General information on admission

The international Master's degree programmes fully taught by the University of Turku are part of the so-called joint application period in Finland. Joint application means that you can apply up to six (6) study programmes with one application form. These 6 options may include degree programmes from one or several different higher education institutions in Finland. The joint application to higher education includes study programmes conducted in English of most Finnish universities, and the University of the Arts study programmes.

You can apply up to three (3) programmes of the University of Turku in the joint application.

The joint application period is annually in January, and the application time is approximately two weeks. Please find more information on our How and When to Apply -page.

The University of Turku also collaborates with international partner universities to offer Joint Degree Programmes. The mode of study, including the city and country, and language of instruction, vary from one programme to another. The joint degree programmes might have separate application periods and admission procedures than the rest of the Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes offered by the University of Turku. Please find specific details for each joint degree programme on our Joint Degree Programmes -page.

The University of Turku also provides high quality doctoral training. The University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) handles the applications and admissions to doctoral training in the University of Turku. Please find more information on the doctoral programmes of the University, and how to apply to them, on the University of Turku Graduate School -page.

The University of Turku naturally also provides Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degree Programmes taught completely in Finnish. Please note that in order to apply to degree programmes taught in Finnish, you need to be fluent in Finnish, and the University does not offer any language preparation year options. Please find information on how to apply to Finnish degree programmes on our Hakeminen Turun yliopistoon -page (information only available in Finnish).

When selecting students to pursue a degree, the applicants must prove their language skills in the manner described in the admission criteria. The University follows the manners of verifying language skills which are defined in the Rector’s decision. (The University of Turku Regulation on Studies 16 March 2018.)

Due to legislative regulations as well as for the University’s reputation and high quality, the criteria of the selection process must be transparent and equal. Uniform admission criteria and ways of proving English language skills in the whole University clarify the selection process from the perspectives of the applicant, representatives of the University, and partners and strengthen its reliability. The ways and detailed criteria of proving English language proficiency at the University of Turku are based on national recommendations.

The Rector's decision

Applicants will be considered to hold refugee status or an equivalent form of protection if they meet at least one of the following three criteria:

1. On the final day of the application period, the applicant holds refugee status (as defined in Section 106(1) of the Finnish Aliens Act 301/2004), has been granted subsidiary protection (as defined in Section 106(2) of the Aliens Act 301/2004), or is receiving temporary protection (as defined in Section 109(1) of the Aliens Act 301/2004).
2. On the final day of the application period, the applicant holds a status equivalent to refugee status outside Finland (as defined in Section 106(1) of the Finnish Aliens Act 301/2004), or a status equivalent to subsidiary protection status outside Finland (as defined in Section 106(2) of the Aliens Act 301/2004), or receives protection equivalent to temporary protection from a country other than Finland (as defined in Section 109(1) of the Aliens Act 301/2004).
3. The applicant holds Finnish citizenship on the final day of the application period. The applicant has acquired Finnish citizenship through naturalisation in accordance with Chapter 3 of the Finnish Citizenship Act (359/2003). Immediately before acquiring Finnish citizenship, the applicant held refugee status (as defined in Section 106(1) of the Finnish Aliens Act 301/2004), or subsidiary protection status (as defined in Section 106(2) the Aliens Act 301/2004), or received temporary protection (as defined in Section 109(1) of the Aliens Act 201/2004).

If applicants are unable to provide official documentation verifying their previous degree-level qualifications, the University will separately assess their eligibility for admission. This assessment will be based on the unofficial documents submitted by the applicant or a separately requested statement outlining their educational background. The University will verify the information provided using all available methods.

Applicants must submit an official document confirming their refugee status (a refugee certificate, a residence permit based on subsidiary protection, or a certificate of temporary protection). A copy of this official document must be submitted to the Admissions Services of each university to which the applicant is applying no later than one week after the application deadline, by 15:00 (Finnish time).

Applicants with refugee status must demonstrate the language proficiency specified in the admission requirements of their chosen programme. The University may organise a separate language test to determine whether they meet the language proficiency requirements.

Applicants with refugee status seek admission through the University’s standard admissions procedure. However, the University may decide to calculate their admission score based on an unofficial copy of their degree certificate, academic transcript, or another comparable document containing the required information.

