The tuition fee for international Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes is €10,000 per academic year. Tuition fees apply only to students coming from outside the EU/EEA-area or Switzerland. Bachelor’s programmes usually take three years to complete, while Master’s programmes typically take two years. For more information about the scholarships and waivers, please scroll down.
Payment Details:
- The annual tuition fee must be paid by August 31 in one or two instalments. UEF processes tuition fee payments through the Flywire payment system.
- Early Bird Discount: A one-time deduction of €500 for the autumn 2025 semester is available to students who accept their study place and pay the tuition fee via Flywire within three weeks of the result publication (by June 11, 2025).
More Details:
- For a detailed list of who is required to pay tuition fees, see the section Who will need to pay for tuition.
- Erasmus Mundus and Joint Degree Programmes have their own tuition fee and scholarship programmes. For more information, please see the programme's website which are listed at uef.fi/masters.
Fees will be collected from citizens outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, starting their studies in Bachelor's or Master’s degree programmes conducted in English.
You are not required to pay tuition fee if you have one of the documents mentioned below. Student who:
- is a citizen of the member states of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
- has a permanent residence permit card in Finland, type P permit
- has a continuous residence permit card in Finland, type A permit, based on other grounds than studying.
- Please note that if you have a continuous residence permit card in Finland (type A) issued for studies, you are liable to pay tuition fees
- has an EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (type P-EU permit)
- has an EU family member's residence card in Finland
- has an EU blue card in Finland
- has a Brexit residence permit card, type SEU = Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, or P SEU = Right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement
The degree programmes conducted in Finnish will remain free of charge regardless of the student’s citizenship.
In order to be exempted from tuition fees for the academic year, your residence permit has to be valid at the start of that academic year, i.e. 1 August. To prove your residency status, copies of both sides of your valid residence permit card in Finland must be enclosed to your application. A copy of your valid passport, or national ID card where your citizenship is indicated, is required to prove your citizenship.
The tuition fee exemption is tied to the time that the exempting residence permit is valid. If the permit runs out and is not renewed, full tuition fee liability will normally start from the beginning of the next semester following the end of the exempting permit.
More information about determining your liability to pay and exemptions from tuition fees can be found on Studyinfo (studyinfo.fi).
Information about the changes in applying for a residence permit for studies or research is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).
You have the right to a full refund (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges) of the tuition fee paid:
- if you have been conditionally admitted and the condition is not met: your study place is thus cancelled,
- if you have submitted your residence permit application by 31 July but you have not been granted a residence permit in Finland. NB! The refund is not possible if the student has already registered as being present.
- if your residence permit status changes before the beginning of the academic year (1 August) at the university and, according to the new residence permit, you are no longer required to pay fees,
- if the university is unable to offer the degree programme you have been admitted to.
Kindly note that the refund must be applied before the end of September of the year you have been accepted to the University of Eastern Finland. The students must apply for the refund themselves, and if the student is late for the given deadline (end of September), the university has no obligation to return the tuition fee.
The refund policy takes into consideration the student's personal reasons only. The refund policy does not apply if the reasons are not related directly to the student but third parties, e.g. family members, friends or other relatives.
If there is a change in the student's residence permit, the influence of this change to payments of the student will take effect from the beginning of the following academic term. The student must provide a Finnish residence permit as proof for university's decision-making. The already paid tuition fee will not be refunded.
Scholarships and tuition waivers
Please note that the number of scholarships offered by UEF is limited, and most are awarded based on merit (best scores in the application process). There are three types of scholarships available:
UEF Scholarship
A 100% tuition waiver,
applied for through the application form when applying to UEF
Tuition Waiver
Up to 50% of the tuition fee,
applied for through the application form when applying to UEF.
Finnish Language Scholarship
Applied for during studies at UEF.
Scholarships and tuition waivers are determined and awarded by the University of Eastern Finland. Unfortunately, we cannot provide information about whether a student will receive a scholarship before or during the application period. Accepted students will receive details about their scholarship/tuition waiver in their acceptance letter.
