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You may contact us in all matters related to studying in Finland. We are happy to answer your questions.
Table of Contents
General application process
We recommend you to apply to only one university and degree program per application period. If you have submitted multiple applications, we will process only the most recent one. You can apply for 2 programs per each application period.
Yes, you may apply, as long as you are certain that you will receive it before the start of your studies in Finland. Some universities may require it to be submitted even before. Check the application form of the university you want to apply to in order to see their requirements.
We have several programs in our offering where language certificate is not required. Please, check the admission requirements for each university and degree program that you are interested in applying to.
However, if a language certificate is required, it unfortunately needs to be attached in the application. Thus, you cannot apply if you haven’t received it yet. If you apply without it, we will keep your application, but will be unable to process it until you submit the missing documents.
Yes, all documents need to be officially certified and translated to either English, Finnish or Swedish if the original document is in none of those languages.
No. Edunation strives to simplify the application process to Finnish universities, which means the eradication of entrance exams in Finland. However, some universities may require you to take an online exam or entrance exam in various locations.
This depends on the universities’ specific requirements. Please, check the admission requirements for each university and degree program that you are interested in applying to.
No, you only have to submit it online.
Yes, you may apply as many times as you wish. However, we strongly recommend that you make sure you meet all the admission requirements before applying.
To apply to a master program of a university of applied sciences, work experience certificate is required for admissions. This is also called “employment certificate”.
The certificate is provided by the employer and it must indicate the following information:
- Exact start date and end dates of employment
- The employer’s contract information
- Work duties
- Working hours for part-time work
If the employment is still ongoing, the applicant should request a temporary employment certificate from the employer.
No. The work experience is considered only from the date of graduation from you bachelor studies.
You must have minimum 24 months/ 2 years of work experience.
After submitting the application form
After you have submitted your application with the required documents, it takes about 3-4 weeks for the university to make the decision about the acceptance or rejection.
If you are missing some documents, the processing time will be longer. Make sure that you submit all the required documents.
You can accept the study place by following the instructions found in the email that you have received from the university. Usually, to secure your study place, you need to pay the first year tuition fee of the program by the deadline found in the email.
When you apply through Edunation, you pay the same amount of tuition fees as applying directly through the university. However, with Edunation you will receive more services, such as:
- Guaranteed placement in the program within a month of sending in the application if you meet the admission requirements
- Application process
- Tuition at a chosen university
- Guidance and services, before and during the study program
- An official acceptance letter from the university
- A local contact person at the university
- Orientation at the destination
Applying for the student residence permit
Yes, Edunation will guide you and answer any questions you may have about the application process. We will also be in touch with the Immigration Office for you if needed.
You should apply for the residence permit as soon as you have received the admission letter from university. The processing can take several months. If your studies start in August or September, you should fill in the residence permit application at latest in May. Even if you are still in the process of arranging funds, you should at least book the embassy appointment as soon as possible, to avoid longer appointment queues in the months of June-August.
The immigration office processing time for the student residence permits is approximately 5 to 8 weeks from the day that the application arrives at the Immigration Office. This means that the processing time starts only after you have booked appointment and visited the Embassy or VFS Centre where your biometric identification is done. After that, if your application is in order and has all the required documents, the processing time is around 5-8 weeks. However, if the Immigration Office asks you to submit additional documentation or clarification to your application, the processing time will freeze until you have submitted the required documents.
Yes. In that case, you need to actively follow up the e-mail account that you have given in the residence permit application. All communication from the Immigration Office regarding the residence permit application will be done through that e-mail.
You can make the residence permit application in Enterfinland.fi and book the time to the Embassy or VFS Centre, even if you don’t yet have all the required documents. You can add documents to your application later on, by logging in to your EnterFinland.fi account. However, please have all the required documents submitted before you go to the appointment at the Embassy or VFS Centre.
Note! You cannot edit the application or add documents anymore after you have paid application fee of 350 EUR.
