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Tuition fees and tuition waivers

Last modified: 08.06.2026

Funding your studies

As a degree student at UEF, you are responsible for covering your tuition fees and living expenses throughout your studies. Make sure you have secured sufficient funding for the entire duration of your degree before you leave your home country. UEF does not offer financial support or emergency aid for students facing financial difficulties. Your programme coordinator is your primary contact for questions about tuition fees and tuition waivers.

Tuition waivers

Your acceptance letter states whether you have been granted a tuition waiver or a UEF Scholarship. Not all students receive one. If you have a tuition waiver or a UEF Scholarship, it is valid for a limited time:

Master’s programmes: up to two academic years (4 semesters)
Bachelor’s programmes: up to three academic years (6 semesters)

If you do not complete your degree within this time frame, your tuition waiver will end. After that, you will need to pay the full tuition fee to continue your studies.

Paying your tuition fee

If you were selected in the 2025 or 2026 intake you must pay your annual tuition fee by 31 August. Instructions are further down on this page.
If you were selected in 2024 or earlier: you will receive your payment instructions directly from your programme coordinator.
If you do not pay your tuition fee on time, your study right will be suspended. To continue your studies, you will need to apply to have your study right reinstated.

Can you apply for a tuition waiver during your studies? The Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waiver is available to tuition-fee-paying students who meet the required criteria. You can find the criteria and instructions further down on this page.

Good to know: UEF is required to notify the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) if you do not start your studies or if you withdraw. Keep in mind that your student residence permit is always granted for full-time studies, and Migri monitors your academic progress, including completed credits.

Are you studying in a special agreement programme? Programmes such as Erasmus Mundus and Joint Degree Programmes have their own scholarship arrangements, and exceptions may apply. Your programme will provide you with more details.

First year tuition fee payment

Your first tuition fee payment

To make your first payment, use the link and information you received with your acceptance letter. When paying, enter your Studyinfo Learner Number / ID and student name exactly as they appear in your acceptance letter.

Key details:

The tuition fee for Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes is 10 000 € per academic year.
You must pay your annual tuition fee by 31 August.
You can choose to pay in one or two instalments.
If you pay in two instalments (1st for the autumn semester, 2nd for the spring semester), you must pay both instalments by 31 August.

Save 500 € with the Early Bird deduction

As a new student, you can receive a 500 € Early Bird deduction if you:

Accept your study place in Studyinfo, and
Pay at least your first instalment (autumn) via Flywire by 10 June 2026

Payment options and amounts

Pay your tuition fee through the Flywire payment platform: uef.flywire.com

If you have been granted a tuition waiver, your acceptance letter will state this. Check the required amount carefully before paying.

Option	Instalments	50 % tuition waiver	30 % tuition waiver	No tuition waiver	Due date(s) 2026
Early Bird 1	One	€4 500	€6 500	€9 500	10 June
Early Bird 2	Two	€2 000 + €2 500	€3 000 + €3 500	€4 500 + €5 000	10 June + 31 August
No Early Bird 1	One	€5 000	€7 000	€10 000	31 August
No Early Bird 2	Two	€2 500 + €2 500	€3 500 + €3 500	€5 000 + €5 000	31 August

Need help with the payment platform? Flywire's customer service is available 24/7 via chat on their website.

Please note: UEF does not accept cash payments.

Read always: UEF refund policy

Second year tuition fee payment

The annual tuition fee for international Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes is 10 000 €. If you have been granted a tuition waiver of 30 % or 50 %, this is stated in your acceptance letter. You must pay your tuition fee by 31 August. You can pay in one or two instalments. If you choose two instalments (one for the autumn semester, one for the spring semester), both must be paid by 31 August. When making your payment, enter your Studyinfo Learner Number / ID and student name exactly as they appear in your acceptance letter.

Payment options

Pay through the Flywire payment platform: uef.flywire.com

Option 1: Single payment (due 31 August)

€5 000 – 50 % tuition waiver
€7 000 – 30 % tuition waiver
€10 000 – no tuition waiver

Option 2: Two instalments (both due by 31 August)

€2 500 + €2 500 – 50 % tuition waiver
€3 500 + €3 500 – 30 % tuition waiver
€5 000 + €5 000 – no tuition waiver

Need help with your payment? Flywire's customer service is available 24/7 via chat on their website.

Please note: UEF does not accept cash payments.

