirmation link sent by email. Applicants with a Finnish personal identity code must log into My Studyinfo with Finnish online banking credentials, a mobile certificate, or a certificate card. If you encounter any issues, you may request a separate confirmation form from the programme coordinator.

The granted right to study 

If you are admitted to the programme, you will gain the right to complete a Master of Science degree in chemistry.  

You may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree that begins in the same academic term. Furthermore, under the one study right rule effective from 1 August 2026, you may hold only one study right leading to a bachelor's or master's degree at a time. Accepting a new bachelor's- or master's-level study right will automatically terminate any existing study rights at the same or a lower degree level.  

You cannot be granted a new right to study leading to a Master of Science degree if you already have a valid right to study in the University of Eastern Finland's Master’s Degree Programme for Research Chemists, or if you have already graduated from this programme.

Conditional acceptance 

Admission is conditional if the applicant applies to UEF with 1) a degree that is not completed during the application period or if 2) the degree cannot be electronically authenticated (verified) at the time of application. In such cases, applicants must submit officially certified copies of the final degree certificate and transcript of records by the deadlines specified by the UEF. Applicants remain conditionally admitted until the required certified documents have been provided.

Electronic verification of educational documents is strongly recommended; paper documents by post are also accepted. Applicants must use the document submission methods specified by the UEF. For detailed instructions, please see the webpage Verification of official educational documents.

DEADLINES for document verification: 

Verified educational documents must be submitted to UEF by 31.5.2027. Graduating students: The final educational documents must be submitted by 30.7.2027. If the applicant does not deliver their documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled.

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. All tuition fees, waivers, and scholarships for the 2027–2028 academic year are determined by the Vice Rector’s decision, and published on the official UEF website Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships.

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. 

More information.