If you are selected as an applicant for Aalto's partner university, the Aalto exchange scholarship will be awarded to you automatically at the same time and you do not need to apply for it separately. If you intend to apply for a free mover exchange place outside of Aalto's partner universities, you must apply for the so-called exchange free mover scholarship separately.

Beginning from academic year 2025-26 Aalto University exchange scholarship is 2000 € / semester. Students in CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI and ARTS can also apply for exchange for the whole academic year (2 semesters),  the scholarship for the full academic year exchange is 3500 € . The scholarship is paid in two installments. Scholarship on programmes with outside funding (e.g. Erasmus+) can have higher scholarship amounts. 

The scholarship amounts are confirmed annually, changes are possible.

To be able to recieve the Aalto exchange scholarship, the exchange has to take place in the host destination country. Aalto scholarship will not be paid for exchanges completed virtually. If a part of the exchange period is carried out as virtual studies from the home country but the criteria set for the exchange is fulfilled, the student will receive the Aalto scholarship for exchange studies in full, i.e. 2000 € / term or 3500 €/ academic year.

Students can receive the exchange scholarship more than once. ARTS students are entiled to a maximum of 2500 € scholarship per study level.

The exchange scholarship is strictly tied to the amount of studies student complete on exchange and is dependent on fulfilling the stated requirements. If the requirements are not completed, the student may have to either partly or fully refund the scholarship.

Other things to note:

• The scholarship does not effect your annual income limit concerning the student benefits from Kela. 
• The scholarship is not normally considered as taxable income. Scholarships can be taxable if you receive scholarships, study grants and other grants and their total amount exceeds the amount of the annual artist grant. (In 2024 the amount was 26 269,46 €). More detailed information from www.vero.fi.
• Please note that in case your exchange will later be cancelled due to a pandemic or another crisis, Aalto University will not provide financial support for travelling, living costs or for costs related to organising the moving of any property.
• Free mover scholarships: The schools of Aalto University can award a discretionary scholarship to students who search for their exchange place independently. The application instructions for this scholarship vary depending on the field of study. Read more about free mover exchange.
• Students in schools of technology (CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI) chosen for CEMS exchange need to apply for free mover scholarship from their own school. More information on page Partnership networks.
• Summer and intensive courses abroad: You can independently arrange to complete a university level summer course or study at a summer school abroad during the Aalto University summer break/other time during the year. Depending on the available resources, your school may award travel grants for studies in certain summer schools.
• You can apply for an additional, fixed scholarship (fewer opportunities top-up) offered by the Erasmus+ program if you have underage child or children, are a family caretaker,
  have disabilities, suffer from a severe or chronic health condition, or have received international protection.  You can also apply for inclusion support, when a special need causes additional costs during your exchange. As a student going on an Erasmus+ exchange, you can also get additional grant for green travel if you travel to your exchange destination in a more environmentally friendly way. You can find more information on the page Erasmus+ scholarships.

Bilateral exchanges

If you have been chosen for exchange through Aalto's bilateral cooperation agreements, you will receive your exchange study scholarship in full through Aalto's own funding and it does not include any shares of external funding.

Erasmus+ program

As an Erasmus+ student your exchange is partially or fully financed with funding from the Erasmus+ program. Aalto University supplements the Erasmus+ student exchange scholarship when the share of Erasmus+ funding alone is not sufficient to cover the Aalto University exchange scholarship amount. You do not need to apply for an Erasmus+ grant separately as it is part of the Aalto exchange study scholarship you have been awarded. Read more about Erasmus+ scholarships.

Nordplus

Students who go for exchange in the Nordic countries may be selected under the Erasmus+ programme, or one of the Nordplus programmes (Nordtek, Cirrus or EDDA).

Nordtek (CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI)

In the Nordplus/Nordtek exchange programs you can receive your scholarship from an external funding source. The amounts and payment practices of these exchange program scholarship may differ from those of Aalto University. If you are receiving a Nordplus/Nordtek scholarship, you will be informed directly. You do not need to apply for a Nordplus/Nordtek scholarship separately, but it is a part of the Aalto exchange study scholarship granted to you.

Cirrus/EDDA (ARTS)

If you have been selected as a student of the School of Arts and Design for a Cirrus or EDDA exchange, you will be paid a Cirrus/EDDA scholarship. The scholarship is 200 € /month. In addition, you will be paid a travel allowance of 330 € (with the exception of Iceland where the travel allowance is 660 €). If necessary, Aalto will supplement your scholarship so that the scholarship is 1500 € for a one-semester exchange, and 2500 € for an exchange lasting an academic year. The scholarship form is returned to the School of Arts and Design, which also pays the scholarship.

