Tuition fees and Scholarships

Finnish higher education institutions charge tuition fees from students outside the EU/EEA area. The fees apply to degree programmes conducted in English. Further information on who is required to pay tuition fees is available on the Studyinfo.fi service.

Instructions for paying the tuition fee are provided to admitted students in the offer of admission. The tuition fee is paid online via Flywire.

Flywire provides a secure global payment network that simplifies paying your fees from your home country or from countries around the world. Payment options may include bank transfers, credit cards, e-wallets, and more, typically in your local currency in most countries.

The due date for the tuition fee is the same as the deadline for accepting the offer of admission.

The tuition fee for one academic year is paid in one instalment, and it is not possible to pay the fee in parts.

For degree programmes beginning in August, the tuition fee is paid for one academic year (two semesters) upon admission.

For degree programmes beginning in January, the tuition fee is paid as follows:

• the fee for the first semester (50% of the annual fee) is paid upon admission, and
• the standard academic year payment schedule (full annual fee) applies after the first semester.

You do not have to pay the tuition fee if you have one of these documents:

• Passport or identity card to indicate the citizenship of EU/EEA/Switzerland
• EU Blue Card in Finland
• Continuous residence permit card in Finland, Type A permit issued for purposes other than studies *
• EU Family Member’s Residence Card in Finland
• Permanent residence permit card in Finland, Type P permit
• EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (Type P-EU)
• 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
• Residence permit card on the basis of temporary protection in Finland

* If your first residence permit in Finland was granted for the purpose of studying, you are required to 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, and your family member originally came to Finland on a residence permit granted for studying, you are also required to pay tuition fees. Higher education institutions check all continuous residence permits (type A) from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).

Please note the following:

• You must upload a copy of the exempting document to your application form on Studyinfo.
• The exempting document must be valid when the semester starts, on 1 January or 1 August.
• A residence permit issued by another EU/EEA country is not sufficient grounds for exemption; only residence permits issued in Finland can be considered.
• Exemption is not possible based on a residence permit issued to, for example, a family member in Finland. The exempting document must be issued to you personally.
• Higher education institutions check all continuous residence permits (type A) with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). This may result in you receiving instructions to pay the application fee and tuition fee at a later stage of the application process.

Note: The refund policy is being updated. The updated policy for 2027 will be published by June 2026 at the latest.

The paid tuition fee can only be refunded in the following cases:

• a residence permit for the studies arranged on campus is not granted. The refund is possible also if you are not granted a visa for entering the country where you need to travel to prove your identity in person for the residence permit. In this case you must provide proof of a negative visa decision and a pending residence permit application certificate from Enter Finland service.
• your enrolment status is changed to non-attendant after paying the fee but before the enrolment deadline.
• you graduate during the autumn semester of the last study year after paying the fee for the whole year, in this case the fee paid for the spring semester is refunded.
• you receive a document that exempts you from the tuition fee during autumn semester, in this case the fee paid for the spring semester is refunded.
• you receive a document that exempts you from the tuition fee after paying the fee but before deadline for tuition fees and exempting documents.

Please note that the fee cannot be refunded if you

• withdraw your residence permit application, or
• transfer to another higher education institution or
• give up the study place at Xamk for some other reason before or after beginning the studies.

If you are entitled to a refund, contact the Student Affairs Advisor (contact information on the programme-specific instructions for new students) immediately when the situation arises. You will then receive instructions for submitting the refund request. Please note that the refund request must be submitted according to instructions, within a given time period (one month). Requests submitted late cannot be considered and the fee in that case is not refunded.

The tuition fee is charged by the higher education institution, and Xamk notifies the Finnish Immigration Service of paid tuition fees. However, if you need a residence permit for studies in Finland, you are also required to have sufficient financial means to support yourself during your studies, in addition to paying the tuition fee.

Currently, the required amount is EUR 9,600 for one academic year.

For more information, please see the Finnish Immigration Service website.

The Early Bird scholarship is a 10% discount on the tuition fee paid upon admission at Xamk.

You are eligible for the scholarship if you:

• accept the offer of admission from Xamk within seven days of receiving the admission notice, and
• pay the tuition fee within 21 days of receiving the admission notice.

August intake: The Early Bird scholarship applies to the full academic year fee (two semesters: autumn and spring).

January intake: The Early Bird scholarship applies to one semester fee (spring).

Please note that the Early Bird scholarship may not be available in all applications. The availability of the Early Bird scholarship and the exact deadlines are specified in the offer of admission.

During your studies, you can apply for a scholarship at the end of each academic year. If you demonstrate sufficient study progress, achieve a good grade average (3.0 or higher), and meet the attendance requirement (75% or more), you may receive a EUR 2,500 discount on the tuition fee for the following study year.

Sufficient study progress for the scholarship means completing 55 ECTS credits during the academic year. In degree programmes starting in January, you must complete 27 ECTS credits during the first semester to qualify for the scholarship. Only credits completed during the academic year are considered when assessing eligibility.

