The fees for the University of Helsinki Master’s Programmes in English are 13,000, 15,000 and 18,000 EUR per academic year, depending on the programme. The fee for the Bachelor's Programme in Science is 13,000 EUR per academic year. In the joint programmes, the fees may differ from these. You can find the programme-specific fee from the Degree Finder.
The individual student’s fee will remain the same throughout the completion of the programme. The fees are not charged of students who began their studies before 1 August 2017.
There will be changes to tuition fee exemptions due to changes to the Universities Act, taking place from 1 December 2024.
A) The student is legally liable to pay tuition fees at the University of Helsinki (from 1 December 2024):
If they are not citizen of a European Union/European Economic Area country or Switzerland OR do not have permanent residence status in Finland. Students are not liable to pay tuition fees in case they have:
B) The student is legally liable to pay tuition fees at the University of Helsinki (until 30 November 2024):
If they are not citizen of a European Union/European Economic Area country or Switzerland OR do not have permanent residence status in Finland:
AND
1) If the degree programme is taught in English; and
2) If the study right for the degree was awarded in 2017 or later; and
3) If the degree programme leads to a master’s or bachelor’s level degree.
Find more information on citizenship and residence permits.
Students are themselves responsible for demonstrating that they are not liable to pay tuition fees. See instructions on required application enclosures for master’s programmes.
The University of Helsinki tuition fee is paid in advance of each academic year. The payment details for the first year will be sent at the same time as the letter of acceptance. You can choose secure payment option via Flywire, with whom University of Helsinki has partnered for international tuition fee payments. Flywire provides a secure global payment network that simplifies paying your fees from your home country and countries around the world.
The deadline for tuition fee payment for the first academic year is 1 September 2025. If you are applying for a residence permit, but have not yet paid the tuition fee, please make sure you have sufficient funds to cover the tuition fee and living expenses in Finland according to the Finnish Migration Services instructions: https://migri.fi/en/residence-permit-application-for-studies.
Please remember to start the process for obtaining a residence permit as soon as possible.
The due date for the second academic year’s tuition fee payment is 31st of August.
If you have any questions about the tuition fee payment, please contact admissions@helsinki.fi
The tuition fee includes the compulsory Student Union (HYY) membership fee which provides you substantial benefits and services, advocacy work and events throughout the year. The members are also entitled to a significant student meal discount in Unicafe student restaurants and reductions in the public transport of the metropolitan area and in long-distance traffic. In addition, the university sport services Unisport offers a full range of sport and wellbeing services for students at low prices.
Please note that basic student healthcare fee must be paid directly to Kela according to their instructions. Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
As a student at the University of Helsinki you have access to excellent Student Services. Do not hesitate to contact the services – they are all here for you! The Career Services offer services for the University's degree students, recent graduates and Alumni members. The Career Services offer advice and information on job hunting, career planning, internships in Finland and abroad etc.
At the University of Helsinki you have access to the newest learning facilities, the innovative and service designed learning centre and the student Library. As a student you are introduced to the latest research from the very beginning of your studies, as all teachers at the University of Helsinki also do research. The research environment is international and multidisciplinary. Comprehensive ICT services will also be at your disposal to support your studies.
Documents stating that a student is not liable to pay tuition fees must be valid when the semester starts on 1 August 2025. If your document is valid e.g. until October 2025, you are not liable to pay the tuition fee for the fall term. If your document is valid e.g. until March 2026, you are not liable to pay the fee for the spring term either.
If you have received a document exempting you from paying the tuition fees after you have submitted an application for admission, you can submit a copy of this document (residence permit, passport) to masterenclosures@helsinki.fi. Please note that if you are already a student at the University of Helsinki you can submit the copy to international-studentinfo@helsinki.fi
If you don’t pay the required tuition fee, you are not able to begin your studies at the University. Admitted applicants or students cannot register as attending before they have paid their tuition fee. Only attending students can attend classes and complete studies. If you receive your tuition fee payment from a third-party, such as external scholarships and the payment takes place only after the academic year has started, please contact Admission services in good time before the academic year begins.
Yes, there are no limitations on the number of credits a student may complete while they are registered as an “attending” student. Just make sure that you take all the compulsory courses for the degree programme. In addition, in most faculties, you may include these extra courses in your degree as optional studies or selective studies. The tuition fee is based on academic years/terms, not on completed credits.
