Tuition Fees and Cost of Living for Students in Finland
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 03, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Country & City Guides, Money & Budgeting
Part of the guide Tuition Fees and Cost of Living for Students in Europe by Country
Studying in Finland is free of tuition if you hold EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship. Everyone else pays 8,000-20,000 EUR a year for Bachelor's and Master's programmes taught in English, and every student, regardless of nationality, needs about 900-1,200 EUR a month to live on.
💶 EU/EEA/Swiss citizens: no tuition fee at public universities or UAS.
💶 Other nationalities: 8,000-20,000 EUR/year, doctoral study stays free for everyone.
📩 Non-EU/EEA applicants also pay a 100 EUR one-time application fee.
🏠 Migri's minimum living cost requirement for a residence permit: 800 EUR/month.
Realistic budget: 900-1,200 EUR/month for rent, food and travel.
Student union fee: 50-70 EUR/year. Student healthcare fee: about 70 EUR/year.
Who pays tuition
Finland keeps public higher education free of tuition for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, at both universities and universities of applied sciences. If you hold citizenship in one of these countries you pay no tuition fee for a Bachelor's or Master's degree, whatever your nationality mix or where you grew up, as long as you hold the qualifying citizenship.
Everyone else pays tuition for Bachelor's and Master's programmes taught in English. According to Study in Finland , fees for non-EU/EEA/Swiss students typically run 8,000-20,000 EUR per academic year, set individually by each institution and programme.
Two real examples show the range in practice: LAB University of Applied Sciences charges 11,000 EUR/year for Bachelor's programmes, while Turku University of Applied Sciences charges 12,000 EUR/year for English-taught degrees starting from January 2026. Doctoral study is the one exception that stays tuition-free for every student, regardless of nationality.
Application fee
Since 1 January 2025, applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay a 100 EUR application fee when submitting through Studyinfo.fi, confirmed by the Finnish National Agency for Education . This fee is separate from tuition and does not guarantee admission. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not pay it.
Compulsory fees for every student
Tuition status aside, all degree students join their institution's student union, which charges an annual membership fee of roughly 50-70 EUR, according to Study in Finland . Membership gives you discounted meals, transport and healthcare. On top of that, degree students pay a student healthcare fee of about 70 EUR a year, which covers access to the national student health service.
Monthly cost of living
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) sets 800 EUR per month, or 9,600 EUR per year, as the minimum proof of funds required for a student residence permit, per Study in Finland . Treat this as a legal floor, not a realistic budget.
The same source recommends planning for 900-1,200 EUR a month once you account for rent, food, transport and everyday costs, with the higher end applying to Helsinki and the lower end to smaller university cities.
| Cost item | Typical monthly range |
|---|---|
| Rent (student housing, shared room) | from around 300 EUR |
| Rent (student housing, studio) | from around 480 EUR |
| Migri minimum requirement | 800 EUR |
| Recommended total budget | 900-1,200 EUR |
Rent figures above come from HOAS , the student housing foundation for the Helsinki region, and represent entry-level prices rather than an average. Smaller cities generally run cheaper than Helsinki for both student housing and private rentals.
Budgeting takeaway
Add up your tuition status, compulsory fees and monthly living costs before you commit. An EU/EEA/Swiss student pays no tuition but still needs 900-1,200 EUR a month to live, plus around 120-140 EUR a year in union and healthcare fees.
A non-EU/EEA student adds 8,000-20,000 EUR a year in tuition and a one-time 100 EUR application fee on top of the same living costs. Do not rely on part-time work to close the gap. Study in Finland flags that student jobs pay too little and are too limited in hours to cover tuition and living costs together.
Working while you study
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can work in Finland without restriction, on the same terms as Finnish citizens, so a part-time job can supplement your budget freely. Non-EU/EEA students on a study residence permit face a work hour limit of an average 30 hours a week across the year (up to 1,560 hours annually). This cap now applies during holidays and non-teaching periods too, since unrestricted holiday work no longer applies, according to Migri .
Work directly tied to your degree, such as a required internship or thesis work for an employer, does not count against this limit. Treat any part-time income as a top-up to your budget, not as your main funding source, since Finnish minimum wage levels and limited student job hours rarely cover tuition and full living costs together.
Insurance
Non-EU/EEA students need proof of valid health insurance to get a residence permit, since public healthcare access for this group is more limited than for residents. EU/EEA/Swiss students can generally use a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or equivalent for the public system while studying in Finland. Confirm exact insurance requirements with Migri and your university's international office before you travel, since requirements are tied to your permit application rather than your tuition status.
City cost differences
Helsinki sits at the expensive end of the national range for both rent and general living costs, followed by other large cities such as Tampere, Turku and Espoo. Smaller university towns generally cost noticeably less, particularly for rent, which is usually the largest line in a student budget. If your budget is tight, weigh a smaller city with a lower cost of living against Helsinki's larger job market and wider English-taught programme choice.