International Students Guide: How To Study In Finland For Free

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Have you read my article about the best reasons to study in Finland? If yes, you’ll notice the first reason is that tuition in Finland is basically free. The government of Finland have managed to keep tuition-even for international students-free. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about how to study in Finland for free. You have a good shot at that if you are accepted by a University in Finland.

However, there are a few questions you may want to ask me, such as:

• How do I decide which program to apply for?
• How do I find the right school to apply to?
• Would I be studying in English or Finnish?
• What are the requirements to study in Finland?
• How do I apply to a school in Finland?
• Is application free?
• Can I still apply to study in Finland this September?
• What do I do after I’m accepted?

I’d answer these questions one by one. Keep reading.

How to find the right program.

I believe this is obviously the first thing you should do before your final year of high school.

For example: If you want take up building machines, robots, etc., as a career- Mechanical Engineering is the right program you should go for.

Don’t apply to any program for the fun of it.

Don’t apply for a program because that is what is available at the University of your Choice.

How to find the right schools to apply to

There are many ways to do this, but I’d talk about a few:

i). Using an online search engine

Do a Google search on the keywords: “top universities in Finland.”

You will see a horizontal list of universities commonly mentioned on the web. Something like this:

Choose the one you want to apply to.

Do some background checks, such as:

• Find out if they offer the program you want to study.
• Read some online reviews about the university.

and more (based on your preferences)…

Repeat the same procedure for 5 more universities (note: you are only allowed to apply for a maximum of 6 programmes).

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Another way to find a school to apply to, is to is to do an online search for the schools that offer the program you want to study in Finland.

For example: `If you’re interested in applying for a Mechanical Engineering program. Do a Google search on the following Keywords: “Mechanical Engineering schools in Finland.”

You’d see something like this:

Over 500 programs are offered in English

There are more than 500 programs that are taught in English language (another reason to study in Finland).

You can click here to view the database of programs that are taught in English language.

How to check for entry requirements

There are the a few ways to know about the entry requirement of the school you want to apply to:

1). Google the  “school’s name” + “program name”+ “entry requirement.”

2). Contact the Admissions office of the school, and ask for the entry requirement.

You can find the contact details of the school’s admission team through any of the following ways:

• The school’s website.
• An alumni or student in the school.
• Google search-“the schools name” + “Admission/international office contact.”

3). The admissions office may send you their requirements for admission after you complete your joint application.

General requirements

Here are general requirement for undergraduate study in Finland:

• English Language proficiency test: IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, are usually accepted.
  An English proficiency test is needed if you are not from a native English speaking country.
  The minimum test score varies from one degree program to another.
• Transcript.
• Diploma or matriculation exam result.

How to apply

You can apply for most of the Bachelor´s level studies conducted in English through the joint application.

The joint application enables you to apply to 6 study programmes.

You can only fill the application form once, therefore do so carefully.

Submit the application after you’ve checked the information on the preview page.

Write down your application number for future reference.

Check the guidelines on what to do next.

A confirmation that the application form has been received will be sent to your e-mail.

Application period

• The first application period starts from 7th January to 27th January. During this period, you can apply for Universities and Polytechnics/UAS Bachelor´s level studies conducted in English and University of Arts Helsinki’s programmes.
• The second application period starts from 17th March to 9th April. During this period, you can apply for Universities’ and Polytechnics’ degree programmes that are mainly conducted in Finnish and Swedish.

Application is free

Free tuition, free application-that’s just cool.

Application still open till tomorrow (9^th April 2015)

Application for September 2015 intake ends tomorrow (9^th April 2015). You can apply before 15:00 Finnish time.

After acceptance

You will receive a letter with the application results from the education institution. The letter also includes instructions on accepting the study place and registration as well as important dates.