There is no upper limit for getting a student residence permit to Finland. Therefore, all applicants are treated equally. Applications are reviewed based on the applicant’s funding, the source of that funding, and the application’s motive for coming to Finland.
The applicant’s age can affect the residence permit decision if the applicant is underage, i.e. under 18 years old. For underage applicants, additional documentation is required to state that the applicant is supported by his/her parents or other guardian, and that there is a guardian in Finland responsible for the underage student.
When you receive the positive residence permit decision.
Once the positive decision has been made, the Immigration Office will send you a residence permit card which will allow you to enter Finland. So you cannot enter Finland only based on the residence permit decision, but you must wait for the residence permit card to arrive. It takes around 2 weeks to get the card shipped from Finland.
The residence permit card will be sent to the embassy or VFS Centre that you visited when starting the residence permit process. When the card ha arrived, you can either retrieve it yourself from the embassy/VFS Centre, or you can arrange an authorized person to pick it up on your behalf. From VFS Centres, you may also be able to order a courier service that delivers the card to your home address. Once you have the residence permit card, you can book your flights to Finland!
Previous negative decision can be a reason to give another negative decision if you reapply for a residence permit. A student that has previously received a negative decision should ensure that the new application is of perfect quality and has very clear proof of the amount and source of funding. It is much more unlikely to get a positive residence permit decision after one negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Office.
No, this will not be a problem because each country has their own processes for handling student residence permits. However, previous residence permit denial to Finland can be a problem. If you want to re-apply for a residence permit after getting a negative decision, you need to be able to demonstrate that the grounds on which your application was earlier denied have changed (e.g. that you can prove your funding in a reliable manner).
It is possible to make an appeal to the Immigration Office if you feel that the decision has not been made on the right grounds. However, it is unlikely that the appeal will go through, unless the applicant can demonstrate that the reason for the rejection is not valid.
Funding
The requirement of funds to cover the living costs in Finland during the studies is the same for master’s degree and bachelor’s degree students. The minimum requirement is560 EUR per month or 6,720 EUR per year. This means that when you apply for a student residence permit, you must have at least 6,720 EUR on your bank account. This is the total minimum amount, and it is advised to have some extra money on the account as well.
There is no minimum period for the fund deposition. Freshly deposited funds on the student’s account are accepted, but the source of the funds must be well explained with supporting documents such as payslips and bank account transactions. It is recommended to have the past 3 months’ bank statements if the student is covering the funds themselves, and 6 months bank statements if a sponsor is covering the funds.
6 720 EUR is the minimum amount that needs to be in the bank account. This amount is enough and no additional amount is required as long as the source of the fund is explained well and the source is solid. However, it doesn’t do any harm to have some extra money in addition to the minimum requirement of 6 720 EUR.
No, the account must not show exactly 6 720 EUR, it can show more. However, it can never show less.
Not really. It is best to submit all relevant documents regarding your financial status and the source or origin of your funds for the student residence permit application. Every time the Immigration Office needs to ask for additional documents from the student, it will delay the process and lengthen the processing time. It is better to submit too much than too little.
Business certificates, house rent agreements, agriculture and salary certificates or payslips as sponsor’s supporting documents are exactly the type of documents you should include in the application. Just make sure that all the documents you attach explain the source of the funds used for sponsoring the student’s living costs in Finland.
The applicant must be able to demonstrate a solid and constant source of funds that will carry them through the studies in Finland. By attaching bank statements and salary slips from several months, you might prevent the Immigration Office from asking for additional documents later in the process. Every time the Immigration Office asks for additional documents, the residence permit process is delayed. When the application has as many good attachments as possible, it is more likely to have the Immigration Office processing the application swiftly.
Yes, this is a good idea. It will make the Immigration Office’s job easier if they can quickly grasp who the sponsor is, what the source of income is, and which documents are attached to explain the source of income. However, please note that a cover letter by itself is not a sufficient proof of origin of funds.