The University of Turku only works with verified educational agencies and other international representatives. No other companies than the ones listed have the right to claim that they represent the University of Turku. For more information, please turn to the list of International Representatives.

Using educational agents will not give you any advantage in the application evaluation process. All information and guidance are given free of charge by the staff of the University. Admission Services' contact information can be found here.

The data you give in the application form is added to the student admission register of the Finnish National Agency for Education and to the admission database of the University of Turku.

• The University of Turku stores all application enclosures and data in a secure manner.
• Enclosures sent over regular email are not transmitted in an encrypted format and may be compromised. University of Turku is not responsible for the encryption of the transmission of regular emails. Sending enclosures by regular email is done at your own risk and responsibility.
• The data can be used for organisation of student admission and the follow-up and evaluation of the educational system.
• If you are admitted and accept the study place your data is transferred also to the study register of the University of Turku.
• You have a right to check your data in the registers. Please contact the University of Turku or, if you have applied to more than one Finnish univeristy, the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Please read more information

Privacy Notice of the University of Turku

You will receive the admission letter by email. After that you have to accept the study place by the deadline given in the letter. The acceptance is done online at Studyinfo and cannot be altered later. If you do not accept the study place by the deadline you forfeit your right to enrol in the programme.

After confirming the study place you have to register with the university and pay the possible tuition fee. Registration as attending student is done by paying the Student Union membership fee by 31 August. Attending Bachelor's and Master's degree students must pay the compulsory Student Health Care fee, except students who have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom. For further information, please check this website.

According to the provision, a student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland in education that begins in the same academic term. This rule applies to all higher education.

Please read more information.

You can only have one valid study right at a time for a lower (bachelor) or higher (master) university degree within the same major subject or degree programme.

• You can also only have one valid study right at a time for a scientific or professional postgraduate degree of the same level at the University of Turku.
• If your study right has expired or been moved to the passive register, you cannot apply for a new, similar study right. Instead, you must then apply for an extension to your study time or a reactivation of your study right.
• You will not be granted a new, similar study right to pursue a degree or course of study that you are already pursuing, or have already completed, within the same field or a corresponding subject, unless stated otherwise in the admission criteria of the faculty.

Tuition fees will be charged from citizens of a country outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. Admitted students will get instructions on how to pay the tuition fee in their admission offer. If a student is liable to pay tuition fees, they cannot register as an attending student until they have paid the fee.

Paying the tuition fee

The tuition fee of the University of Turku must be paid before a student may register to the university as an attending student.

The tuition fee can be refunded if a student is unable to arrive to Turku and start studies in their respective Degree Programme due to reasons outside the control of the student. The possible refunding of the tuition fee is always decided on a case-by-case basis.

The refunding process is initiated by the student and he/she must provide the university documentation that provides sufficient information on the specific reason(s) for not being able to begin studies in the University of Turku. The refund must be applied for before the end of September. The sum refunded to the student is the sum received by the University of Turku. The possible bank fees connected to the payment and refund will be deducted from the sum paid to the student.

If you have questions concerning the decision or you do not understand why you were not accepted please contact the programme coordinator first for detailed information. Please use the link provided in your Notification of Result that takes you to the contact form. 

If you disagree with the admission decision please note that the admission criteria, including the language requirements, are final and the same criteria are used for all applicants. If you were not admitted e.g. because you did not provide documents in time or you attempted to prove your language skills in ways not accepted by the university (see Language requirements) the decision will not change even if you make a formal appeal. The formal rectifications can be done e.g. in cases where a mistake has been made in the admission process, documents provided were overlooked or accreditation of a university was not found in the databases and the applicant can show proof that the accreditation exists.

Should you still disagree with the decision you may apply for a rectification of the decision. The rectification time is fourteen (14) days. You can apply for a rectification using an electronic form. 

The forms for rectification are open in spring 2026:

• For Master's degree programmes and Bachelor's degree programmes' admission group I: TBA
• For Bachelor's degree programmes' admission group II: TBA

Link to the rectification form (closed 9 June)

The appeal must contain the following information:

• your personal and contact details
• the degree programme concerned
• the reasons why you request rectification
• possible enclosures