The admissions to Bachelor's Programme in Design are organised once a year in the spring joint application to higher education.
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14 December 2022 |
Preliminary assignments are published |
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4 January 2023 at 8am/8.00 (GMT +2:00) |
Application period starts |
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18 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00) |
Application period ends |
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25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00) |
Deadline for submitting the preliminary assignments (all applicants) AND Deadline for submitting documents proving the applicant’s liability to pay tuition fees or exemption from tuition fees AND Deadline for submitting documents proving eligibility (applicants who have graduated before spring 2023 and applicants completing a foreign qualification granting eligibility to higher education studies in spring 2023) AND Deadline for delivering official language test results |
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16 March 2023 |
Results of preliminary assignments are sent to applicants Intake assignments are sent to applicants who passed the preliminary assignments |
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30 March 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00) |
Deadline for submitting the intake assignments |
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6 April 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00) |
Deadline for submitting documents proving eligibility (e.g. predicted grades or preliminary grades, applicants completing an IB, EB or DIA/RP diploma in spring 2023) |
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28 April 2023 |
Invitations to interviews are sent to applicants at the latest |
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8-12 May 2023 |
Interviews |
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2 June 2023 |
Admission results are published at the latest |
| 9 June 2023 |
Deadline for completing the degree granting eligibility (Finnish vocational qualifications) |
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14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00) |
Deadline for submitting the final diploma or certificate of final grades (applicants completing an IB or EB diploma or a foreign qualification granting eligibility to higher education studies in spring 2023) |
| 14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00) | Deadline for accepting the offered study place |
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1 August 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00) |
Acceptance from the reserve list ends |
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August–September 2023 |
Studies begin with the orientation week |
All applicants must fulfill the general eligibility requirements for higher education. You are eligible to apply if you have completed or will complete during spring 2023 one of the following qualifications:
Additionally eligible to apply are
applicants who have been granted the right to study in a university in Finland
applicants who have a higher education degree completed in Finland (or an equivalent, at minimum a bachelor level degree completed abroad)
Please note that any high school diploma awarded abroad does not qualify for International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) and any European high school diploma does not qualify for European Baccalaureate Diploma (EB). Both International Baccalaureate and European Baccalaureate are special programmes and only students that have studied at a school that participates in the International Baccalaureate or the European Baccalaureate programmes can be awarded an IB or EB Diploma (see the links above).
Admission to Bachelor's Programme in Design is based on preliminary assignments, intake assignments and an interview.
Please note that as an Aalto University student you cannot be granted a right to pursue a degree in a study option (e.g. Bachelor's Programme in Design) from which you have already earned a degree or for which you have a valid right to pursue a degree.
At Aalto University, a student may have only one valid study right towards a given degree. If you accept a new study right in a bachelor's programme leading to the same degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) at Aalto, your old study right will be cancelled.
If you are a refugee or asylum seeker or have a refugee-like status in Finland and cannot prove your eligibility for higher education by documentation, you may be invited to an entrance examination or be required to take the SAT or the ACT test.
You are required to provide reliable explanation of the degree that gives you eligibility to apply, additional information on the lack of requisite documentation as well as an official decision on your refugee status (decision on being granted asylum or a residence permit based on need for international protection or a certificate of a pending application for asylum). The university will determine your eligibility based on the additional information provided.
Please note that you are also required to submit an application to Bachelor's Programme in Design during the application period. Your eligibility can only be determined after we have received your application. For detailed instructions on how to apply, please see the section “How to apply?”.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
Currently there is one bachelor's degree programme available in English in the field of art and design at Aalto University. The intake quota for Bachelor's Programme in Design is 42 students in 2023.
Admissions to the Bachelor's Programme in Design are organized through the national spring joint application to higher education. The application period is 4 - 18 Jan 2023. You can submit an application only during the application period at the Studyinfo service.
Application form (studyinfo.fi)
In the joint application to higher education, you can apply to a maximum of six (6) study options with one application form. You do not have to place the study options in order of preference, and you may be offered more than one study place.