Along with a letter from the bank stating that the student has been granted the loan, the loan amount needs to be on the student’s own bank account.
The student will need money to cover the living costs (accommodation, transport, food) in Finland, therefore the money should not be removed at any point during or after the residence permit process.
If you are under the age of 18, the bank account can be a joint bank account that you share with your guardian. The bank statement must include a statement of your right to access the bank account. A letter from the bank is required. If the bank account is in the name of the student only, then the bank letter is not required.
Insurance
Both are good, well-known international health insurance providers whose insurance policies the Finnish Immigration Authority knows well. Your choice depends on the budget. You can find more about them on our health insurance page.
The insurance period should begin before travelling to Finland or at least 15 days before the start of the program.
Everything should be covered under the insurance, that includes costs such as doctor fees, drugs, hospital charges and repatriation costs.
Insurance cover is for overall coverage.
300 EUR is the maximum permissible amount.
The following providers are fine:
- Apollo Munich
- Bajaj Allianz
- Cholamandalam MS General
- Future Generali
- HDFC ERGO
- ICICI Lombard
- IFFCO – Tokio
- Reliance General
- Royal Sundaram
- Star Health & Allied
- Tata AIG
- The New India
- The Oriental Insurance
- United India
- Universal Sompo
Make sure to attach your insurance policy with the residence permit application!
Sponsor
For example, parents, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, uncle, aunt. Just explain the relationship of the sponsor and the student in your application.
This depends on the amount of the tuition fee as well as the economic situation in your country. The sponsor should have income for e.g. the following three items:
- the required 6720 EUR per year for the student’s living costs
- the annual tuition fee of the student
- to cover the sponsor’s own living costs at their home.
No, in that case the student still has a sponsor. Money must always be on the student’s own account, whether s/he has a sponsor or not. If the student is being sponsored by the parent, the student needs to submit information about the sponsor (the parents), as well as documents explaining the source of the funds that demonstrate where the parents got the money from.
Yes, students can have e.g. two sponsors. In case you have two sponsors, you must provide information about the financial situation of both sponsors. Remember that the required funds must always be at the students own account when applying for the residence permit – not at the sponsor’s account. The money should not be withdrawn from the student’s bank account at any stage during the residence permit process.
Embassy appointment
You book the appointment by e-mail. Each embassy has their own e-mail address.
In some countries (e.g. in India), the Finnish embassy has outsourced the appointment bookings to VFS Centre. The countries that have Finland VFS Centres are listed here. In that case, the student should book the appointment at the VFS by following the guidelines on VFS website. At the appointment, VFS takes the applicant’s biometrics and checks the application documents instead of the embassy. Note that at the moment, Finland’s VFS Centres are located only in capital cities.
The student should bring all the original documents with them as well as one set of photocopies of the same documents. The student must have complete knowledge of his/her own documents. You must also have the print-out copy of the online application form. The Embassy or VFS officer will go through the documents and ask about them one by one. The student should answer honestly and be ready to give any clarifications if requested. Usually, the questions are about the financial situation or about the sponsor’s financial situation. Be ready to explain how you have planned to fund your studies and living in Finland. Make sure your answer is in line with the documents you have provided – don’t lie or make things up!
Sometimes, the officer might ask you many other questions as well. These may include questions such as:
- Which university have you been accepted to?
- Why do you want to study in that particular university?
- Why do you want to study in Finland?
- What do you want to do after you graduate?
Make sure your answers are clear and demonstrate your motivation to study in Finland. You can also read our detailed blog post about the Embassy appointment.
Yes, exactly. First, students need to scan and attach the copies of all the documents online at the enterfinland.fi portal. Once they visit the embassy or VFS Centre for their appointment, they must bring the original documents with them, as well as photo copies of the same, as the documents will be checked during the appointment.
Spouses and families
The income requirement for a spouse’s residence permit is higher than for the student. The spouse must have 700 EUR per month to cover their living expenses in Finland. If this financial requirement is in order, and the relationship between the student and the spouse applicant has clearly been established, it is possible to get a spousal residence permit to Finland.