The scholarships are paid in two instalments

1. The first part of the scholarship is paid before departure.
2. The second is paid once the student has returned and has submitted all of the required documents. In addition, the completed studies have to be transferred to the degree at Aalto University.

In case the student fails to get his/her studies approved and the required amount of credits is not accomplished, the student is responsible for the possible financial consequences (returning the first part of the scholarship or losing the second part of it). In case student fails to complete the required amount of studies regardless of his/her efforts (e.g. cancellation of a course) the student is to provide written evidence (e.g. a note from a professor). The scholarship can be paid in slightly different ways depending on the exchange program.

Bilateral agreements

The first part of the scholarship for bilateral destinations is paid before the exchange and 500 euro after the exchange. The second installment of the scholarship will take place after the student has returned all of the required documents and the required number of credits has been transferred to the degree. 

Erasmus+

For Erasmus+ exchange students the scholarship is partially funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Aalto University supplements the Erasmus+ scholarship in case it does not amount up to the sum of the Aalto University scholarship. You do not need to apply separately for the scholarship. Your coordinator will inform you about technicalities. 

The Erasmus+ Programme also offers extra scholarships for students with underage children and for students with special needs or disabilities. Please read more on page Accessible exchange studies or contact your exchange coordinator for more information.

Other things to note:

Since the duration of the exchange in the new Erasmus+ program affects the amount of the Erasmus+ scholarship, it must be reported on the day.

• The duration of the exchange is proven by a Letter of Confirmation form (or similar information in another document), which is signed by the receiving university.
• The start date of the exchange is the welcoming ceremony, registration at the university or the start date of the courses.
• The end date of the exchange period is the end of the exam period or the end date of the course.
• If the student participates in a language course in the destination country before the start of the exchange, the course is included in the duration of the exchange.

Read more about Erasmus+ scholarships and their amounts from previous years.

The studies completed during the exchange period are part of your Aalto degree. If you are entitled to student financial aid in Finland, you will also receive it while on exchange. It is also possible to recieve the housing supplement and the study loan for studies abroad. More information on Kela's website.

Scholarships from various foundations are often announced in newspapers and online. SYL (Suomen Ylioppilaskunnan Liitto) has a comprehensive list of different grants and scholarships.

AYY's scholarships

AYY distributes scholarships to its members in accordance with the student union's scholarship guidelines and the rules of the scholarship funds. The aim of the scholarships is to support the internationalization of low-income students, to support activity in community and to encourage a well-planned combining of studies and student life. More information on AYY's website.

DAAD scholarship to Germany

The DAAD scholarship is intended to support studying in Germany. DAAD scholarship should normally be applied for about 6 months before leaving to Germany. More information can be found on the website of the Finnish-German embassy. DAAD scholarships also have certain conditions that you should familiarize yourself with. Note! DAAD scholarships are not awarded for Erasmus+ exchange studies.

HAIC Scholarships for Information Technology Students

The Helsinki-Aalto Institute for Cybersecurity (HAIC) at School of Science grants scholarships to students of certain computer science programs to promote international mobility. The HAIC scholarship is awarded in addition to Aalto's exchange study scholarship. HAIC does not grant exchange study places, but the student must apply for an exchange study place and a HAIC scholarship in the Aalto exchange application period during the spring or autumn application periods.

The HAIC scholarshipt is applied for during the student exchange application period. The number of available scholarships will be announced before the beginning of the application period on the HAIC scholarship -page. On the same page, you can read more detailed application criteria and instructions for applying for a grant.

Tellervo and the Juuso Walden Foundation

In autumns, The Tellervo and Juuso Walden Foundation distributes grants and scholarships to support Finnish-speaking youth's education and study for a profession, as well as Finnish-speaking youth's knowledge of other languages ​​and their creation of international connections. More information on the foundation's website (in Finnish).

Scholarships for USA

The Federation of Finland-America Associations, Fullbright Center and Finlandia Foundation offer scholarships for studying in the United States.

Svenska kulturfonden's scholarships

Students whose native language is Swedish, or who study officially in Swedish, can apply for a scholarship from Svenska kulturfonden for undergraduate and graduate level studies abroad (2-12 months). The studies must be a part of your degree. You must apply for the grant before the exchange. More information.

Scholarships granted on the basis of the field of study

Scholarship applications to field-specific scholarships are often the most lucrative. For example, there are separate scholarships for Chemical Technology and Forest Product Technology students. For more information on scholarships for Water Technology students, please contact Teemu Kokkonen, teemu.kokkonen@aalto.fi.

Students of School of Arts, Design and Architecture can apply for the ARTS short term grant for summer schools and intensive courses abroad.