How to apply in joint application to higher education (studyinfo.fi)
Please note that you can only accept one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland in education that begins in the same academic term (one study place per term provision). This rule applies to all higher education.
More information on the one study place per term provision (studyinfo.fi)
You can also find all study options available at Aalto University at Studyinfo.fi.
Please note! You can only apply to one study option leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree at Aalto University during spring 2023. If you apply to the English-medium study option Design, you will not be able to apply to the study options available in Finnish/Swedish in the field of art and design at Aalto University in the Joint Application to Finnish/Swedish degree programmes. The selection of study options is binding and cannot be changed after the application period has ended.
Admission to Bachelor's Programme in Design consists of several stages. The admission is based on preliminary assignments, intake assignments and an interview. Applicants can be screened out after each stage.
The maximum total score of 100 points consists of the following:
• preliminary assignments, evaluated pass/fail
• intake assignments
• interview, which may include separate intake assignments
Only applicants who pass the preliminary assignments will be invited to the next stages of the admission process.
The applicants are ranked based on their total score from the intake assignments and the interview.
Admissions to the field of art and design at Aalto University include evaluation of:
Admissions to the study option also include evaluation of applicants’:
The preliminary assignments will be published on 14 December 2022.
The preliminary assignments must be submitted by 25 January 2023 at 3 pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00). The preliminary assignments are submitted electronically to the Studyinfo service. Assignments that arrive after the deadline are not considered for evaluation. Preliminary assignments are a compulsory document.
The preliminary assignments are evaluated Pass/Fail. The applicant must complete the preliminary assignments independently and without guidance. The university does not give any additional instructions for completing the assignments.
The results of the preliminary assignments are sent to applicants on 16 March 2023. Both the applicants that pass and those who fail the preliminary assignments are notified.
Applicants who pass the preliminary assignments proceed to the next stage, the intake assignments.
The intake assignments will be sent to applicants who have passed the preliminary assignments on 16 March 2023.
The intake assignments must be submitted by 30 March 2023 at 3 pm/15.00 (GMT +3:00). The intake assignments are submitted electronically to the Studyinfo service. Assignments that arrive after the deadline are not considered for evaluation.
The applicant must complete the intake assignments independently and without guidance. The university does not give any additional instructions for completing the assignments.
Invitations to interviews will be sent to applicants who have passed the intake assignments on 28 April 2023 at the latest. Information on rejection will also be sent to rejected applicants on 28 April 2023.
Invitations to interviews will be sent to applicants who have passed the intake assignments on 28 April 2023 at the latest. Information on rejection will also be sent to rejected applicants on 28 April 2023.
The interviews will be organised between 8-12 May 2023. The interview may include separate intake assignments.
The specific time and place of the interview is included in the invitation. The interviews are conducted via Zoom.
The final admission decision is based on the total score for the intake assignments and the interview. The maximum total score is 100 points.
If several applicants have the same score, the applicants will be ranked based on the following criteria:
If the score is still tied, all applicants with the same score are admitted.
For applicants completing an IB or EB degree, a foreign qualification giving eligibility to higher education studies or a Finnish vocational degree in spring 2023, the selection is conditional until the applicant submits a copy of the final diploma to Aalto University Admission Services. If the degree is not completed or the required documents are not delivered by the given deadline, the admission offer may be revoked. Please check the deadlines for delivering application documents under the section "Required application documents".
Required application documents must be uploaded to the online application form by the given deadlines. All applicants must fulfill the general eligibility requirements for higher education by providing the required documents.
Application documents are uploaded to the online application form in the Studyinfo service, preferably as PDF files. After you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. You can modify your application and upload documents to your application in the My Studyinfo service. If you cannot log in to the My Studyinfo service, you can modify your application and upload documents to your application via the link included in the confirmation email. You can make changes to the application form only during the application period. After the application period has ended, you can upload and modify your application documents until the document-specific deadlines. You can see the document-specific deadlines on the application form and from the degree-specific instructions below.
