Scholarships and Tuition Fees

What is your citizenship?

• Most non-EU/EEA citizens have to pay tuition fees for bachelor's and master's degree studies.
• If you are a citizen of the member states of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you do not have to pay tuition fee.

Will you study in a bachelor's or master's programme taught in English?

• Bachelor's and master's programmes taught in English have a tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens.
• Tuition fees do not concern doctoral / PhD studies or bachelor's and master's degree studies that are taught in Finnish or Swedish. Studies in programmes taught in Finnish or Swedish require fulfilling the language proficiency criteria.

Do you have a residence permit in Finland that exempts you from tuition fees?

Certain residence permit types issued for residence in Finland exempt from tuition fee liability.
Tuition fees do not concern those non-EU/EEA students who have:

• a permanent residence permit card in Finland, type P permit
• an EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (type P-EU permit)
• a residence card in Finland of a family member of an EU citizen. You must hold the residence permit yourself. Being a family member of a person who has a residence permit in an EU country does not grant you a tuition fee exemption.
• an EU blue card in Finland
• a Brexit residence permit card, type SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, or P SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement
• a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection in Finland, as referred to in the Aliens Act. The permit has to be valid at the beginning of the study right, and the permit cannot have later been revoked.

In addition, a continuous residence permit card in Finland, type A permit, may exempt you from paying tuition fees if it is granted on grounds other than studying. However, you are required to pay tuition fees in the following cases:

• If your first residence permit in Finland was granted for the purpose of studying, you must pay tuition fees, even if you later obtained a continuous residence permit (type A) on other grounds.
• If you have a continuous residence permit (type A) based on family ties in Finland, and your family member originally came to Finland on a residence permit granted for studying, you are also required to pay tuition fees.
• If your continuous residence permit (type A) is granted for studying, you are required to pay tuition fees.

NB! If your continuous residence permit (type A) is based on family ties in Finland, and your family member is a Finnish citizen or is staying in Finland with a permanent residence permit, you will be exempted from tuition fees.

More information about the residence permit types is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).

Is your residence permit valid?

Your residence permit has to be valid at the start of that academic year, i.e. 1 August to be exempted from tuition fees for the academic year.

If your residence permit expires before August when applying to Aalto university, you are considered liable to tuition fees at the time of applying. Applicants liable to tuition fees can apply for a scholarship when applying to the university.

If you receive a document that exempts you from tuition fees after the application period, you must submit a copy of the document to the university as soon as possible.

The tuition fee exemption is tied to the validity period of the residence permit. If the permit's validity period runs out during the studies and the permit is not renewed, full tuition fee liability will normally start from the beginning of the academic year following the end of the permit.

If you become liable to tuition fees in the middle of your studies due to a change in your residence permit type, you may be entitled to apply for a scholarship. See Aalto Reserve Scholarships for more information.

When applying to the university, you must enclose copies of both sides of your valid residence permit card in Finland to your application to prove your residency status. A copy of your valid passport, or national ID card with citizenship information, is required to prove your citizenship.

Will you study in an Erasmus Mundus programme?

If you have an Erasmus Mundus scholarship and you study in the Erasmus Mundus programme funded by the European Union, you are not required to pay the Aalto University tuition fees.

More information on tuition fee liability

• Information about the residence permit types is available on the Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).
• More information on determining tuition-fee liability and exemptions is available on the national Studyinfo (studyinfo.fi) website.

The tuition fee covers educational expenses such as courses, academic supervision, exams, counselling and university support services such as student services, library services and IT services in accordance with the university regulations. 

The tuition fee does not cover living costs, personal study related costs such as study materials or other costs that may be charged according to the university rules or national legislation. The tuition fee does not cover the compulsory membership fee of the Student Union (ayy.fi).

• Read more information about living costs in Finland at: Financial matters.

You must ensure that you have enough financial means to pay for your rent, personal expenses, transportation costs, meals, insurance etc.

For information about living costs in Finland, please see Financial matters.

Students must pay the compulsory membership fee of the Student Union AYY (ayy.fi). In the academic year 2025-2026 the AYY fee is 65 euros. As a Student Union (AYY) member you are entitled to significant student discounts on public transport and meals in student restaurants.

University students in Finland are provided basic health care services by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). To have access to FSHS services, bachelor and master students must pay the mandatory healthcare fee for students in higher education annually to Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland). In 2026, the student healthcare fee is 36 euros per semester.

