Financing your studies
Student financial aid
Scholarships and grants
Student discounts on public transportation
Student financial aid
State student financial aid and other forms of financial support
State student financial aid is available for registered degree students only. The right of non-Finnish citizens to receive student financial aid from the State is decided on a case-by-case basis. The basic criterion is that to receive financial support, the student must have permanent status residency, which is based on a reason other than studying (e.g. a family connection such as marriage or cohabiting status). A full description of the right to receive student financial aid is available on the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA) website at www.kela.fi.
Questions on how and when to apply for State financial aid is handled by Student Services and can be contacted via e-mail at opintotuki[at]utu.fi (see Services for students provided by the Rector's Office).
The right of students to receive other forms of financial assistance is also decided according to the life situation of the student. Income support is administered by The Social Services Department of the City of Turku (tel. (0) 262 6111) and unemployment benefits by the Ministry of Labour (www.mol.fi). Other issues dealing with financial support are under the jurisdiction of KELA (www.kela.fi).
Scholarships and grants
Scholarships and grant from funds administrated by the University of Turku
Scholarships and grants for university registered students and researchers are distributed each year from the funds administrated by the University of Turku. Many scholarship funds have special preconditions required of the recipients. Scholarship possibilities are announced in the spring semester at the end of March and the application deadline is at the end of April. Information, instructions and application forms for international students can be found on the webpages for degree students on www.utu.fi/en/studying/students/degree/financing. A booklet is also published in Finnish, which contains information about all scholarships and grants offered and their rules for application which can be obtained from Student Services or from the Finnish webpages www.utu.fi/opiskelu. Other information is posted on the university notice boards in the Main Building. Awarded scholarships are announced in the summer.
Other scholarships
Many foundations issuing scholarships are advertised on their own websites. You can find the addresses of such foundations from the website of the National Union of Students in Finland on http://apurahat.syl.fi Other foundation sources can be found on the univeristy's Finnish webpages at www.utu.fi/tutkimus/tutkimuksentueksi/apurahoja.
Student discounts on public transportation
Trains and long distance coach service
The national railway company VR Ltd. and the national long distance bus service Matkahuolto Ltd. grant discounts to students who are registered as attending and have not yet completed a higher university degree. Studies must be full-time and last at least one academic year (minimum eight months) without interruption.
Students are granted a discount either will the student card (SYL·opiskelijakortti) or with the VR and Matkahuolto combined student discount card. There is a 50% discount on train tickets of all types when travelling by rail and a 50% discount (seat reservations not included) on one-way long distance coach tickets of a minimum of 80 kilometres. Purchasing tickets is easy when using the student card which has a valid academic year sticker. Before receiving the student card or if it gets lost, students can use the VR and Matkahuolto student card. A photo is required for the card as well as certification of attendance from the institution which is available from Student Services. The card is free of charge but €6.00 is needed for the annual academic year sticker. International student cards (e.g. ISIC) cannot be used to get the discount.
Further information on timetables, prices, products, and service numbers can be found on the VR website at www.vr.fi
Local buses
A 30-day season bus card (kausikortti) and the seasonal and value combined card are available to students aged 20-30, who are registered as residing in Turku. Older students of Finnish citizenship may get a student card as long as they are entitled to Kela financial aid. International students, who are over 30, who are studying in Finland for a minimum of nine months may get a student bus card, providing they show proof of residence in Turku in addition to TYY membership. Application forms are available at educational institutions and the local ticket offices. New days can be added to the season card at the Local Public Transport Office and also on the busses. In addition to the 30-day bus card, students who reside in Turku can buy a value card (arvokortti). Detailed information about application instructions and criteria for obtaining these cards can found at the Local Public Transport Office at Eerikinkatu10 in Forum, tel. 262 4811 or on their website at www.turku.fi/bussit.
Flights
Information about student discounts and student flights can be obtained at travel agencies and airline companies.