Financial matters of degree students

Application fee of the residence permit

You can apply for a residence permit online or with a paper application. There is a fee to apply for a residence permit in Finland:

• Electronic application fee, first permit: 450 € (minor holder 270 €)
• Paper application fee, first permit: 550 € (minor holder 300 €)

Requirement to support yourself in Finland

If you come from a non-EU/EEA country, you need to prove that you have sufficient funds for living when applying for a student residence permit. In addition, you need to have enough money to pay the tuition fee if you have not yet paid it.

If your studies

• take 1 year or longer, you must have 9,600 € in your bank account when you submit the application.
• take less than one year, you must have 800 € per month at your disposal.

If you have been awarded a grant or scholarship to cover your living costs in Finland, add proof of this grant or scholarship to your application. 

Income is investigated in connection with every application and for more information, please see the Finnish Immigration Service's page. When you arrive in Finland, the Finnish Border Guard might do random checks to see a proof that you have the required amount in your bank account before letting you in the country.

When you relocate to Finland and Turku, there are some one-off fees that you need to take care of.

• Finnish identity card: You can apply for a standard identity card online or by visiting the police station of your choice. It is easiest to do this online. In 2025, the identity card costs 67 € (63 € if application has been submitted online). Read more!

Most rental apartments are not furnished, so make sure to reserve some funds for furnishing your apartment when you arrive in Finland. Turku has many furniture stores, such as IKEA, as well as second-hand stores that usually have more affordable used furniture available. There are also online platforms where you can find furniture.

Check out our blog post on furnishing your student apartment for more tips!

Average living expenses in Turku are about 600–900 € per month. You need to cover your living expenses independently.

As a student, you can get discounts on student lunches, public transport and many cultural activities, such as museums and theatres. Student union membership is obligatory for degree students, and the students will get the student discount by proving they are a member of the student union with a (electronic) student card.

For example (last updated March 2025):

• Meals cost 2,95 € in student cafeterias with a student card.
• A one way bus ticket: 3,15 €, 4,50 € by cash
  • With a bus card (student priced) for the local buses costs 40 €/month.
• The CampusSport fee (optional) for the whole Academic Year 2024-25 is 80 € and 55 € for one semester.

Cost of living per month

Student accommodation in Turku is provided by the Student Village Foundation of Turku. You can apply for an apartment after you have received your letter of acceptance, approximately three months before the start of your studies. If you start your studies in August, you can apply for housing with TYS in May. There are apartments available in many parts of the city of Turku.

The monthly rental costs vary depending on the size and type of the apartment. Single rooms in a shared apartment are usually cheaper than single apartments. Also family apartments are available, but the costs are higher. The rental costs of the Student Village Foundation are usually a bit cheaper than on the open market.

If you are planning on arriving with your family, please note that TYS does not allow multiple tenants in apartments smaller than 34m². Therefore, make sure to apply for a bigger apartment if you are moving with multiple people! For more information, please see TYS' page on their apartment types.

For example, a one bedroom apartment in the Student Village area costs approximately €290–450 per month. A room in a shared apartment in the Student Village area costs approximately €250 per month. Whereas a room in a shared apartment in other TYS areas costs approximately €230 per month.

Depending on the housing provider there may be an additional 60 € admission fee (paid only once) and a deposit fee (250€ -500€). The deposit fee will be paid from the home country, and it will be returned to the student at the end of the study period.

Other housing options.

Students get meals for reduced price at student cafeterias. The average cost is 2,95€ / meal.

See the selection of student cafeterias and their menus

Read our student blog to find out more about student cafeterias!

Check an useful video about student restaurants and grocery stores in Turku by our UTUambassador Tolga!

Examples of prices in grocery store (March 2025):

• Students from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland are subject to tuition fees, which are currently between 8 000 – 12 000 € per academic year, depending on the degree programme. Citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland do not need to pay tuition fees. 
• Membership of the Student Union is 54 € / Academic Year or 27 € / Semester (autumn and spring semester). The membership fee of the Student Union is obligatory for degree students.
• The electronic student card
  • You can download the Tuudo App after paying the Student Union Membership fee. It will take few days before your payment information is transferred from the UTU study register to Tuudo.

Degree students are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) and must pay a healthcare fee to Kela once per term. In 2025, the fee is 35,60 € per term and you can pay for both terms at the same time at the beginning of the calendar year. You do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

Most services are free of charge (e.g. consultations with a general practitioner and laboratory tests). Specialist and dentist appointments cost 18 € or more, depending on the time needed.

You will need a computer or a laptop to complete your studies. There are some computers and laptops that can be used in the libraries, but in general the university does not provide these devices for students.

Books and materials are usually available in the libraries. If the library only has few copies of a book, you may need to acquire the material some other way, such as buying it from a bookstore or second-hand. Please note that you can access multiple e-books for free with your library card and/or UTU user account.

Scholarships and grants administered 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 in March and the application deadline is in April. These grants are rather small amounts of money, and will not cover long-term living costs. Information, instructions and application forms for international students can be found in Intranet. 

• Scholarships for outstanding performance
  • The scholarships for outstanding performance will be awarded based on studies at the University of Turku and the programme the student has been admitted to. Students who have paid for their studies during their first year(s) of studies at the University of Turku are eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Please see more information about the fees and scholarships.

Many students in Finland finance their studies with part-time jobs. However, you should not completely rely on finding a job and being able to finance your living that way. Finding a job requires activity and initiative and many employers require their staff to know Finnish. Unlike in many countries, job opportunities in campus are uncommon.

The Career Services of the University of Turku advises and assists you at key stages of the job-seeking process. City of Turku also provides help and information for job-seekers.

• Career after studies - information and resources to develop your career prospects already during studies
• Career Services for the University of Turku (intranet)
• Public employment and business services
• Employment services for immigrants - Turku
• Careers in Southwest Finland (Job openings where Finnish language skills are not mandatory)
• How to Get a Part-time Job as an International Student in Turku? (A blog post written by our student Tianrui)
• Unlock your potential - How UTU Career Services can help you (A blog post written by our student Oshani)
• My story: How Strategic Volunteering Paved the Way to a Career at the University of Turku (A blog post written by our student Kristaps)

The right of non-Finnish citizens to receive student financial aid from the Finnish 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 co-habiting status). A full description of the right to receive student financial aid is available on the website of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA).

The easiest and cheapest way to pay your bills is online services of Finnish banks. Please note that in Finland it is not possible to pay with cheque. Opening a bank account is a good option, if you are staying in Finland for more than a few months and it is free of charge. With the bank account you usually get an ATM-card for cash withdrawals and a possibility for paying of bills through on-line services. Service fees will vary from bank to bank. When opening an account the bank needs your personal data, relevant documents, passport/ID, Finnish ID code and address in Finland. One option too is to open an online bank account like Revolut or Wise to help you in your daily life banking issues.
Please notice - paying in cash is not so common in Finland anymore.

To open a Finnish bank account, you will need at least the following documents:

• your passport (or official EU ID card)
• a Finnish ID code and you need to be registered as a foreigner in Finland (DVV, see above)
• your housing information in Finland
• a study certificate from the University.
• The bank may also ask for a statement from your previous bank.
• It is possible to open an online bank account like Revolut, Wise to manage your banking in Finland.