Arcada University of Applied Sciences

Our Pathway to Finland offers guaranteed access to Arcada’s bachelor programs and you can get accepted within 2 days.

You can apply to our Business or Engineering and Technology bachelor’s program.

The admission requirements are:

• High school diploma / Higher Secondary Education
• Transcript of records (if possible)
• Proof of English language: from IELTS 5.5, TOEFL IBT 35-45, Duolingo 75-80, or equivalent
• Copy of passport ID page

You can find more information about the English language requirement on our page.

The students are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Make sure you have all the following documents ready when you fill out the application form.

Educational background

Applicants who have completed a qualification outside Finland must submit the following documents to Edunation:

• Copy of the final/official secondary school certificate or vocational qualification which gives eligibility for higher education studies in your own country
• Transcript of records with a GPA 50% or above. This is required to be able to apply through Edunation.

Note: Original copies must be shown when arriving in Finland. 

Proof of nationality

• Copy of passport ID page

Note: You will need a valid passport when you apply for a visa or residence permit.

Language requirements

A proof of English proficiency is required. You will need to take at least one of these tests with the following scores:

• IELTS: 6.0
• TOEFL iBT: 79
• PTE academic: 51
• Cambridge ESOL’s tests B2 First (First Certificate in English), with min score of 170
• International Baccalaureate Education completed at an IB-school
• An upper secondary level certificate or a bachelor’s or master’s degree completed in English in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. A minimum 60% of the of the degree must have been completed on location in one of the before mentioned countries.

A TOEFL test score will only be accepted if it has been directly submitted from the TOEFL Educational Testing Service (ETS). Arcada’s Toefl code is 5724.

Application process

There are two application methods

1. Online entrance exam, interview + proof of English language proficiency
2. SAT test score + proof of English language proficiency

Online exam

Online exam is conducted for all applicants that fulfill the admission requirements. The online exam can be taken only once and you must complete the test in one sitting, within a set time frame. No preparation is required as the online entrance exam is not based on any pre-reading material.

Interview

An applicant who passes the online entrance exam will be invited to the next step in the process, which is an group interview. The group interview is also held online. Detailed information on the interview and requirements (setting, equipment etc) will be given in the invitation that is sent to the applicant.

SAT

You can also apply with an SAT Test score with a minimum total score of 1100

• minimum score of 500 in Reading, Writing and Language Test
• minimum score of 500 in Math Test (Note: the minimum is 550 if you are applying for the program in Mechanical and Sustainability Engineering.)

If you submit an SAT Test score, you are not required to take the online exam.

The applicant should order an official SAT score report straight from the test organizer. If the applicant has already completed an SAT test, you must request a score to be delivered to Arcada directly. Arcada’s SAT code is 7151.

Note: All documents need to be translated to English, Finnish or Swedish, if the original document is in none of those languages. The translations need to be signed and stamped by the translator.

Make sure you have all the following documents ready when you fill out the application form.

Master of Engineering in Big Data Analytics

Educational background

Applicants who have completed a qualification outside Finland must submit the following documents to Edunation:

• Copy of bachelor’s degree certificate from a related field, prior studies must include a minimum of 30 ECTS in programming subjects
• Copy of the transcript of academic records

Note: Original copies must be shown when arriving in Finland. 

Proof of nationality

• Copy of passport ID page

Note: You will need a valid passport when you apply for a visa or residence permit.

Work certificate

• Employment certificate(s) with a minimum of 2 years of work experience

And one of the following options:

GRE test + motivation letter 

• Quantitative Reasoning: at least 150 points
• Verbal Reasoning: at least 150 points
• Analytical writing: minimum score 4

Arcada’s GRE code is 2523. Please use this code when requesting your score to be sent to Arcada.

OR

Prior master-level studies within the field + motivation letter

Previous 30 ECTS programming studies in Big Data Analytics at an advanced (master) level. In addition, you should submit a motivational letter.

The letter of motivation should be 2.5 to 3 pages of text on the following topics:

• A vision on future possibilities associated with big data analytics
• A vision of own role and career as an expert in the transition towards analytics-driven intelligent services
• A proposal for a programming or service creation challenge you would like to study as part of your master’s thesis

Note: All documents need to be translated to English, if the original document is not in English. The translations need to be signed and stamped by an authorized translator.

Master of Business Administration in International Business Management

Educational background

Applicants who have completed a qualification outside Finland must submit the following documents to Edunation:

• Copy of bachelor’s degree certificate from a related field, prior studies must include a minimum of 40 ECTS in business studies
• Copy of the transcript of academic records

Note: Original copies must be shown when arriving in Finland. 

Proof of nationality

• Copy of passport ID page

Note: You will need a valid passport when you apply for a visa or residence permit.

GMAT/GRE

• Minimum GMAT score 500 or equivalent GRE score.

Arcada’s GRE code is 2523. Please use this code when requesting your score to be sent to Arcada.

Motivational letter

In the motivational letter you should explain your reasons for applying to this programme, including a presentation of yourself and how you see the programme supporting your future career, and how you envision the world of business to change in the foreseeable future.

Personal motivation video

In the video you should introduce yourself, your prior studies and relevant work and/or other experiences, including a discussion on some business-related topic of specific interest to you.

Work Certificate

• Employment certificate(s) with a minimum of 2 years of work experience

Note: All documents need to be translated to English, if the original document is not in English. The translations need to be signed and stamped by an authorized translator.

Master of Culture and Arts in Media Management

Educational background

Applicants who have completed a qualification outside Finland must submit the following documents to Edunation:

• Copy of bachelor’s degree certificate from a related field such as Media and Communications, Arts and Culture Management, Business Management, Media and Information Technology, Art&Design, Advertising, Literature, Culture Studies or Entertainment Law.
• Copy of the transcript of academic records

Note: Original copies must be shown when arriving in Finland. 

Proof of nationality

• Copy of passport ID page

Note: You will need a valid passport when you apply for a visa or residence permit.

Work Certificate

• Employment certificate(s) with a minimum of 2 years of work experience

MA research proposal and motivational video

1) a written document in the form of a preliminary MA research proposal

Write an essay of no more than 1000 words. Outline your interests in the form of a proposal for your potential master thesis. Further information on the thesis proposal will be published on this web page closer to application.

2) a personal video

Produce a motivational video that highlights your professional and educational background in the fields of media and management.

Note: All documents need to be translated to English, if the original document is not in English. The translations need to be signed and stamped by an authorized translator.

Read our general page about how to apply to study in Finland.