Continuing student tuition fees and scholarships
You are required to pay tuition fees if you meet all of the following criteria:
- Citizenship: You are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland.
- Degree Language: You are accepted into a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme taught in English.
- Residence Status: You do not hold an exempted residence permit status (see below Who is exempt from tuition fees?)
Are you registered as an attending student this semester? If yes, tuition fees apply for every semester in which you hold attending status at the University of Oulu.
Scholarship system
To get a discount for the tuition fee after the first year, one needs to complete 60 credits of studies in accordance with the approved personal study plan including the mandatory Finnish language studies (5 ECTS).
You don't have to apply for the discount. Faculty study services will check your situation accordingly.
The tuition fee and the scholarship remain as stated in the admission letter during the student’s studies at the University of Oulu unless the student cannot complete the minimum requirement of credits per academic year. If the student does not obtain the minimum requirement of credits per academic year, they are obliged to pay the whole tuition fee for the next academic year.
The University of Oulu Scholarship can be received only once, to one degree programme. It is not possible to transfer the scholarship to other degree programmes later.
The scholarship system of the University of Oulu was changed for the 2026 intake. It affects students that start their studies from that year on.
Students admitted before 2025 follow the scholarship programme like before. Tuition fees will remain unchanged throughout their studies. If you are unsure about this, please contact your faculty study services.
- Citizens of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) member state or Switzerland do not pay tuition fees for degree studies.
- Holders of certain residence permits issued by the Finnish Immigration Service are also exempt from paying tuition fees. See the residence permit types below on this page.
- Students of a bachelor’s or master’s degree programme taught in Finnish or Swedish (language proficiency is required).
- Students of a doctoral programme.
The Finnish Universities Act was amended at the end of 2024. The new law entered into force on 1 December 2024. It will immediately change the types of residence permits that allow tuition fee exemptions. These changes affect all tuition-fee students, including those currently studying at the University of Oulu with study rights starting on 1 August 2024 or earlier. Please see the updated information in the section “Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries”.
The tuition fee is paid at Flywire service portal. Flywire is an easy-to-use payment solution that provides international students with a streamlined payment experience, saving time and money.
You can find step-by-step instructions from Flywire student guide and get in touch with their multi-lingual 24/7 support team here (external site, link opens a new tab). The products will appear in Flywire when the payment period begins.
Continuing students have the option to pay the tuition fee payment in either one or two installments. If paying in one installment, the payment period is from May 4 to August 31, 2026 (the same payment period also for the first part of payment).
When paying in two parts, the second payment period is from December 1 to December 31, 2026.
Make sure you choose first the right option of the payment with or without a scholarship and then the correct degree programme when paying your fee.
Continuing students pay their tuition fees within the university registration periods. Note that the registration period differs a bit from the payment period. Continuing Students | Annual Registration | University of Oulu
If the minimum requirement for credits per academic year is not completed, a student can apply for continuation of the scholarship in the following cases:
- A serious illness, hospitalisation or pregnancy during the academic year, which has hindered the progress of studies. In these cases the student must provide for the faculty: a medical certificate, the child’s birth certificate or a certificate from The Social Insurance Institution of Finland KELA.
- Student was unable to complete required studies, because they were not arranged. Matter will be verified by degree programme director.
- Student has completed the required studies, but the courses have not been evaluated in time. Student must provide statement regarding missing studies from degree programme director.
- Completion of Bachelor’s / Master’s thesis (or equivalent) is delayed because of lack of supervision or other reasons caused by faculty. A statement from degree programme director is required. If the student is offered a topic for his/her thesis by the university, but the student rejects it, there is no justification for continuation of scholarship.
- Force majeure–situation (an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled such as natural disaster, governmental or societal action or infrastructure failure).
Continuation of scholarship is applied in the end of the academic year, when information about the student´s academic success is available. If you need to apply for the continuation of scholarship, please be in contact with your faculty's Study Services.