Make sure you have valid health insurance, as the FSHS provides only basic healthcare services and does not have its own accident and emergency department. Valid health insurance is also required for a residence permit.

Read more information on health insurance requirements for residence permit at Finnish Immigration Service website (migri.fi).

You are considered liable for tuition fees at the time of applying to the university, if you do not have a fee-exempting document that is valid at the start of the academic year, i.e. 1 August. 

Applicants who are liable for tuition fees may apply for a scholarship (i.e., a tuition fee waiver) during the application period.

If you receive a fee-exempting document after the application period, you must submit a copy of it to the university as soon as possible:

1. Before admission results are published: submit a copy to Aalto University Admission Services at admissions@aalto.fi.
2. After you have been admitted: submit a copy and request an exemption from tuition fees by emailing tuitionfees@aalto.fi.

You can pay the tuition fee once you have accepted your admission offer. The fee must be paid as a single instalment for the following academic year. It is not possible to pay the fee in multiple instalments per year. Please see the instructions for paying the tuition fee here. You will receive payment instructions for subsequent years before each academic year begins.

Students who are liable for the tuition fee cannot enrol at the university until the fee has been paid. For new students, we recommend paying the fee at the latest by 31 July.

If you have any questions about tuition fees, please contact tuitionfees@aalto.fi.

You have a right to full refund of the paid tuition fee (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges):

• if you are conditionally admitted and do not fulfil the admission requirements and your study place is cancelled,
• if you are not granted a residence permit in Finland,
• if your residence permit status changes before enrolment to the university and you are no longer required to pay fees. A copy of the fee-exempting document must be submitted before the end of enrolment period.
• if Aalto University is unable to offer the degree programme you have been admitted to

You may have a right to partial refund of the paid tuition fee (excluding possible bank-specific payment charges), if your residence permit status changes during your studies and you are no longer required to pay fees.

You must provide a Finnish residence permit as proof for university’s decision-making. When a change in fee status is made during an ongoing semester, reimbursement of the tuition fee for that semester is, as a rule, not possible. The fee will be reimbursed for the upcoming semester.

According to the Universities Act Section 39 you cannot postpone the beginning of studies, unless in situations specified in the Act. New students must register as attending for the first academic year.

Aalto University offers a very limited number of scholarships to fee-paying students.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are merit-based and are granted on a competitive basis to the highest-achieving applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria. Programmes may decide not to grant any scholarships.

Scope of scholarship

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are awarded as tuition fee waivers that cover the full tuition fee. Aalto University Excellence Scholarships do not cover living costs. Students need to cover all living expenses (at least 800 euros per month) and other study related costs from their own financial resources. 

Please consider your finances before submitting an application. You can read more information about living costs in Finland at: Financial matters.

How to apply for a scholarship?

If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen liable to tuition fees, you can apply for the scholarship when you apply to Aalto University. The scholarship application is part of the application form for admission.

On the application form, you will be offered an option to apply or not apply for the scholarship. Only students who are liable to pay tuition fees are eligible to apply for Aalto University Excellence Scholarship, i.e. tuition fee waiver.

Scholarship must be applied during the application period. You cannot apply for a scholarship after the application period. You cannot get a scholarship if you have not applied for it during the application period.

Scholarship decisions

Scholarships can be awarded to the best applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria. Programmes may decide not to grant any scholarships. Applicants are ranked according to the criteria indicated on the programme's webpage.

In the master's admissions scholarships are allocated during the academic evaluation stage as part of the admissions process of a degree programme. The best applicants liable to tuition fees may be awarded a scholarship. The academic evaluation criteria are available on the study option websites.

The scholarship decision is given at the same time with the admission decision.

As defined in the Universities Act, the scholarship decision cannot be appealed to.

Duration of scholarship

Scholarships are granted for the normative period of study of the degree programme.

The normative study period is three years full-time study for bachelor’s degree and two years full-time study for master’s degree. Scholarship requires full-time study and studying according to the approved personal study plan.

