Tuition fees
Tuition fees for students coming from outside the EU/EEA from 1 August 2026
If you start your studies on or after 1 August 2026 and are a national of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland – i.e. a third country – you may be required to pay an academic-year tuition fee for vocational education and training in Finland.
You must pay tuition fees if:
- you have a residence permit (B or A) granted on the basis of your studies
- your first residence permit for Finland was granted for the purpose of studying
- your residence permit has been granted because a family member is studying in Finland
- you are moving to Finland from a third country to study
If the tuition fee applies to you, you are required to pay it.
You do not need to pay the tuition fee if:
- you are of compulsory school age
- you are a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
- you have a permanent residence permit (P)
- you hold a continuous residence permit (A), and your first residence permit was not granted for the purpose of studying
- you are receiving international or temporary protection
- you are a Blue Card holder, or you hold an EU residence permit for long-term residents from a third country
Free-of-charge training in apprenticeship, labour market and TUVA training
- Apprenticeship training: You do not need to pay tuition fees if you start apprenticeship training with a residence permit for employment.
- Labour market training: Labour market training is free of charge. Only applicants who are already in Finland and meet the selection criteria set by the labour market authorities may be admitted to the training.
- TUVA training: TUVA training is free of charge. This training does not entitle you to a residence permit for studies in Finland.
Payment of tuition fees
Tuition fees for degree programmes will be published later on our website (link to another page)
The educational institution will check with the Finnish Immigration Service whether the applicant/selected student is liable to pay fees. Tuition fees are charged to students who have accepted a study place.
You must pay the tuition fee before starting your studies. If you do not yet live in Finland, you must pay the tuition fee before applying for a residence permit.
The tuition fee does not include meals, accommodation or study materials. However, you are entitled to student welfare services as well as learning support and special support services.
Further information
About secondary education tuition fees:
Tuition fees for upper secondary education – OKM – Ministry of Education and Culture (Link leads to an external website)
Residence permits from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) website:
https://migri.fi/opiskelu-suomessa