Read always: UEF refund policy

Deferring the start of studies, enrolment and scholarships in the first academic year

Registration in your first academic year

You must register as either present or absent at the beginning of each academic year during the university's registration period. In your first academic year, you can register as absent only for reasons listed in section 39 of the Universities Act. You will need to verify the reason with a certificate and deliver it to the customer service of Student and Learning Services according to the provided instructions and deadlines.

What happens if you do not register? If you do not register as either present or absent during the registration period, you will be removed from the student register. To continue your studies, you will need to apply for reinstatement of your study right and pay a processing fee.

Deferring your tuition waiver or UEF Scholarship

If you cannot start your studies in your first academic year, you may be able to defer your tuition waiver or UEF Scholarship. Deferral is possible only for the following reasons:

1. Statutory reasons (Universities Act, section 39)

You must verify the reason with a certificate and deliver it to the customer service of Student and Learning Services according to the provided instructions and deadlines.

2. A force majeure situation that affects you personally

This includes events such as:

war or natural disaster
interruption of general energy supply
death of a close family member (spouse, child or parent)
restrictions imposed by national legislation

You must submit a written clarification to your programme coordinator.

3. You have not yet received your residence permit

Your residence permit must have been applied for by 31 July. You must submit a written clarification to your programme coordinator.

you have not yet completed any studies, or
you have completed a maximum of 5 ECTS remotely

What happens if you cannot defer your tuition waiver / UEF Scholarship? If none of the above reasons apply to you, you will lose your tuition waiver or UEF Scholarship. You can continue your studies by paying the full tuition fee.

When is the latest you can start your studies? You must start your studies by the beginning of the academic year following your selection. If you start your studies more than one year after your selection, you will need to pay the full tuition fee.

See also: UEF refund policy

Registration being absent during studies and scholarships

Registration after your first academic year

Please, follow the registration instructions in Kamu.

How does registering as absent affect your scholarship?

If you have already started your studies, you can defer your tuition waiver or UEF Scholarship for the second or subsequent academic years only for the following reasons:

Statutory reason (as defined in section 39 of the Universities Act)
Force majeure situation that affects you personally

If your reason for absence is something else, your scholarship will not continue. However, your study right will remain valid, and you can continue your studies by paying the full tuition fee.

Tuition waiver extension

Can you extend your tuition waiver?

If your studies or graduation have been delayed for reasons beyond your control, you can apply for an extension to your tuition waiver. What you need to know about the extension:

You must apply for the extension yourself.
The extension is granted in months, up to two semesters at a time.
The extension may cover your tuition fee in part or in full.
The amount and duration are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Please, see instructions from KAMU.

Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waiver

The Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waiver encourages you to learn Finnish and immerse yourself in Finnish culture beyond the courses required by your degree programme. The aim is to support you as you integrate into Finnish society and the local working environment. Important: You can only apply for the waiver after you have fulfilled the requirements. Questions? Contact [email protected]

The waiver always applies to the following semester:

If you complete the requirement in autumn → apply for the spring semester waiver
If you complete the requirement in spring → apply for the autumn semester waiver

Are you eligible?

To apply, you must meet all of the following criteria:

You are enrolled in an international Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme at UEF.
You are required to pay tuition fees (citizens of non-EU/EEA countries without permanent residence in Finland).
You do not already have a 100 % tuition waiver (e.g. UEF Scholarship).
Finnish or Swedish was not the language of your secondary education, and you had limited or no Finnish skills when you started your studies.
You have actively pursued your studies at UEF during your first or second academic year, as shown in your study register.
You have not previously received a Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waiver from UEF.
Your Finnish language skills have improved or been tested while enrolled at UEF. Achievements before your enrolment are not considered.

Two waiver options

You can apply for one of the following options. The waiver can be awarded only once (either A or B) and covers one semester (autumn or spring).

Option A: Certification-based tuition waiver (100 %)

You are eligible if you have passed one of the following while enrolled at UEF: National Certificate of Language Proficiency in Finnish (YKI test) at intermediate level 3 or 4 (all levels), OR Civil Service Language Proficiency Examination in Finnish (VKT) with satisfactory written and oral skills. Waiver value: 100 % of one semester’s tuition fee (€4 000–€5 000 depending on your programme).