Instructions on how to apply (studyinfo.fi)
Submit a copy of your valid passport or some other government-issued identity card (with photo) including information on your citizenship as well as possible documents proving you are exempted from paying tuition fees by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm.
Please note! If you have Finnish citizenship, you do not have to submit a copy of your passport or identity card.
More information on liability to pay tuition fees can be found under the section Tuition fees and scholarships.
More information on tuition fees (aalto.fi).
If you have completed the Finnish matriculation examination in 1989 or earlier, upload copies of your diploma on the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2).
Please note that if you have completed the Finnish Matriculation examination in 1990 or later, you do not need to submit a copy of your diploma.
An IB diploma (the International Baccalaureate diploma) completed in an accredited IB school, granted by IBO
More information (ibo.org)If you have completed the IB diploma before the spring 2023, upload a copy of your diploma to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2).
If you are completing an IB diploma in the spring 2023, upload a predicted grades report to the online application form by 6 Apr 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3). Information on the official final grades must be delivered by 14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3).
If you are completing the IB diploma in spring 2023, you must order a Transcript of Grades document to be delivered to Aalto University directly from the IBO. Aalto University will check the final grades electronically from the IBO after the final results have been published. The final grades must arrive to Aalto University by 14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3).
An EB examination (the European Baccalaureate examination) completed in an accredited EB school More information (eursc.eu)
If you have completed the EB examination before spring 2023, upload a copy of your diploma to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2).
If you are completing the EB examination in spring 2023, upload a preliminary grades report to the online application form by 6 Apr 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3) and a copy of your final diploma by 14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3).
Deutsches Internationales Abitur diploma or Reifeprüfung diploma completed in Finland More information (dsh.fi)
If you have completed the DIA or RP diploma before spring 2023, upload a copy of your diploma to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2).
If you are completing a DIA diploma in spring 2023, upload a copy of your final grades report to the online application form by 6 Apr 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3).
Upper secondary education completed outside Finland (general or vocational), e.g. a high school diploma. The qualification must give eligibility to university-level studies in the country in question.
If you have completed the qualification before spring 2023, you are required to upload to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2)
If you are completing the qualification in spring 2023, you are required to upload to the online application form:
By 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2)
By 14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3)
More information on translations can be found below.
If you have completed the qualification before spring 2019, upload a copy of the final diploma to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2).
Please note, that if you have completed the qualification in 2019 or later, you do not need to submit a copy of your diploma.
If you are completing the qualification in spring 2023, it must be completed by 9 June 2023.
If you have completed the degree before spring 2023, you are required to upload to the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2)
A copy of the final degree certificate
Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English)
If you are completing the degree in spring 2023, you are required to upload to the online application form:
25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2)
A copy of the most recent transcript of records
Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English)
14 July 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +3)
A copy of the final degree certificate
Translations to Finnish, Swedish or English (if the original document is not in either Finnish, Swedish or English)
More information on translations can be found below.
All application documents must be available in Finnish, Swedish or English. If the original document was written in some other language, an official translation of the documents must be submitted.
The translation is official if it has been done by the educational institution that awarded the degree or by a certified translator (authorised translator). The certified translator’s stamp and/or signature must be on the translations.
Submit scanned copies of the official translations. In addition to translations, submit copies of the original documents in the original language; translations by themselves are insufficient.
The Finnish National Agency for Education (www.oph.fi/en) maintains a register of authorised translators who are based in Finland.
The language of instruction in Bachelor's Programme in Design is English, so all applicants are required to prove sufficient language skills. Without proving language proficiency, the applicant cannot be accepted to the programme.
Proficiency in English language can be proved with an official language test result or with a grade in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, IB, EB or DIA/RP diploma. Language proficiency cannot be proved with grades received in other national high school diplomas.
No language test is necessary for applicants who have completed their basic education (primary and secondary school), high school or a university degree in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. These applicants need to demonstrate their English language proficiency by submitting a degree certificate. If the education was completed in an EU/EEA country, the language of instruction must be clearly stated in the diploma or other official document issued by the school.
