FAQ about applying
Here are answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions about applying to Xamk degree programmes:
- Degree programmes offered at Xamk
- Eligibility for studies
- Applying and admission results
- Documents required
- Entrance examinations
- Fees and scholarships
- Visa/Residence permit for studies
- Student housing
Did you not find an answer to your question? Please contact the Admission Services: admissions(a)xamk.fi.
General questions related to applying for higher education in Finland and the Studyinfo.fi service can be found at Studyinfo.fi
Degree programmes offered at Xamk
Xamk offers six bachelor’s degree programmes in English:
- Game Design (Bachelor of Culture and Arts),
- Digital International Business and Wellbeing Management (no intake in 2024) (Bachelor of Business Administration),
- Nursing (Bachelor of Health Care), two programmes (Kotka and Savonlinna)
- Environmental Engineering and Information Technology (Bachelor of Engineering).
There are three master’s degree programmes in English available:
- International Business Management (Master of Business Administration)
- Naprapathy (Master of Health Care)
- Rehabilitation (Master of Health Care)
Bachelor’s programmes in Environmental Engineering and Wellbeing Management are mostly delivered online. In Environmental Engineering, the second study year requires presence on the Xamk campus in Mikkeli. The second year studies in Wellbeing Management include 1-2 contact days in Mikkeli per semester.
Master’s study programme in Naprapathy is mostly delivered online. Including a few contact days located in Kotka and Stockholm. Rehabilitation studies are delivered fully online.
Also, all other degree programmes at Xamk include online studies but they cannot be completed without some presence on campus.
Short-term online courses in English are offered through Xamk Open UAS.
Eligibility for studies
International students are welcome apply for the study programmes when they meet the eligibility requirement.
You can apply for the bachelor’s studies with upper secondary school level qualification that provides eligibility for higher education studies in the country in question. You also meet the eligibility requirement with your prior bachelor’s or master’s degree.
For the master’s studies you need a suitable higher education degree and at least 2 years of subsequent work experience in the relevant field.
Only work experience obtained after completing the higher education degree can be considered: the work experience can be accumulated from the date of award of the higher education degree and obtained no later than 31 July (spring application) / 31 December (autumn application) in the year of applying.
The detailed requirements are confirmed for each application round and can be found on programme description (admission criteria) on Studyinfo service.
If you are graduating during the application process, you can apply with a temporary certificate. Your qualification needs to be completed in time for you to upload a copy of the final certificate to your application form on Studyinfo.fi by a given deadline (January application: mid-July, September application: mid-December).
Eligibility requirements on Xamk website
Please note that if you are under 18 years old when you start the studies in Finland, you are legally a minor and you can’t for example make a rental agreement for accommodation, electricity contract or open a bank account by yourself. Therefore, life in Finland as a minor student without parents can be very challenging.
To transfer from your current university to Xamk, you should apply for a study place using the regular application procedure (Joint Application). If you are admitted, you benefit from your prior university level studies in terms of credit transfer that you can apply in the beginning of studies.
The amount of credits that can be transferred depends on the content and extent of the prior studies, and how equal they are to the curriculum at Xamk.
Applying and admission results
You submit the application form online at Studyinfo.fi during the application period. In addition, you attach the required documents to the application form in electronic form (a good quality scan or photo of the document) by a set deadline.
In the joint application to higher education in Finland, you can use the same application form for applying to 1-6 study programmes in different Finnish higher education institutions.
The main application period is in January for studies beginning in August. In addition, some programmes open an application in September for studies beginning in January.
The higher education institutions in Finland publish admission results gradually according to their own schedules. Generally, all results in joint application in spring are published by the beginning of June and in the joint application in autumn by the end of November at the latest.
When you are offered a study place at Xamk, you will be notified of the admission by email.
In Joint Application, all applicants receive a notice of result by email when all results have been published. The notice includes information on the result and points in student selection for all study programmes you applied to.
Required documents
Many qualifications completed in Finland (Matriculation Examination, vocational qualifications from recent years and higher education degrees) are verified electronically from a national database, KOSKI service. A copy of the certificate is required on the application form for those qualifications that cannot be verified electronically.
If your qualification has been completed outside Finland, please upload a copy of your final qualification certificate to the application form. A temporary certificate can be used if you graduate during the application process.
