1. Higher education degree or studies
You can demonstrate proficiency in Finnish or Swedish with a higher education degree, if you have completed one of the following:
- a higher education degree taught in Finnish/Swedish
- a thesis (or written final project) of a higher education degree in Finnish/Swedish
- an approved higher education maturity essay in Finnish/Swedish
- a higher education degree with Finnish/Swedish (or equivalent studies) as your major
- at least 60 credits (or 35 older credits, i.e. ‘study weeks’) in the Finnish/Swedish language
- as part of a higher education degree, a grade of at least Good in the language test or studies for demonstrating proficiency in oral and written Finnish/Swedish as a national language of Finland
If the proficiency in Finnish/Swedish is demonstrated with the higher education degree providing eligibility to apply in the doctoral admissions, no additional proof of language proficiency needs to be submitted. If language proficiency is demonstrated with another higher education degree, upload scanned colour copies of the degree certificate and transcript of records in PDF format to your application form.
2. Basic education in Finland, or an upper secondary school final examination or other examination conferring eligibility for higher education, if Finnish/Swedish as a mother tongue is with a passing grade in the school leaving certificate.
3. Finnish matriculation examination, one of the following:
- Mother tongue test in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least approbatur (A)
- Finnish/Swedish as a second language with a grade of at least approbatur (A)
- Advanced-syllabus-level Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least eximia cum laude approbatur (E)
- Intermediate-syllabus-level Finnish/Swedish with a grade of laudatur (L)
4. IB diploma, one of the following:
- Language A syllabus in Finnish/Swedish (literature / language and literature / literature and performance) with a grade of at least 2
- Language B syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 5
- For an IB diploma, earned before 2013, Language A1 syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 2 or the A2 syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 5
5. EB diploma, one of the following:
- Language 1 (L1) syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 4, if exam is completed before 2021
- Language 1 (L1) syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 5,00, if exam is completed in 2021 or after
- Language 2 (L2) syllabus in Finnish/Swedish with a grade of at least 7
6. Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) examination at the Deutsche Schule Helsinki, one of the following:
- Finnish as a mother tongue with the grade of 4
- Finnish as a second language with a grade of at least 8
- Oral test in Finnish as a mother tongue with a grade of at least 8
7. Kulkuri School of Distance Education: passing the amount of studies equivalent to Finland’s basic education syllabus in the subject of Finnish
8. National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) (Finnish/Swedish) issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education at intermediate level 4 in all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking), or alternatively, completing at least three of the subtests at advanced level (levels 5 and 6). Subtests from different test sittings may be combined.
9. Civil service language proficiency certificate (Finnish/Swedish) with a grade of at least Good.
8. TISUS (Test i svenska för universitetsstudier) examination in Swedish: passing all components of the test
Submitting proof of proficiency in Finnish or Swedish
If the language proficiency is demonstrated with the higher education degree providing eligibility to apply in the doctoral admissions, no additional proof of language proficiency needs to be submitted.
If language proficiency is demonstrated through the Finnish matriculation examination, upload a copy of your diploma to your electronic application form.
If the language proficiency is demonstrated with basic education, an upper secondary school final examination or other examination conferring eligibility for higher education, upload a copy of your school leaving certificate or certificate of graduation, that includes the language grade, to your online application form.
For the National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI), civil service language proficiency certificate or TISUS test, a certified paper copy of the test result is required. The certified paper copy must be submitted to Aalto University by mail or in person.