Please note that the deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
No language tests other than those mentioned below are accepted. If an applicant has taken several language tests, the best official score that is still valid and received by Aalto University by the deadline will be considered in the admission. You cannot combine scores from different test dates (e.g. TOEFL MyBest scores is not accepted).
A matriculation examination completed in Finland.
OR
Please note that if you are graduating in spring 2023 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00). It is not possible to deliver the language test result after the deadline.
An IB diploma (the International Baccalaureate Diploma) completed in an accredited IB school, granted by IBO
OR
Please note that if you are graduating in spring 2023 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00). It is not possible to deliver the language test result after the deadline.
For applicants completing an IB diploma in spring 2023, the selection is conditional until Aalto University Admission Services receives the official final grades from the IBO. If the final grades do not meet the language requirements, the admission offer may be revoked.
An EB examination (the European Baccalaureate examination) completed in an accredited EB school
OR
Please note that if you are graduating in spring 2023 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00). It is not possible to deliver the language test result after the deadline.
For applicants completing an EB examination in spring 2023 the selection is conditional until the applicant submits information on the final grades to Aalto University Admission Services. If the final grades do not meet the language requirements, the admission offer may be revoked.
Deutsches Internationales Abitur or Reifeprüfung diploma completed in Finland
OR
Please note that if you are graduating in spring 2023 and suspect that your English grade will not fulfill the language requirements, you can also prove your language proficiency with an official language test result. The deadline for delivering the official language test result to Aalto University is 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00). It is not possible to deliver the language test result after the deadline.
Also TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests are accepted.
Request your official score report to be sent from the test administrator to Aalto University reporting code 7364 (Score Report Recipient). Unofficial score reports sent by applicants will not be accepted, the results must be received electronically directly from the test administrator by the deadline. The scores are usually available within 1 to 2 weeks of sending the score report request.
The official TOEFL test result must be received by Aalto University by 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
TOEFL results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2023 admissions, the TOEFL test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 4 January 2021.
Also IELTS Indicator (Academic) and IELTS Online (Academic) tests are accepted.
Upload a PDF copy of the IELTS test report to your application form, if you have received the report already. The application form asks your Test Report Form (TRF) number, which is required for verifying the scores. If you have taken the IELTS Indicator test, mark your IELTS Indicator Score ID to the application form.
In addition, the electronic test report needs to be nominated to Aalto University in the test administrator's service. When booking the test, you can choose Aalto University as the Recognising Organisation to make your score available to Aalto University. The department is "Admission Services". If you have already taken the test, you need to contact your test centre and request the test administrator to send your electronic test report to Aalto University. See the instructions for sending IELTS results to nominated organisations (electronically) on the test administrator website. The results are verified electronically.
The official IELTS test result must be received by Aalto University by 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
IELTS results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2023 admissions, the IELTS test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 4 January 2021.
PTE test scores are sent via the test administrator’s electronic service. Log in to your PTE account and send your results to Aalto University in the test administrator’s service.
In addition, mark your Score Report Code to your application form. The Score Report Code contains 10 characters that are letters and numbers. The code can be found at the top of the report under the name of the test taker.
The official PTE test result must be received by Aalto University by 25 January 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
PTE A results are valid for two years starting from the test date. For 2023 admissions, the PTE A test result is valid if the test was taken on or after 4 January 2021.
OR
Log into the language test administrator's service and share your test results to Aalto University. Upload a PDF copy of your C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency results report to your application form. Your test taker's ID number (e.g. ABC1234567), Reference number (e.g. 173YU0034522) and Statement of results number must be entered to the application form. The results are verified electronically.
The official Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency test result must be received by Aalto University by 25 January 2023 at 3 pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
For the C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency test, only tests that can be verified online, i.e. tests taken after 2005, are accepted.
The National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) (in English) issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education:
Upload a PDF copy of the official YKI test result on the online application form by 25 Jan 2023 at 3pm/15.00 (GMT +2:00).
