Each year, when the results of the joint application process come out, thousands of young people are left without the study place they worked hard to get. A fixed-term study voucher trial will begin in Finland in August 2026 to bring relief to the situation and to offer youth more opportunities to make use of gap years.
The study voucher is an electronic payment method valued at 30 study credits that a young person can use to pay for open Finnish- or Swedish-language studies at Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences. The voucher is available to under 29-year-olds who have completed their first upper secondary studies (matriculation examination or vocational qualification) after 1 December 2025 and applied for studies in the joint application process in spring 2026 but who did not get or did not accept a study place.
Risk-free way to try higher education studies
The study voucher gives young people the chance to explore different fields of study and, in general, try studying at a higher education institute without taking financial risks or worrying about running out of months of student financial aid.
‘The study voucher is an excellent tool for young people who are still searching for their field or want to begin studies via the open university route toward degree studies. Studying at the open university is a great way to test whether a particular field is really what you want to do in the future. Thanks to the study voucher, young people don't have to bear the financial risk of trying out different fields, and they can keep up their study rhythm even during a gap year. We warmly welcome all study voucher recipients to the University of Helsinki's Open University – you might just find your own thing here!’ says head of services Jenni Krapu.
The voucher is valid for two years after it has been activated and can be spent flexibly at the student’s own pace.
All services in one place: Opin.fi
Activate and use the study voucher through the
You can check if you are entitled to a study voucher in the Opin.fi service starting from 5 August 2026. Logging in to the service is secure with Suomi.fi e-Identification, and young people entitled to the study voucher can start using it immediately by activating it. Students select and enrol in the courses covered by the study voucher directly in the service.
Registration for the first open university courses this autumn will begin in August. For further details on the 2026–2027 academic year’s offerings, please visit the
If you have questions about choosing your field, or about open university studies more generally,