You are entitled to complete your degree within the target duration plus two additional years. If you fail to graduate within nominal duration of studies, you can register as attending for the following autumn term, in which case you must pay half of the tuition fee. The fee will be charged by term until you have completed the degree.
Besides tuition fees, make sure that you have sufficient financial means for your living costs such as rent, personal expenses, transportation costs, meals, insurance, etc. Please also remember that an income requirement by the Finnish Immigration Service may apply to you.
The tuition fee includes the compulsory Student Union (HYY) membership. HYY provides substantial benefits and services, advocacy work and events throughout the year. As a Student Union (HYY) member, you are entitled to a significant student meal discount in Unicafe student restaurants and reductions on public transport.
Please note that you need to pay Finnish Student Health Service fee directly to Kela according to their instructions. (From fall semester 2023 onwards.)
Please remember to check that you have valid health insurance since the FSHS only provides basic healthcare services and does not, for example, perform extensive medical operations nor does it have its own accident and emergency service.
The University of Helsinki has a housing quota especially for tuition fee-liable international degree students moving to Finland.
The tuition fee includes teaching and access to the newest learning facilities. The services provided to students by the University are free. You have access to the library, Student Services, Career Services and Exchange Services and other kinds of support for your studies.
The tuition fee will be reimbursed if:
Tuition fees are reimbursed per academic year or academic term. Please see the instructions for students for more information about reimbursements during your studies.
The war in Ukraine may cause severe difficulties to pay the tuition fee by the given and in special case admitted applicant may apply for special arrangements for the tuition fee payment. For more information, please visit: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/war-ukraine
Scholarships are intended for excellent tuition fee-liable students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland who want to complete a Master's programme at the University of Helsinki.
University of Helsinki scholarship programme consists of tuition fee waivers, waiving the tuition fee for 50 % or 100 %. Please note that even if you received a tuition fee waiver from the University's scholarship programme, you still need to cover your living costs from your own funds.
Tuition fee waivers are awarded to the best students on the grounds of academic overall assessment according to the general master’s degree entrance requirements, academic excellence and success in previous studies and motivation to study in a master’s programme at the University of Helsinki.
Find the Master's programmes through the Master's programmes page.
Scholarships (tuition fee waivers) for application round 2024-25:
100 % Tuition fee waiver covering 100 % of the tuition fee
Tuition fees range from 13 000 to 18 000 euros.
Duration of the scholarship is two years. For all scholarships, students are required to study full time (earn at least 55 ECTS per year) to fulfil the requirements of the scholarship. After the first study year, the progress of your studies will be checked and, depending on your progress, the scholarship will be continued.
Please note that university of Helsinki does not offer scholarships to cover living expenses.
All candidates must meet the following requirements:
How to apply for a tuition fee waiver
Selection process
Tuition fee waivers for new students will be awarded on the basis of academic overall assessment: Previous academic performance and possible letters of motivation, in addition to which the grounds presented by applicants in their grant applications will be taken into consideration. Also University's and programmes strategic goals can be taken into account.
You may not apply for a tuition fee waiver from a specific category, but you can give this as additional information as part of your scholarship application.
If you have applied for a tuition fee waiver, you will receive result about your fee waiver status in your official acceptance e-mail.
Please note that the scholarship programme is highly competitive and only limited number of tuition fee waivers can be offered.
How to accept offered tuition fee waiver?
if you have applied for a tuition fee waiver from University's scholarship programme, you receive the result of your scholarship application as part of the admission results. If you have been awarded a tuition fee waiver, you need to accept the a scholarship agreement before the scholarship comes in to effect. You receive the instructions to accept or decline the scholarship offer along with the admission results e-mail. If you have already signed the scholarship agreement form, please be patient as it may take a few days for us to process the form. After we have processed the form, you will be automatically registered as an attending student (in case you have no other conditions).
Tuition fee waivers include:
The University of Helsinki offers other scholarships for its degree students.
The Fulbright Center has a Fulbright-University of Helsinki Graduate Award intended for a US student admitted to one of the Master’s programmes at the University of Helsinki.