Note: It is highly advisable that the student first applies to the student residence permit him/herself. Only after getting the students residence permit and arriving in Finland, should the spouse start to apply for the spousal residence permit. If the spouse applies for the residence permit same time with the student, it will significantly lengthen the processing time and therefore make it difficult for the student to obtain the residence permit in time!
The income requirement for family members is different than for the student. The spouse is required to have 700 EUR / month to cover living expenses in Finland. Thus, the total amount for a student + spouse is 1 260 EUR / month. The income requirement for a child under 18 years old is 500 EUR / month, thus the total for a couple with one child is 1760 EUR / month.
The spouse can apply at the same time as the student, but the student’s application is always processed first, as the student is the main applicant. The spouse’s decision may take much longer (3-7 months). The spouses’ residence permit application may delay the student’s application. We therefore recommend to apply separately.
No, both applicants should always have their own personal bank accounts, because their residence permit applications are also processed separately. The spouse needs to show 700 EUR /month (8 400 EUR /year) on his/her own bank account, and be able to demonstrate the origin of those funds.
The child can apply together with the spouse, so the required funds for the spouse (700 EUR /month) and the child (500 EUR /month) should be on the spouse’s bank account.
Please see more information about residence permits for spouses and children on Migris website: https://migri.fi/en/spouse-in-finland-with-a-residence-permit
No. Once the student has got the residence permit based on studies, Migri will not be checking the student’s funds again until when the student applies for the extended permit after 1 or 2 years. However, if the student acts as a sponsor for the spouse, the student needs to be able to demonstrate the required funds for the sponsor as well. In that case, bank statements of the student are once again required as attachments to the spouse’s residence permit application.
Yes, the spouse can work full-time in Finland.
In certain municipalities English-language schools may be available, but they usually have fees for students. Most schools in Finland offer basic education only in Finnish or Swedish, and those schools are free for all children living in Finland. Please contact the social services of the municipality where you will reside in Finland for more information.
Country specific questions
The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi has outsourced the customer service of residence permit applications to VFS in New Delhi.
Book an appointment at the VFS Global service centre in New Delhi online. You will be given an appointment time to provide biometric identification at the VFS Centre. At the same time, you may be allocated a time for an interview at the Embassy of Finland.
The appointment time at the VFS and the interview at the Embassy will take place either on the same day or within the next days, depending on the availability of interview slots at the Embassy.
The student must visit the embassy in their country of residence. If there is no embassy in the country of residence, student needs to submit the application at the designated Finnish embassy for that particular country. In the case of Bangladesh students, this would be the VFS Center in New Delhi. If you are unsure about which embassy or VFS Centre you should make an appointment to, please consult us at admissions@edunation.co.
If the student would be a citizen of Bangladesh but currently had a residence permit for studies in China, and therefore be a residence in China, the student could apply for residence permit at the Finnish Embassy in China.
Students from the Philippines must submit their student residence permit application online at www.enterfinland.fi.
For the biometric identification, students should make an appointment at the VFS Global service centre in Manila online.
On the day of the appointment, the consular officer identifies the applicant and checks the application documents before the applicant moves to the other side of the building to submit the application, give biometrics and pay the VFS service fee.
Once the residence permit card is ready, the applicant can either collect it in person or arrange a courier to pick it up.
Other
It is difficult to estimate the processing time of the Immigration Office. It may take several months and therefore, we advise the students to apply for the extension early during the previous semester. The students can do the application online and, in many cases, they might not even have to visit the local Immigration Office in person, if they have opened a bank account in Finland during the first year of studies.
Yes, students can visit other EU countries. In fact, many international students do an exchange semester in another European university during their degree studies in Finland, and this is totally ok. Finnish universities have an extensive network of partner universities for exchange programs across the EU.
Interested in Studying in Finland?
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