Known as the happiest country in the whole world, you’ll surely love Finland as it shows its magnificent attractions, long history, and unique culture. This country, located in Northern Europe, neighboring Sweden, Norway, and Russia, is a great place to visit and pursue higher education.
In Finland, there are universities and colleges available for their students. The country provides a lot of programs and courses in higher education, all offered in private, public, and university of applied sciences institutes.
Additionally, these universities and colleges are open to foreign nationals. Finland invites international students to study in their country. They support these students with their academic needs and offer scholarships to assist them financially. In this article, we will go over the best scholarships in Finland as well as scholarship recipients for those scholarships.
Top Scholarships in Finland for International Students
1. University of Helsinki Scholarships
The University of Helsinki is the oldest public institution in Finland that continuously grows, with a lot of students coming from other parts of the world. Today, this university has an outstanding international ranking as it offers multidisciplinary degree programmes. For their international students, they also provide numerous scholarships to those who excel academically.
Incoming graduate students coming from non-EU/EEA countries who have an entry visa and residence permit for Finland and show good academic performance are qualified to apply for any of these scholarships. When you apply to the University of Helsinki, you should indicate on your application that you’ll also apply for a scholarship. Also, you can apply for more than one scholarship category.
Your previous academic standing and letters of motivation will be the basis for your scholarship application. If your application is successful, you’ll receive an official acceptance letter from the scholarship committee.
2. Aalto University Scholarship Programmes
- Scholarship Page
- Eligible Degree/s: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D.
- Scholarship Amount: 100% of the tuition fees
- Meet the Aalto University Scholars: Explore scholarship journeys including Khanh Nguyen from Vietnam and Alisson Yheraldin Onzueta Caballero from Peru
The Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, recognizes excellent international students. The Aalto University Scholarship Programmes are merit-based awards for selected non-EU/EEA students and these scholarships can cover up to 100% of tuition fees.
You can start your application during your admission process while choosing your preferred study option. You’ll be asked to fill up a form (remember that most of these scholarships are only applicable to students who are liable to pay tuition fees), and submit previous academic records and other requirements. Announcement of successful candidates will be given along with the admission decision.
The duration of the scholarship will depend on the full-time study of your program. For the bachelor’s, it will be three years, and two years for the master’s degree.
Here is what Aalto University Scholarship Scholars Say:
“I was awarded the Aalto University Scholarship, a merit-based award that grants a 100% tuition fee waiver for both the Bachelor’s and Master’s track (3+2 years).”
Khanh Nguyen
“My advice is to start early and take time to reflect on your own story – why you want to study in this program and how it is related to your career goals.”
Thinh
“Afterwards, I reached out to former scholarship recipients in these universities to get their perspective on which skills and experiences are given more weightage by the scholarship awarding committee.”
Umar Nawaz
“I applied for the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship during the admission process, as the scholarship application is integrated into the university application itself.”
Muhammad Dayyan Hussain Khan
3. University of Oulu International Scholarship
- Scholarship Page
- Eligible Degree/s: Bachelor’s, Master’s
- Scholarship Amount: 50% to 100% tuition fees
The Oulu University, established in 1958, is one of the largest universities in Finland. It has a huge body of students that offers many programs for bachelor’s and master’s degrees. As the university promotes world-class education and research, it also offers international programs suited for aspiring foreign learners.
The University of Oulu International Scholarship is awarded to excellent students taking up an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s program. The application can be made during your admission process. Since this scholarship will use your previous academic records as a basis for your scholarship application, you must submit the documents needed on time. The admissions committee will also look for your academic potential, and the tuition fee discount will be based on your program,
The scholarship decision will be given along with your admission results. Also, this scholarship is given once, and it will run for the whole duration of your chosen program. If you fail to meet the minimum credit per academic year, your scholarship will be forfeited.
4. University of Vaasa Scholarships
- Scholarship Page
- Eligible Degree/s: Master’s, Ph.D.
- Scholarship Amount: 1,000 EUR-3,000 EUR tuition fee waiver, Traveling Fees (Ph.D.)
Since students coming from non-EU/EEA countries are required to pay tuition fees, the University of Vaasa offers scholarships to incoming and current international students to help them support their studies. You can apply for these scholarships in Finland during your admission process. In your admission application form, you need to choose the scholarship type you want to apply to.