COLFUTURO offers loan-scholarships to Colombian students admitted to study at the University of Helsinki.
There are also various other scholarship options available from different sources. For example, you can find information on possible scholarship options on ScholarshipPortal.
STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMMES (For US Students only):
SALLIE MAE GRADUATE AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS LOAN: Sallie Mae Bank offers private loans for US Students. For details on applying the loan, please visit: https://www.salliemae.com
There are no tuition fee waivers for applicants applying for the Bachelor's degree in Science. However, the degree programme may award one a Dean’s award (1.000 EUR) for second and third year students on the basis of previous academic year's study performance.
If your liability to pay tuition fees changes, you also lose the right to the scholarship. Other reasons for losing the right to the scholarship include, for example, providing false information in the scholarship application or cheating during your studies.
In case you have received a 100% tuition fee waiver or Finland Scholarship, you don't have to register yourself as attending student. The scholarship includes the student Union membership fee and therefore you will be automatically registered as attending student. You will be registered as attending student after you have accepted your study place (and proven your eligibility) and accepted the scholarship offer. Also the 50 % tuition fee waiver students will be automatically registered as attending after they have accepted the scholarship offer and paid the tuition fee. After your study right has been updated to study register, you will receive an e-mail including instructions on how to activate your University of Helsinki's user account. Please be patient as this may take some time.
The relocation grant will be paid to you once you have arrived in Finland and have obtained a Finnish bank account. Obtaining a bank account may take several weeks and therefore the grant is usually paid in October-December. Also in case you will receive a relocation grant, please remember to have sufficient funds for living costs, as the grant payment may take place several months after you have arrived in Finland. Please note that Finland Scholarship is no longer available for application round 2024-25.
Yes, in case you have graduated from your Bachelor’s Degree In Science by the target duration of your degree with a required GPA, you will be awarded a tuition fee waiver for your master’s degree. With minimum GPA 3,8/5 you qualify for 100 % tuition fee waiver and with 3,4-3,7/5 you qualify for 50 % tuition fee waiver. Waiver covers also the second study year of your Master's degree in case you have completed at least 55 credits during first academic year.
No, tuition fee waivers in University's Scholarship programme are aimed for students from outside the EU/EEA who are liable to pay tuition fees. Please check other available scholarship options.
Students liable to pay the tuition fee are usually required to apply for a residence permit for their studies. For detailed information please visit Finnish Migration Service's website
Please note that processing a residence permit application may take several months, so please start the application process as soon as possible.
Please apply for the extension of your residence permit as soon as possible as it may take several months to receive the extended permit. The permit must be valid on 1 August 2025 in order to exempt your from paying the tuition fee.
All the required information for the residence permit application have been included in the e-mail you received stating your admission and possible scholarship. You can attach that e-mail to your residence permit application. This has been checked from the Finnish Migration Services. You can also attach a receipt / payment confirmation of your tuition fee to your application.
Changes to residence or citizenship status during studies will be considered as follows:
1) If the change of status means that you are no longer liable to pay tuition fees, any fees covering the time after the change will be reimbursed as of the following term.
2) If your status changes so that you become liable to pay tuition fees, the liability will begin as of the following term.
3) If you have received a Scholarship from the University of Helsinki Scholarship programme and your status changes so that you are no longer tuition fee-liable student, you are no longer eligible for the scholarship, as the Scholarship programme is only for tuition fee-liable students.
You must inform the University about any changes to your residence or citizenship status.
Changes to the liability to pay tuition fees will come into effect as of the beginning of the term following the change of status. In cases of such a change, the tuition fee will be divided into two terms so that one term equals half the tuition fee.
Your residence or citizenship status may change for example if you get married to a Finnish citizen and have a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen in Finland. For more information, please visit Studyinfo.
If you expect that your residence permit status is about to change and if you are not sure how this would effect your liability to pay the tuition fees, please contact admission services.
Receiving a residence permit takes usually several months. If you cannot receive your residence permit on time to arrive to Finland for the beginning of your studies or you have other reasons to arrive late, please consider the following options:
Once you know when you will arrive to Finland to commence your studies, please contact the International Student Advice and also let your degree programme know through the Student Services of your faculty. Please also read our Late arrival checklist for degree students.