In addition work certificates are required from all applicants for master’s studies and a document exempting from tuition fees, if applicable.
When the original document is not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, you always need to attach a copy of an official translation of the document as well.
You are also required to have an acceptable identification document for taking part in entrance exams.
Language certificates are required for admission based on the International UAS Exam. See the language requirements on UASinfo websites. This concerns all the degree programmes in January application round except Game Design, Naprapathy and Rehabilitation, for which the language skills are evaluated in the programme’s own entry exam.
If you apply with SAT test results, you don’t need a separate language certificate. Admission based on SAT possible for engineering/technology programmes in the 2024 application round.
Prior Finnish language skills are not required when applying to any of the degree programmes at Xamk.
No, it is not necessary. It is enough to upload the document copies to your application form. If you are admitted to study, you may be required to present the original documents at the beginning of your studies.
Entrance examinations
If the students for the degree programme you apply to are selected on the basis of the entrance examination, you need to take part in it.
The entry exams are organized online for all degree programmes conducted in English. Check the details for each application round and programme separately.
Entrance examinations and other selection methods
In case the entrance examination is based on pre-reading material or pre-tasks, you will be notified of them in the invitation letter. In addition, information is available on our website already during the application period.
The International UAS Exam used in many Bachelor’s programmes does not include any pre-material or pre-tasks. Information about this exam can be found at UASinfo.fi.
You can find example questions for the International UAS Exam on UASinfo website (see exam sections).
Previous years’ exams or sample questions for other entrance exams are not available for applicants, unfortunately.
For the January application round the examinations are organized during February-March and for the September application round in October-November.
Time for the exam is usually fixed and cannot be changed.
Many entrance exams are organised online and do not require travelling. If the study programme you apply to offers more than one examination location, you may select the examination location most convenient for you on the application form. It’s good to check the locations available from the UAS website before applying.
Fees and scholarships
For students from EU/EEA countries, the studies are offered free of charge. Tuition fees concern students from outside the EU/EEA .
Students liable to pay tuition fees may qualify for scholarships during their studies.
Details for the tuition fees and scholarship scheme for studies beginning in autumn 2024 will be published during autumn 2023.
The possibility for scholarships during studies is offered for students who are liable to pay tuition fees for their studies.
Details on the scholarship scheme available for studies beginning in autumn 2024 will be published during autumn 2023.
The deadline for paying the tuition fee for the first study year (without any discounts ) is the deadline for accepting the offer of admission. For other study years, the fee is to be paid by the end of the previous academic year, 31 July.
According to Xamk policy, the paid tuition fee can only be refunded in some cases, e.g. if a residence permit required for studies arranged on campus is not granted.
Tuition fees and scholarship scheme at Xamk (including refund policy)
Documents stating that a student is not liable to pay tuition fees must be valid when the semester starts on 1 January or 1 August. If your document is valid e.g. until November 2024, you are not liable to pay the tuition fee for the academic year 2024-2025. To continue the exemption to the next academic year, you will need to provide a new document by 31 July 2025.
You need to upload the document copy to your application form by the deadline for accepting the offer of admission at Xamk and be prepared to show the original document when starting your studies.
Visa/Residence permit for studies
If you come to Finland from outside the EU for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit. Since the studies leading to a degree last from 3,5 to 4 years, a residence permit is generally required. Residence permits for studies are issued by the Finnish Immigration Service.
Please note that online studies are not grounds for a student residence permit in Finland. Also, a residence permit for part-time studies may not be granted, as there are only some contact lesson days per month. In case the residence permit is not granted, the student may apply for a travel visa for the contact lesson days.
Student housing
Generally, the higher education institutions in Finland do not provide housing for students. The students may find housing from the private rent market but often the most convenient way to find accommodation for students from outside Finland is through the local student housing organisations.
Information on Xamk campus towns (e.g. student housing): Kotka, Kouvola, Mikkeli and Savonlinna.
Some student residences have basic furniture including a bed, desk, chair, and table and benches in the kitchen but not always. Students often make use of all the second-hand shops available for furnishing the residence and for other things they will need: mattress, pillow, blanket, dishes etc.
Please note that if you are under 18 years old when you start the studies in Finland, you are legally a minor and you can’t for example make a rental agreement for accommodation, electricity contract or open a bank account by yourself.