Finland's Tuition Fees for Canadian Students and How to Apply on Studyinfo.fi

What Finnish universities charge Canadian students

Canada holds no EU or EEA membership, so Finland treats you as a fee-paying student at both universities (yliopisto) and universities of applied sciences, or UAS (ammattikorkeakoulu). English-taught bachelor's degrees typically run 8,000 to 13,000 euros a year, and some programs reach 18,000 euros. Master's fees sit in a similar range, and technical or business fields tend to charge more than humanities and social science. Check each program page on Studyinfo.fi for the exact figure before you apply, since tuition varies by institution and field, a bill that at least is shrinking for one neighbour now that Norway is rolling back its non-EU tuition fees from August 2026.

Universities also charge a mandatory student union membership, around 50 euros a year. UAS student union membership is optional. Neither figure covers your living costs, health insurance, or housing deposit, so budget separately for those, and settle your currency exchange strategy for paying foreign tuition without losing money to fees before transferring any of it.

The Studyinfo.fi application fee

From 1 January 2025, applicants who are not citizens of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland pay a 100 euro application fee to apply for a place at Finnish higher education institutions, according to Studyinfo . Pay the fee through the Studyinfo.fi application system as part of the process. The fee is non-refundable even if you do not receive an offer, so confirm you meet the entry requirements for a program before you commit.

Two joint application rounds

Finland runs higher education admissions through a joint application system on Studyinfo.fi, and you can list up to six programs on one application. Most English-taught bachelor's and master's programs sit inside the main round, which opens in January for studies starting the following autumn. The January 2026 round listed close to 300 English-taught options across bachelor's and master's level, according to Study in Finland .

A second, smaller round opens in September, mostly for programs with a January intake. Far fewer English-taught programs use this round, so check each institution's page rather than assuming your program runs it. Miss the January round for an autumn start and you generally wait a full year for the next one, so mark the deadline early, well ahead of when Sweden's own universityadmissions.se application window closes, since the two systems don't run on identical calendars.

How to apply, step by step

1. Search programs on Studyinfo.fi and shortlist up to six, ranked by preference.

2. Gather transcripts, degree certificates, and English proficiency proof (IELTS or TOEFL, unless your prior education was in English).

3. Submit the joint application inside the January window and pay the 100 euro fee, a deadline that falls earlier in the cycle than Denmark's own optagelse.dk Quota 2 deadline.

4. Complete any program-specific entrance exam or additional task the institution requests.

5. Wait for results, usually released by early summer for an autumn start, then confirm your place and pay any tuition deposit the institution asks for.

6. Apply for your Finnish residence permit for students once you hold a confirmed study place.

Scholarships and tuition waivers

Individual institutions, not the government, fund most scholarships for non-EU students, and Study in Finland lists waivers covering 25 to 100 percent of tuition, based on academic merit, though whether that still nets out to a good deal is its own question, one covered directly in Finland's non-EU tuition versus scholarship coverage for Canadians in 2026. Some universities, including the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Helsinki , consider you for a scholarship automatically when you submit your program application, with no separate form. UAS institutions such as Metropolia, Haaga-Helia, and JAMK run similar tuition fee scholarships, often covering half to all of the fee for strong applicants. Read the scholarship terms on each program page before you apply, since renewal conditions, such as a minimum credit load each year, differ by school, a pattern that shows up across the region in scholarship schemes Canadian students can apply to across the Nordics.

How long a Finnish degree takes

Bachelor's degrees in Finland run 3 years (180 ECTS credits) at universities and typically 3.5 to 4 years at universities of applied sciences, which build in a work placement. Master's degrees run 2 years (120 ECTS credits) at both types of institution. Multiply your annual tuition figure by the full degree length when you budget, not just year one, since Finland does not offer a reduced first-year rate at most schools outside an explicit early-bird scholarship.

Budget beyond tuition

Set aside money for a residence permit application fee, housing (student housing foundations run their own queues in cities such as Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku), and everyday living. Apply for student housing as soon as you accept your offer, since the best-located rooms fill first in university cities. Non-EU students on a long enough residence permit to register as a Finnish resident typically qualify for Kela, the national health insurance system, while shorter stays need private insurance for the full program length. Confirm the exact threshold and required documents with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) before you travel, since the rule ties to your specific permit type and length.