There are two types of scholarships open for international students: the International Excellence Scholarship and the Doctoral Scholarship. These scholarships, depending on degree and program cover partial funding for course fees and/or travel fees.
5. University of Turku Scholarships
The University of Turku is the third-largest university in Finland and is among the generous Finnish universities providing scholarships to international students. For the application process, there are no separate forms to fill out. Starting in 2026, the fee waiver only applies to the second year, and there’s no scholarship in the first year.
6. Tampere University Fee Waivers
The Civic College in Helsinki, which taught public administration, organizational management, and journalism, served as the foundation for the University of Tampere. The name of the college was changed to the School of Social Sciences in 1930 when there were 195 students enrolled, and from that time, it started offering different programs to promising students.
The Tampere University Scholarship Waivers offers different scholarship amount values for different programs and degree levels. A bachelor’s degree – Early Bird will be automatically awarded a 50% tuition waiver, 25% for bachelor’s degrees – Academic Award from 2021 onwards, and up to 50% scholarship waiver for master’s studies.
7. Erasmus Mundus Scholarships
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Program is a prestigious, fully funded EU scholarship initiative that enables exceptional international students to pursue integrated 1–2 year Master’s degrees across multiple countries, including Finland. Finnish universities, such as the University of Eastern Finland, Aalto University, and Tampere University, actively participate in Erasmus Mundus consortia, offering programs in areas like imaging and light technologies, photonics, and higher education management. These scholarships cover full tuition, a monthly living stipend, travel, visa, and insurance costs.
Here is what Erasmus Mundus (Finland) Scholars Say:
“Amount: 49,000 € (which covered tuition fees, living expenses, and relocation).”
Shihabur
“Right now, I’m studying in an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Programme called EDISS (Engineering of Data-Intensive and Intelligent Software Systems), hosted by Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland.”
Sarosh
“As part of the program, I’ve had the opportunity to study in Finland (Åbo Akademi University), Spain (University of Oviedo), and the Czech Republic (University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague).”
Muhammad Adnan
“The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship is one of the most competitive scholarships in Europe, with thousands of applicants worldwide competing for a limited number of spots.”
Syma Afsha
8. University of Eastern Finland Tuition Fee Waiver
The University of Eastern Finland is a public university in Finland established in 2010 with two large campuses located in Joensuu and Kuopio. This university offers various scholarships for local and international students that are a great way for them to benefit from the well-established education system and enjoy the amazing culture.
Up to full tuition remission is available to all new students who are accepted into foreign degree programs and who must pay the tuition fees. The tuition waiver is valid for up to four semesters and is worth up to 100% of the total tuition charge. The university itself awards the scholarship which is why the application process is directly connected to the university application, and there is no need for a separate application.
Here is what University of Eastern Finland Tuition Waiver Scholars Say:
“I received a 100% tuition fee waiver for the first year, along with a €5000 relocation grant from the University of Eastern Finland. For my second year, I received a 70% tuition fee waiver.”
Md Shahab Uddin
“In Finland, university applications and scholarship applications take place simultaneously. After admission decisions, students are ranked, and scholarships are awarded based on this ranking.”
Md Shahab Uddin
“Only one student from each program would be awarded the scholarship, and the eligibility criteria were also outlined there.”
Md Shahab Uddin
9. Nordic Master’s Scholarships
The Nordic Master programme is an EU- and Nordic Council-backed initiative that funds English-taught joint Master’s degrees across institutions in multiple Nordic countries, including Finland. Administered in Finland by the Finnish National Agency for Education, it promotes international mobility and academic collaboration among Nordic and non-Nordic students. In Finland, universities such as Aalto University and the University of Eastern Finland participate through programs like the Nordic Master in Sustainable Energy Engineering, enabling students to split their studies between Finnish institutions and other Nordic partners, and often benefit from scholarships covering tuition and mobility €6,500 grants in some cases.
In conclusion, Finland is a great choice for international students interested in pursuing their studies in a European country. To help you with your research, you can find more details about the different universities in Finland and scholarship opportunities on the Study in Finland page! Make sure to also check out the Available Programs in Europe!