At least 60 ECTS credits are offered per academic year (1 August – 31 July), or 30 ECTS credits per academic semester (1 August – 31 December; 1 January – 31 July).

Grading scale:

• 5 = Excellent
• 3-4 = Good
• 1-2 = Satisfactory
• 0 = Failed
• H = Passed

The grade average used for the scholarship is the weighted average of the courses completed during the academic year.

More information on assessment of learning

Students who qualify for the scholarship based on study progress can further reduce the tuition fee for the following study year by being active in their local community in Finland. For the Xamk Award, you can participate in different activities that interest you, collect Xamk Award points, and, with enough points, apply for the Xamk Award.

Xamk Award activities

Xamk Award activities may include various extracurricular activities, such as:

• hobby clubs (as a participant or leader)
• volunteering
• extracurricular activities organised by Xamk’s integration support team
• community and student union activities
• gaining work experience

All activities must be completed in Finland. Activities must be carried out within an official association, organisation, club, or similar body. Independent activities without an official organiser are not accepted.

Xamk Award activity hours and points

• 10 activity hours = 1 Xamk Award point
• The maximum number of points awarded for a single activity is 6 points (60 hours).*

* Tutoring for the Student Union Kaakko includes 108 hours of work. Therefore, by being a tutor, you can complete 108 hours within one activity.

For work lasting more than four months, with a minimum average of 10 hours per week, you will be awarded five additional points. The workplace must be located in the South Savo or Kymenlaakso region. For work completed outside these regions, points are awarded according to the standard formula (maximum 60 hours). The total number of hours must be clearly documented.

Points and scholarships are calculated per academic year (1 August – 31 July).

When you qualify for the scholarship based on study progress, and accumulate

• 6 points: a EUR 300 tuition fee discount (20% study progress + 5% Xamk Award) and a bronze award certificate
• 15 points: a EUR 600 tuition fee discount (20% study progress + 10% Xamk Award) and a silver award certificate
• 30 points: a EUR 900 tuition fee discount (20% study progress + 15% Xamk Award) and a gold award certificate

If you started your studies in January, you will qualify for the Xamk Award by accumulating 3, 7, or 15 points, respectively.

Students who have collected the highest number of points will be publicly rewarded at an event organised annually.

Xamk reserves the right to verify the authenticity of activity timesheets. Xamk also reserves the right to make changes and adjust the criteria.

Additional reductions for the following academic year’s tuition fee may also be granted based on studies in Finnish language and culture. If you qualify for a scholarship based on study progress, you may additionally apply for a scholarship based on Finnish language and culture studies completed during the academic year.

The additional scholarship is EUR 500 per 5 ECTS credits completed in Finnish language and culture during your studies at Xamk, provided that you achieve a good grade (3.0 or higher). The maximum discount per academic year is EUR 1,000.

Students in bachelor’s degree programmes are generally offered 5–10 ECTS credits of Finnish language studies during their first and second study years. These studies start at beginner level and aim to reach basic language proficiency levels A1 and A2.

If you reach the intermediate proficiency level B1 in Finnish during your studies, you may receive a EUR 3,000 scholarship upon graduation. Reaching this proficiency level requires active language learning also outside the studies offered at Xamk.

This scholarship is paid upon graduation within the regular study time, once you have passed the National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) or the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates (VKT) in Finnish at the required proficiency level and attached a copy of the certificate to the scholarship application.

The YKI and VKT systems are Finland’s official language proficiency tests, and the certificates are used for various purposes, for example to demonstrate language skills when applying for a job in Finland.

The Early Bird scholarship is a 10% discount on the tuition fee paid upon admission at Xamk.

You are eligible for the scholarship if you:

• accept the offer of admission from Xamk within seven days of receiving the admission notice, and
• pay the tuition fee within 21 days of receiving the admission notice.

August intake: The Early Bird scholarship applies to the full academic year fee (two semesters: autumn and spring).

January intake: The Early Bird scholarship applies to one semester fee (spring).

Please note that the Early Bird scholarship may not be available in all applications. The availability of the Early Bird scholarship and the exact deadlines are specified in the offer of admission.

If you graduate during the regular study time and achieve a good grade average (3,5 or higher), you may receive a EUR 3,000 scholarship.

Grading scale:

• 5 = Excellent
• 3-4 = Good
• 1-2 = Satisfactory
• 0 = Failed
• H = Passed

The grade average used for the scholarship is the weighted average of the courses completed during the academic year.

More information on assessment of learning

If you reach the intermediate proficiency level B1 in Finnish during your studies, you may receive a EUR 3,000 scholarship upon graduation. Reaching this proficiency level requires active language learning outside the studies at Xamk.

This scholarship is paid upon graduation within the regular study time, once you have passed the National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) or the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates (VKT) in Finnish at the required proficiency level and attached a copy of the certificate to the scholarship application.

The YKI and VKT systems are Finland’s official language proficiency tests, and the certificates are used for various purposes, for example to demonstrate language skills when applying for a job in Finland.