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.

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.

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. With sufficient study progress, you may receive a 20% 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. However, in degree programmes beginning in January, you must complete 27 ECTS credits during the first semester to qualify for the scholarship. Only studies (credits) completed during the academic year are considered when assessing eligibility for the scholarship.

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

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 25% tuition fee discount (20% study progress + 5% Xamk Award) and a bronze award certificate
• 15 points: a 30% tuition fee discount (20% study progress + 10% Xamk Award) and a silver award certificate
• 30 points: a 35% 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 are also available based on studies completed in Finnish language and culture. If you qualify for the scholarship based on study progress, you can additionally apply for a scholarship based on Finnish language and culture studies completed during the academic year in question.

The additional scholarship that you can apply for after each study year is worth EUR 200 per 5 ECTS credits completed in Finnish language and culture during your studies at Xamk.

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 the beginner level and aim to reach the basic language proficiency levels A1 and A2. Students in Master’s degree programmes can also include Finnish language courses in their personal study plan.

If you reach the intermediate proficiency level B1 in Finnish during your studies, you may receive a EUR 5,000 scholarship upon graduation. Reaching this proficiency level requires active language learning also outside the studies offered at Xamk.

This scholarship is paid upon graduation, 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.

Higher education institutions may, at their own discretion, grant scholarships for humanitarian reasons. Such scholarships can be used to offset the tuition fee, meaning that the tuition fee does not need to be paid.

Xamk offers a scholarship for humanitarian reasons to citizens of Ukraine for the academic year 2026–2027. This scholarship is an exemption from the tuition fee for the academic year in question.

You do not need to apply for this scholarship separately. It is granted automatically based on proof of citizenship provided in your application (passport ID data page). On the application form on Studyinfo, you are asked whether you have a document that exempts you from paying the tuition fee. This question is common to all universities, and selecting the option “I don’t have any of the above-mentioned documents” will not cause any problems with being granted the scholarship for humanitarian reasons at Xamk.

When you have gained admission for the autumn semester 2026 (August 2026 intake)

Tuition fee for the first study year

Pay the tuition fee for the first study year. The tuition fee covers two semesters of studies (August 2026 – July 2027). Exact deadlines are given in the offer of admission.

Tuition fee with the Early Bird scholarship:

• EUR 9,630 (Bachelor’s degrees)
• EUR 12,150 (Master’s degrees)
  Condition: accept the offer of admission within one week of the admission decision and pay the tuition fee within three weeks of the admission decision.

Full tuition fee:

• EUR 10,700 (Bachelor’s degrees)
• EUR 13,500 (Master’s degrees)

Payment deadline for the full tuition fee:

• if admitted through Rolling Admission: the full tuition fee must be paid within three weeks of admission
• if admitted through the Joint Application: by 9 July 2026

Scholarships during the academic year 2026–2027

Apply for scholarships based on studies and activities completed during the academic year 2026–2027 with one application by 31 July 2027 at the latest.

You may submit the application earlier if:

• the required credit amount (55 ECTS credits or more) and Finnish language studies completed during the academic year have been registered, and
• all Xamk Award activities to be included in the application have been documented.

You will be informed of the tuition fee to be paid for the academic year 2027–2028 in the scholarship decision. The amount depends on the scholarships granted to you. The scholarship decision is made by 15 August 2027.

You must pay the tuition fee for the academic year 2027–2028 by 31 August 2027.

Examples of tuition fees for other study years based on granted scholarships

• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress (20% discount), you pay:
  EUR 8,560 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 10,800 (Master’s degrees)
• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress and 10 points for the Xamk Award (25% discount), you pay:
  EUR 8,025 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 10,125 (Master’s degrees)
• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress, 20 points for the Xamk Award (30% discount), and have completed 10 ECTS credits of Finnish language studies during the year (EUR 200 / 5 ECTS credits), you pay:
  EUR 7,090 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 9,050 (Master’s degrees)

When you have gained admission for the spring semester 2026 (January 2026 intake)

Tuition fee for the first study semester

Pay the tuition fee for the first study semester. The tuition fee covers one semester of studies (January – July 2026). Exact deadlines are given in the offer of admission.

Tuition fee with the Early Bird scholarship:

• EUR 4,815 (Bachelor’s degrees)
• EUR 6,075 (Master’s degrees)
  Condition: accept the offer of admission within one week of the admission decision and pay the tuition fee within three weeks of the admission decision.

Please note that the Early Bird price is available only in Rolling Admission, not in Autumn Joint application.

Full tuition fee:

• EUR 5,350 (Bachelor’s degrees)
• EUR 6,750 (Master’s degrees)

Payment deadline for the full tuition fee:

• if admitted through Rolling Admission: the full tuition fee must be paid within three weeks of admission
• if admitted through the Joint Application: by 27 November 2025

Scholarships for the spring semester 2026

Apply for scholarships based on studies and activities completed during the spring semester 2026 with one application by 31 July 2026 at the latest.

You may submit the application earlier if:

• the required total credit amount (27 ECTS credits or more) and Finnish language studies completed during the academic year have been registered, and
• all Xamk Award activities to be included in the application have been documented.

You will be informed of the tuition fee to be paid for the academic year 2026–2027 in the scholarship decision. The amount depends on the scholarships granted to you. The scholarship decision is made by 15 August 2026.

You must pay the tuition fee for the academic year 2026–2027 by 31 August 2026.

Examples of tuition fees for other study years based on granted scholarships

• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress (20% discount), you pay:
  EUR 8,560 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 10,800 (Master’s degrees)
• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress and 6 points for the Xamk Award (25% discount), you pay:
  EUR 8,025 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 10,125 (Master’s degrees)
• If you are granted the scholarship based on study progress, 8 points for the Xamk Award (30% discount), and have completed 5 ECTS credits of Finnish language studies during the semester (EUR 200 / 5 ECTS credits), you pay:
  EUR 7,290 (Bachelor’s degrees) / EUR 9,250 (Master’s degrees).