If you are a new bachelor’s student, you will receive a 25% reduction on the tuition fee for your first academic year if you accept your admission offer as instructed and pay the fee by a specific deadline. The deadline for the discounted tuition fee payment depends on your admission situation:

• If you are offered a study place to your highest ranked (first) study option preference: you must accept the admission offer and pay the tuition fee within 21 days of the date the university’s acceptance letter was sent to you to receive the 25% reduction. The exact deadline for the discounted payment is stated in your acceptance letter.
• If you are offered a study place to a lower (second or third) study option preference: you will receive a separate email in May once all the admission results to Aalto’s English-taught bachelor’s programmes are published. You must accept the admission offer and pay the tuition fee within 21 days of the date the email was sent to you to receive the 25% reduction. The exact deadline for the discounted payment is stated in the separate email.
• If you are offered a study place from the waiting list: you must accept the admission offer and pay the tuition fee within 21 days of the date you were admitted off the waiting list to receive the 25% reduction. Please note that the deadline to accept the admission offer might be earlier than the deadline for the discounted tuition fee payment. The exact deadlines are stated in your acceptance letter.

The payment of the discounted tuition fee must be received (payment status guaranteed) within the 21 day time limit, by the specific deadline. The discount applies only to the academic year of admission and cannot be transferred to any other time.

Eligibility requirements

• You are tuition fee liable and graduated from an Aalto University bachelor’s programme taught in English, and
• You received the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship for your bachelor’s studies, and
• You completed your bachelor’s degree within the target time (three years or six terms) with a weighted average grade of at least 3.5. The weighted average grade is calculated from the entire completed degree.

The scholarship applies only to Aalto University master’s programmes for which you have a direct study right (i.e., without applying through an external master’s admissions procedure).

Amount and duration

The scholarship is granted as a 100% tuition fee waiver for the normative duration of the master’s degree (i.e., two years).

In memory of Pekka Mattila, these merit-based scholarships are aimed at particularly talented students admitted to the School of Business Master’s Programme in Marketing and Master’s Programme in International Management who are liable to pay tuition fees.

Scholarship amount

The Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarships consist of a €3,000 relocation grant, paid at the beginning of the degree programme. 

Who can apply for the scholarship?

Applicants who are required to pay tuition fees and are applying to the School of Business Master's Programme in Marketing or the Master's Programme in International Management are eligible to apply for the Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship, regardless of age, nationality, or gender.

Selection criteria

Selection for the Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship takes place during the admission process and is based on the academic evaluation of applicants according to the evaluation criteria outlined on the programme pages.

The Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship cannot be combined with the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship. Applicants may apply for both scholarships; however, if they are awarded the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship, they will no longer be eligible for the Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship.

How to apply for the scholarship?

You can apply for both the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship and the Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship in your application form to the Master's Programme in Marketing and/or International Management during the master's admissions application period. 

You must apply for the scholarship(s) during the application period.

Scholarship decision

Selected applicants will be notified in the same week that the Aalto University admission results are published.

Payment of the scholarship

The €3,000 grant will be transferred during the first year of the student's attendance at Aalto University. Payments will be made to Finnish or SEPA bank accounts for selected scholarship recipients after enrolment.

Contact information

If you have any questions regarding the Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship, please contact tuitionfees@aalto.fi.
 

Some international joint degree programmes have their own tuition fees and scholarship schemes, read more on programmes' web pages.

Programmes with their own scholarship schemes:

• Autonomous Systems and Intelligent Robots - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Cloud and Network Infrastructures and High-Performance Computing - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Communications and Data Science (CoDaS)
• Cybersecurity and Assurance (CYBERSURE, Erasmus Mundus)
• Data Science - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems (SELECT)
• Human-Computer Interaction and Design with Extended Reality - ICT Innovation (EIT Digital Master School)
• Re:Play European Joint Master
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions (EIT Urban Mobility)

Fulbright-Aalto University Graduate Award is a prestigious scholarship for United States citizens pursuing a master’s degree at Aalto University. Benefits include a generous living allowance, comprehensive support services, and outstanding networking opportunities.

How to apply

The application deadline for the Fulbright award is typically in early October.

This award requires two separate applications:

• the Fulbright grant competition and
• Master's admissions at Aalto University.

Applicants may also apply for the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship in their application for admission during the master's admissions application period.

Read more information on the Fulbright-Aalto University Graduate Award on the Fulbright Finland Foundation website.
For more information from Aalto, please contact tuitionfees@aalto.fi.