Option B: Study-based tuition waiver (50 %)

You qualify if you complete one of the following at UEF: “Suomi 3” course (or higher) at the University of Eastern Finland, OR at least 15 ECTS credits of Finnish as a Second Language (S2) studies at the University of Eastern Finland during your degree studies, demonstrating progression in your language studies (new). Waiver value: 50 % of semester’s tuition fee (€2,000–€2,500 depending on programme)

Progression means that the entire 15 ECTS credits cannot consist solely of courses at levels A1.1–A1.3. The Finnish as a Second Language courses offered by the University of Eastern Finland are listed below in Figure 1.

**Figure 1.** The tuition waiver requirements are fulfilled when a student successfully completes at least 15 ECTS credits from among these courses in Figure 1. In addition, integrated Finnish as a Second Language (S2) courses offered within functionally bilingual degree programmes are recognized as fulfilling this requirement. The Language Centre may update the course offering during the academic year.

How to apply?

Submit your application only during these periods. Applications received before or after the application window will not be processed. All applications are reviewed together after the window closes. The application periods are the same every year:

15 November – 15 December → waiver for the spring semester (decision by 15 January)
15 June – 15 August → waiver for the autumn semester (decision by 15 September)

Submit your application

Apply via this e-form.

The form is only open during the application period. If you are eligible, the waiver will be granted. Make sure you provide clear documentation and evidence with your application.

What you need for the application

Your name and study right number
Name of your degree programme
Your email address
The waiver option you are applying for (A or B)

Option A: Certificate from the YKI test or VKT test
Option B: Transcript of records showing Suomi 3 or a higher-level course. Download your official digitally signed transcript from Atomi (available in Peppi).

Clarifications

Finnish language courses at UEF Finnish language courses must be completed in order – you cannot take two courses of different levels at the same time. Completing the path from Suomi 1A to Suomi 3 takes approximately 1.5 to 2 years. Several course groups are offered during the academic year, but some groups have a limited number of seats. If you have previously studied Finnish, take the Language Centre’s placement test to find the right course for your level.

Your total tuition waiver cannot exceed 100 % of one semester’s tuition fee. For example, if you already have a 50 % tuition waiver and receive a 100 % Finnish Proficiency Tuition Waiver, your total waiver is capped at 100 % – not 150 %. The extra amount will not be compensated or transferred to a future semester.

If you have already paid for both semesters and receive a waiver for the spring semester, you can request a refund for the amount covered by the waiver. The waiver always applies to the following semester – you cannot apply retroactively. Only Finnish language courses completed at UEF are eligible.

You can submit your application if the grading is still in progress or the results are not yet in Peppi. In that case, take a screenshot of your course registration and upload it to the e-form. Important: Simply registering for a course does not make you eligible. For example, if you register for Suomi 3 in the spring, you cannot apply for the waiver for that spring semester. You would apply for the following autumn semester instead.

15 ECTS credits of Finnish as a Second Language (S2) studies requirement:

The required 15 ECTS credits must consist of Finnish as a Second Language studies offered by the University of Eastern Finland (see Figure 1). Finnish language studies previously completed at another Finnish higher education institution do not, as a rule, count towards the 15 ECTS minimum requirement for the tuition waiver.

The Finnish Profiency tuition waiver may be applied for only after the student has successfully completed at least 15 ECTS credits of Finnish as a Second Language studies at the University of Eastern Finland. The scholarship is always awarded for the following semester.
The tuition waiver cannot be applied for based solely on course enrolments or if part of the 15 ECTS requirement remains incomplete.
- For example, if a student has completed 10 ECTS credits during the autumn semester and intends to complete the remaining 5 ECTS credits during the spring semester, they may apply for the tuition waiver after the spring semester and for the following autumn semester.
- If an individual course included in the 15 ECTS requirement is still awaiting assessment during the application period, the student may submit an application. All completed studies will be verified from the study register.
S2 studies completed through the Open University of the University of Eastern Finland before admission to a degree programme may, upon the student’s request, be copied to the student’s degree study right. The Language Centre is responsible for the transfer. Such studies may be included either in the compulsory language studies or in the S2 minor subject studies.
Up to 5 ECTS credits completed elsewhere may be included in the 25 ECTS Finnish as a Second Language minor subject. This exception applies only when the student has completed the entire 25 ECTS minor subject and is applying for the scholarship on the basis of that completed minor. The inclusion of such studies is administered by the Language Centre.

Finnish language courses have a limited number of places. The University cannot guarantee that all students will be able to complete their desired number of credits within their preferred schedule. Places are allocated in the order of registration unless otherwise specified.

Tuition fees and tuition waivers are reviewed annually and are subject to change.