We recommend that prospective students finalize their financial plans well in advance of applying to UEF. It is important to be prepared for the possibility of not receiving a tuition waiver or scholarship, or only receiving a partial tuition waiver.
Please be aware that UEF scholarships and tuition waivers do not cover living expenses or travel costs to Finland. Ensure that you have adequate funds to cover your living and study expenses while in Finland.
Erasmus Mundus and Joint Degree programmes have their own separate scholarship schemes, and we recommend visiting their websites for more information.
Number of Scholarships: One per programme.
Coverage: 100% tuition waiver for the entire duration of the studies (3 years for Bachelor’s, 2 years for Master’s).
Award Criteria: The UEF Scholarship is awarded to the highest-ranked tuition fee-liable student based on admission results. One additional student may be placed on a waiting list. The scholarship is tied to the tuition fee obligation.
Application Process: Apply through the application form when applying to UEF.
Availability: One UEF Scholarship is available per programme for all international Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, except for Erasmus Mundus and Joint Degree programmes
Number of scholarships: varies by programme
Coverage: 30 % or 50 % of the tuition fee (a partial exemption from the tuition fee).
- Tuition waiver is granted to Master's students for two academic years (= 4 semesters)
- Tuition waiver) is granted to Bachelor's students for three academic years (= 6 semesters).
Award Criteria: In most cases, the tuition waiver is awarded to a limited number of accepted students based on their application scores. There is no waiting list. The scholarship is tied to the tuition fee obligation.
Application Process: Apply through the application form when applying to UEF.
Availability: Available for all international Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, except for Erasmus Mundus programmes.
30% Tuition Waiver: Available to all accepted students who are liable to pay tuition fees in the following programmes:
- Environmental Policy and Law
- Research Chemists
- Joint Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Law
- Urban Sustainability Studies (YUFE Bachelor)
50% Tuition Waiver: Offered in all other programmes, but only a limited number of students will receive this waiver. For UEF Business School programmes, the 50% waiver is granted to only a very limited number of the accepted students.
Eligibility: All students enrolled in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at UEF who pay tuition fees and meet the scholarship criteria can apply for the Finnish Language Scholarship.
Types of Scholarships:
- Certification-Based Tuition Waiver (100%): Awarded based on the national YKI test with a Finnish language proficiency level of "Intermediate Level 3 or 4."
- Study-Based Tuition Waiver (50%): Awarded based on completion of UEF’s Finnish 3 course.
Coverage: The Finnish Language Scholarships are one-time tuition waivers for the tuition fee.
Application Process: UEF Students must apply for the scholarship according to the specified application periods and conditions while studying at UEF.
Award Criteria: The scholarship is granted to all students who meet the scholarship criteria.
You cannot apply for the Finnish Language Scholarship when you first apply to UEF. It is available only to students who are already enrolled at UEF, and it is applied during the studies.
Students admitted to an English-taught bachelor's or master's degree programme at UEF who are under temporary protection in Finland and required to pay tuition fees can apply for a Humanitarian Scholarship. This scholarship offers a 100% tuition fee waiver for the standard duration of the degree programme.
Eligibility Criteria:
- The student must be admitted to an English-taught Bachelor's or Master's degree programme at UEF.
- The student must be liable to pay tuition fees.
- The student must have been granted temporary protection by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).
Applying for the Scholarship:
- If a student has not yet received a decision on temporary protection, they can still apply by providing proof that their application for temporary protection is pending. In this case, a provisional scholarship decision may be made.
- Once the student receives a decision on temporary protection, they must submit it to UEF as soon as possible.
- If the student’s application for temporary protection is denied, student will not be eligible for the scholarship.
For Joint Programmes: Students enrolled in joint programmes under UEF’s tuition fee system can apply for the scholarship for any semesters during which they are liable to pay tuition fees to UEF.
Tuition Fee Refund: If a student pays the tuition fee and later receives a decision on temporary protection, the tuition fee will be refunded.
The scholarship is subject to the terms and conditions of UEF's tuition fee system.