FUNED MAESTRÍAS provides combined funding for maintenance and tuition fees to Mexican students pursuing master’s degrees abroad at a Top 200 university. Support is structured as 10% scholarship from FUNED plus 90% credit from Eduk Pro, totaling USD 5,000–30,000 paid directly to the student.

Aalto University has a collaboration with FUNED. Up to four FUNED scholarship recipients admitted to Aalto University may receive an additional 25% tuition fee discount from Aalto University for the duration of their programme.

Available to

• Citizens of Mexico who are liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto University 
• First-year admitted master's students at Aalto University with tuition fee liability (for joint programmes, please contact Aalto University to confirm eligibility: tuitionfees@aalto.fi)

Amount

• A 25% discount of the tuition fees for the normative period of study.

For more information on the terms and conditions: FUNED (Fundación Mexicana para la Educación, la Tecnología y la Ciencia) for students from Mexico.

COLFUTURO is a Colombian non-profit foundation established in 1991 with support from the national government and some major private-sector companies. Its mission is to provide financial support and expand opportunities for Colombian citizens to access high-quality postgraduate studies abroad.

The COLFUTURO financial support model is a scholarship-loan. Each student can receive up to USD 50,000, which may be requested in full, even for a one-year programme. Students may be awarded scholarships for 80% of the loaned amount through incentive activities.

Aalto University collaborates with COLFUTURO, and four COLFUTURO grantees can receive an additional Aalto University tuition fee discount of 25% for the duration of their programme.

Available to

• First-year applicants to any Aalto University Master's programme who are liable to pay tuition fees (for joint programmes, please contact Aalto University to confirm eligibility: tuitionfees@aalto.fi)
• Citizens of Colombia who are required to pay tuition fees at Aalto University

Amount

• A 25% reduction of the tuition fees for the normative period of study.

For more information on the terms and conditions: COLFUTURO. 

You can explore external scholarships and loan schemes for international students on the External Scholarships webpage.

Please note that Aalto University does not administer these external scholarship programs; they are listed solely for your convenience. For any inquiries on criteria, application procedures, selection decisions, or timelines, contact the scholarship providers directly.

You can also search for scholarship opportunities available in your home country for example via the Scholarship Portal.

Yes, if you are required to pay tuition fees. You can apply for the scholarship during the application period for admission.

You are not eligible to apply if you are a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country. EU/EEA citizens are not required to pay tuition fees and therefore cannot receive the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship (i.e. a tuition fee waiver).

At the moment, Aalto University does not offer university-wide scholarships to cover living costs.

The costs of living are higher in the capital region (Espoo, Helsinki and Vantaa) than elsewhere in the country. Thus, you should prepare to have at least 800 euros per month to cover your living costs. 

In order to be granted a residence permit, the Finnish immigration authorities require you to have sufficient means to support yourself financially in Finland.

Information about living costs is available on the Financial matters page.

For information about student's residence permit requirements, see the Finnish Immigration Service website (www.migri.fi).

Yes, you can complete an exchange period or an internship abroad.

You must continue to pay the tuition fee during your exchange studies or internship abroad.

If you have been awarded an Aalto University Excellence Scholarship, it also applies during your exchange/internship abroad.

No, applicants admitted from the waiting list cannot receive a scholarship. Scholarship decisions are finalised before admission results are released. Scholarships are awarded to the top applicants and are not reallocated.

If you are liable for tuition fees and are admitted from the waiting list, you must pay the tuition fee and cover your living costs yourself (living costs estimate is at least 800 euros per month).

Aalto University does not offer additional scholarships or other financial support beyond the scholarships awarded with the initial admissions decisions.

Tip: You may explore external funding opportunities (e.g., foundations or government grants) independently, but these are not administered by Aalto University.

No, scholarships are study-option-specific in the Master's admissions. If you have been granted a scholarship to your second study option, it does not transfer to your first study option. You lose the scholarship, if you do not accept the study place bindingly to your second study option.

If you wish to receive the scholarship and start studies in your second study option, accept the study place bindingly.

No. Applying for a scholarship does not affect your admission decision. Admissions are based solely on the admissions and evaluation criteria. Your chances of admission are the same whether or not you apply for the scholarship.

You may decline a scholarship and still accept your admission offer (for example, if you secure other funding).

You can apply for the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship only when you apply for admission.

Yes, you can can accept your study place, but you must be able to pay the tuition fee and cover your living expenses yourself.

Read more about living costs at: Financial matters.