Tuition fees for students from outside the EU/EEA area from 2017

Those who start their studies in 2016 or have started earlier will not be charged for their studies. The degree programmes conducted in Finnish will also remain free of charge regardless of the student’s citizenship.

The reason behind the decision is the change in the Act on Universities of Applied Sciences, which rendered foreign-language degree education chargeable to those who arrive in Finland to study from outside the EU/EEA area. The Act enabled universities of applied sciences to charge the fees from the beginning of 2016. The change in the Act obligates the universities of applied sciences to charge tuition fees from students who start their studies on 1 August 2017 or later.

At Turku University of Applied Sciences, the annual tuition fee has been set at EUR 9000. The pricing is based on covering the expenses created by the education and on an international comparison of prices. The grant system required by the law is based on supporting students’ success in studies. By completing 55 ECTS credits per year, the student will be refunded a third of the fee.

IB, ICT and Nursing

At the moment, Turku University of Applied Sciences has two degree programmes for which people can in practice apply from outside the EU and EEA countries: International Business (IB) and Information Technology (ICT). In 2015, 27 students from outside the EU/EEA area started their studies in the IB programme and in ICT, 31 students. 

The third degree programme conducted in English, Nursing, has already earlier decided to add moderate Finnish skills as an application criterion. Due to this, applicants from outside the EU/EEA area are unlikely to apply for the programme in future.