There is a tuition fee for students who are not citizens of the member states of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland. Tuition fees are charged in programmes taught in English.
Most non-EU/EEA citizens are required to pay tuition fees.
Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland are not required to pay tuition fees. In addition, tuition fees are not charged from applicants who possess any of the following documents:
The fee-exempting residence permit must be valid at the beginning of the academic year (1 August 2023).
If you are exempt from tuition fees on the grounds of your residence permit, upload a copy of both sides of your residence permit card to your online application form. A residence permit card in itself is not valid proof of identity. In addition, a copy of your valid passport, or national ID card where your citizenship is indicated, is required to prove your citizenship.
For more information about determining tuition fee liability and tuition fee exemptions, see Studyinfo (studyinfo.fi). For more information on residence permit card types, see the Finnish Immigration Service (migri.fi) website.
At Aalto university the tuition fee is €12 000 per academic year for Bachelor’s degree programmes and €15 000 per academic year for Master's degree programmes.
Aalto University has a scholarship programme to support non-EU/EEA citizens who study in a fee-charging degree programme. The number of scholarships is limited.
The scholarships are granted in the form of a tuition fee waiver, covering either 50% or 100% of the tuition fee. The scholarships do not cover living costs. Students are expected to cover living expenses (approx. EUR 800 per month) and other study related costs from their own financial resources.
Non-EU/EEA citizens who are liable to pay tuition fees can apply for the Aalto University scholarship. The applicants can apply for the scholarship at the same time they apply for a Bachelor's programme with the same application form during the application period. It is not possible to apply for the scholarship after the application period has ended.
At Aalto University in the admission to bachelor's programmes you can only receive one scholarship for one study option at Aalto University, including all fields of study (art and design, business and economics and science and engineering). You can still apply and be admitted to more than one study option. Please indicate on the application form your order of preference for your scholarship application for the study options at Aalto University.
The applicants are ranked based on the programme’s admission criteria and the best applicants liable to pay fees may be granted scholarships. If based on your success in the admission process you would be admitted to and granted a scholarship for several study options, in this case the scholarship will be granted to the study option you have placed as a higher preference. The scholarship decision is given together with the admission decision. No appeal may be lodged against a university decision pertaining to a scholarship.
Please note! The order of preference you indicate on the application form is binding and cannot be changed after the application period has ended. If you add or remove study options offered by Aalto University on your application form during the application period, please remember to adjust your order of preference accordingly.
You can find more information on scholarships and tuition fees at Scholarships and Fees (aalto.fi)
The admission results are published in the Studyinfo service by 2 June 2023. You can check the results by logging in to the My Studyinfo service. An electronic results letter is also sent to all applicants by email. If you cannot log in to the My Studyinfo service, please wait for the arrival of the results letter.
If you have been admitted to a study programme, you will receive a notification of this to your email. You must accept the offer of admission by the given deadline, or you will lose your offer. You can accept only one offer of admission per academic term. Accepting an offer of admission is a binding choice, and you cannot cancel or change your choice later. When you accept an offer of admission, all your other admission offers will be cancelled automatically.
Important information about accepting your study place offer and enrolment can be found at Studyinfo.
The right of appeal means that you have the possibility to request rectification if you believe that there has been an error in the decision-making process. The appeal should be submitted to the Registry of the university within 14 days after the publication of the decisions. In the appeal you should specify the reasons for it. The right of appeal is not intended as a means for receiving feedback or asking for further information about the application process.
More information and instructions for appealing against the admission decision will be updated in spring 2023.
More information and instructions for appealing against the admission decision
For the Bachelor's programme in Design in 2022 there were 642 applications and 42 new applicants were accepted.
Contact information and opening hours for Aalto University Admission Services can be found at the Contact information page.
Design is not linked purely physical objects but digital experiences and abstract concepts as well, enhancing its power to shape the world. Embracing these opportunities, the Bachelor’s Programme in Design prepares students for designing future products, services and systems in a creative and critical manner.