Educational background requirements
To verify eligibility, applicants must submit educational documents to the University of Eastern Finland in electronic format as attachments to the application. Instructions are provided on Studyinfo, and all documents must be uploaded by the specified deadline. Each document should be uploaded to the appropriate section of the application form. Paper copies are not required during the application period.
In most cases, applicants who are qualified to pursue higher education in their home country are also eligible to apply for bachelor’s level studies in Finland. The following document is required:
- Certificate of completed upper secondary education (or higher education degree)
The University of Eastern Finland evaluates the authenticity of all educational certificates. Any malpractice, such as counterfeit documents or fraudulent information, will be reported to the authorities.
Academic qualifications
An eligible applicant for bachelor’s degree programme has completed at least one of the following:
- Finnish matriculation examination*
- International Baccalaureate degree (IB)
- European Baccalaureate degree (EB)
- Deutsches Internationales Abitur degree (DIA) or Reifeprüfung degree (RP) in Finland
- A Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification, further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification as set in the Vocational Education Act (531/2017)*
- any other comparable upper secondary educational qualification which provides eligibility for university-level bachelor’s studies in the country in question.
- Cambridge Assessment International Education A-level or Advanced International Certificate of Education degree (AICE), or
- has the right to study towards a university degree in Finland, or
- holds a degree conferred by a Finnish higher education institution or
- holds at least a bachelor level degree conferred by a foreign institution.
*Applicants who have completed their Finnish matriculation examination in or after 1990 or a vocational qualification in Finland in or after 2017 do not need to upload degree certificate as these are electronically available through Studyinfo.
If these documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, official translations into one of these languages are required. All translations must be completed by either the degree-awarding institution or an authorized translator. Each page of the translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be exact copies of the original documents. Self-translated documents will not be accepted.
Students graduating after the application period
Applicants who are in the final semester of their upper secondary education or higher degree are also eligible to apply. The programmes will also conditionally accept applicants who have not graduated by the end of the application period. Conditionally accepted applicants are required to:
1) indicate their expected graduation date in their application
2) submit the latest official transcript of records by the end of the application period
3) provide the final, officially certified degree certificate to the University of Eastern Finland within the specified deadlines.
Submission timelines for students who have not yet graduated
Applicants graduating in 2026 must meet the following deadlines:
- For comparable upper secondary educational qualifications awarded by foreign institution that provide eligibility for university-level bachelor’s studies in your home country: Submit the most recent grades by 28 January 2026. Final grades must be submitted by 30 July 2026.
- For bachelor’s degrees awarded by a foreign institution: Submit the most recent transcript by 28 January 2026. The final certificate must be submitted by 30 July 2026.
- For International Baccalaureate (IB) and European Baccalaureate (EB) diplomas: Predicted grades must be submitted by 31 March 2026. Final grades are due by 9 July 2026.*
- For the Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) diploma: Predicted grades must be submitted by 29 April 2026. Final grades must be submitted by 9 July 2026.
- For Finnish matriculation examination: Grades from your organization will be submitted electronically directly to UEF.
*Applicants receiving an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in spring 2026 must apply for a Transcript of Grades from the IB organization to be submitted electronically directly to UEF by 9 July 2026. The IB organization will submit the final grades electronically.
If educational documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, official translations into one of these languages are required.
Programme-specific documents
Programmes may also require additional documents, such as the SAT test. Please refer to the programme's website and follow the instructions provided on Studyinfo.
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.
English language skills
Applicants must verify their language skills. Read more on language requirements
Verification of educational documents 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.
Further information: verification of official documents.