Continuing student tuition fees and scholarships

Information on tuition fees and scholarships for continuing students at the University of Oulu.

Liability to pay the tuition fee

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 who were admitted in 2025 or earlier follow the scholarship programme like before. If you are unsure about this, please contact your faculty study services.

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 tuition scholarship can only be applied as part of the admissions process.

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 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”.

Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries

Tuition fee is charged from the non-EU/EEA students studying in the English degree programmes and who do not hold a Finnish residence permit that gives the exemption from tuition fees.

From 1.12.2024 onwards the exemption from the tuition fee is given in the following cases:

Citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland or the family members of such persons who have a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen in Finland
permanent (type P) residence permit in Finland or the family members of such persons who have a residence card for a family member of residence permit P holder in Finland
a long-term resident’s EU residence permit for third-country citizens (type P-EU permit) in Finland
a residence permit based on temporary protection
an EU Blue Card in Finland
Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (Brexit residence permit)
continuous (type A) residence permit in Finland IF it is granted on the basis of employment AND if the applicant’s first residence permit in Finland was not granted on the basis of studies
continuous (type A) residence permit in Finland based on family ties IF the first residence permit of the family member was not granted on the basis of studies

More information is available at the website of Finnish National Agency of Education

Please note:
1) The previous law still applies to continuing students who have started their studies in autumn 2024 or earlier. This requires, however, that the student has taken care of the continuity of their residence permit AND there have been no discontinuities in the student's study right (i.e. study right has not been deactivated). If you are unsure of your situation, please contact your faculty's Study Services.

2) For studies beginning in the autumn 2025, any document that exempts you from paying tuition fees must be valid when your studies begin 1.8.2025. If your document (e.g. permanent, type P, residence permit) expires in the summer before your studies begin, you will be liable to pay tuition fees and are advised to apply for a scholarship.

UK citizens

Applicants who are UK citizens residing in Finland and who have made their EU registration as well as their family members, are exempted from paying the tuition fee until 30 September 2021. These applicants must present the documentation of EU registration or the official residence permit given to a family member at the online application.

From 30 September 2021 onwards, applicants who are UK citizens residing in Finland and who have changed or have begun the process to change their EU registration to right-to-residence with Finnish Immigration Services in accordance with the withdrawal agreement as well as their family members are exempted from the tuition fee. These applicants must present the official certificate of right-to-residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement or the official statement of the ongoing application process for right-to-residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement or the official residence permit given to a family member.

Also applicants who have received the residence permit P before 31 December 2020 are exempted from paying the tuition fee. These applicants must upload their residence permit P to their online application. Please note, that this exemption is valid only until 30 September 2021 when also applicants with residence permit P should present the official certificate of right-to-residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement or the official statement of the ongoing application process for right-to residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement.

Applicants who are UK citizens and arrive to Finland first time 1 January 2021 or onwards without official right-to-residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement and who do not have any of the documentation presented above are required to pay the tuition fee. There are scholarships available.

Please note:

From 2022 onward, UK citizens residing in Finland as well as their family members should hold right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (Brexit permit) in order to be exempted from the tuition fee. The permit must be granted by Finnish Immigration Services.

Applicants who are UK citizens and do not hold right of residence under the withdrawal agreement are required to pay the tuition fee. There are scholarships available.

Citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland

Paying the tuition fee

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.

The products will appear in Flywire when the payment period begins. Tuition fee payment for continuing students for the spring term 2026 is open from 1.12.2025–31.1.2026. 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. Continuing students have the option to pay the tuition fee payment in either one or two instalments. If paying in one instalment, the payment must be made during the autumn registration period (May 1 - September). When paying in two parts, the second instalment must be paid during the spring term registration period (December 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026).

Refunds

Refunds are only possible if the student is eligible for a tuition fee refund. Student can apply for a refund of the tuition fee if one is unable to start studies on schedule and has not gained any study credits during the academic year. The annual tuition fee can be refunded in one installment at the end of each academic year. Only exception to this is that if a student relinquishes their right to study in the middle of the academic year, then the refund can be made instantly.

Reasons that entitle to a refund for our applicants can be found from here: https://www.oulu.fi/en/apply/how-apply/university-oulu-tuition-fees-and-scholarships-for-international-applicants

A refund can only be requested for one academic year at a time. The student can request a refund from the faculty study services by email by the end of May 2026 (see the instructions below). When refunding the payments with commission, the commission is taken from the total amount of the refund.

Refund requests are sent to the your Faculty Study services.

Please pick the relevant address:

Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine: study.fbmm@oulu.fi

Faculty of Humanities: study.humanities@oulu.fi

Faculty of Education and Psychology: study.education@oulu.fi

Faculty of Medicine: study.medicine@oulu.fi

Faculty of Science: study.science@oulu.fi

Oulu Business School: study.business@oulu.fi

Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering: study.itee@oulu.fi

Faculty of Technology: study.technology@oulu.fi

Oulu University of Applied Sciences: study.oamk@oulu.fi

Doctoral studies (UniOGS): uniogs@oulu.fi

Please add the following information to your refund request:

• Subject of the message: Refund.
• Student information: first name, last name, address and phone number.
• Payment information: Account number, name of the bank and the address of the bank, or information if you wish to change the product to another. Tuition fees are returned to the payer (e.g. sponsors). Otherwise, confirmation that the return can be made to another receiver is required.
• Payment ID, can be found from the payment statement and from the transaction confirmation from your email.
• Reason for refund (optional). We would like to develop our store and we wish to hear your thoughts why the refund is requested.

Refund request are to be done by the end of May and are handled generally within 14 days. During Finnish holiday seasons, the processing time may be longer.

Applying for exceptional and continuation of scholarship

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.