How to apply for doctoral studies?

Fees and costs

Aalto University doctoral studies are free of tuition fees. Aalto University does not charge fees for enrollment to the University. Doctoral students are welcome to join the Aalto University Student Union. The membership of the Student Union is subject to an annual fee.

Generally Aalto University does not offer scholarships for doctoral studies. Most of our doctoral students either work as salaried doctoral researchers at their Department or fund their studies with project funding, external grants or scholarships. There is an on-going scholarship scheme until 2024 for students from African and South American countries, read more below: Finland Fellowships.

Salaried doctoral researcher positions are applied for separately from the admission process. When salaried doctoral researcher positions are open, they are advertised at https://www.aalto.fi/en/open-positions. Any questions regarding the advertised salaried positions must be directed to the professors and HR personnel only, not to admission services.

If you need a residence permit for research in Finland, please see more information about income requirement at the Finnish Immigration Services.

General eligibility and admissions criteria

The general eligibility criteria for doctoral education is defined by the Finnish law (section 37 of the Universities Act, 558/2009) and involves all Finnish universities.

To be eligible for doctoral studies, applicants must:

• hold a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university
• hold a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
• hold a relevant applicable study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education.

Generally an acceptable master’s degree has been carried out in accordance with the principles of the Bologna Process (3+2 years). As a rule, a higher education degree (or degree combination) earned abroad in a country that does not follow the Bologna Process should include a minimum of 4 years of studies and a master’s thesis.

The degree as a basis for doctoral studies needs to provide the student with an adequate knowledge and skills needed for doctoral studies in the programme chosen. The university may require a student admitted to complete the necessary supplementary studies in order to meet this requirement. The applicant must also fulfill the defined language proficiency needed for doctoral studies.

Academic evaluation criteria

The central criteria for assessing potential doctoral students include the applicant’s academic performance and potential for doctoral studies, the quality and feasibility of the research proposal together with the applicant’s possibilities to complete the studies within the target time.

The availability of supervision for the thesis topic is of key importance. In the field of Technology, applicants should be in contact with the professor responsible for the research field in question at an early stage of the application process. 

Finland Fellowships for doctoral students

Aalto University awards Finland Fellowships to doctoral students as part of a national scholarship programme funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The programme runs from 2022 to 2024.

Finland Fellowship is awarded to those applicants from Africa, Central or South America who rank best according to academic criteria in the admissions process at Aalto. Applicants for Finland Fellowships must be citizens of a country in Africa, Central America or South America. Applicants with dual citizenship in Finland and one of the target nations may receive a Finland Fellowship only if their domicile is not Finland.

The amount of the fellowship per person is €2800/month for 7.5 months in addition to a €2000 arrival grant for moving expenses. Aalto scheme covers altogether 16 doctoral students (ARTS 2 students, BIZ 1 student, CHEM 2 students, ELEC 3 students, ENG 3 students and SCI 5 students). Finland Fellowships are paid in accordance with Aalto University Human Resources processes to Finnish bank accounts. Students who are absent for reasons permissible by law during the first year, who are prevented from beginning studies in Finland due to force majeure circumstances, or who already have funding for the next two years, may postpone their Finland Fellowship for a maximum of two academic years.

Students apply for Finland Fellowships when applying for doctoral studies at Aalto. Finland Fellowships are awarded only by application. Decisions on Finland Fellowships are made only for those students who have applied for them. The decisions on Finland Fellowship awards are made once per calendar year in December for that year’s applicants. Each school’s doctoral programme committee presents to its dean a list of nominees to receive the Finland Fellowship. The dean decides on the recipients of the fellowship.

By signing the employment contract, students confirm their acceptance of a Finland Fellowship with its monthly pay and its arrival grant. Students may also choose to decline a Finland Fellowship. This situation may arise for students who have funding from an external sponsor, for example. In such cases, the student declares to Doctoral Education Services in writing that he/she is declining the Finland Fellowship.