Cost of Studying in Finland for Indian Students (2027 Intake)

  • Last Updated on: October 15, 2026 by
  • Ananya Nallagalla
Cost of Studying in Finland for Indian Students
Cost of Studying in Finland for Indian Students

The cost of studying in Finland for Indian students is about EUR 21,700 to EUR 33,500 for the first year of a master’s. That covers tuition, 12 months of living costs and the one-time permit and application fees. For 2026-27, English-taught degrees typically charge EUR 9,000 to EUR 20,000 a year, and a few programmes fall outside that range. Tuition is free for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, for PhD study and for degrees taught in Finnish or Swedish, but not for most Indian students. Your first two moves are simple. Pay the tuition as soon as your offer arrives, to get the early-payment discount where your university offers one. Then make sure EUR 9,600 sits in the student’s own bank account before you apply for the permit. Below you’ll find each university’s fee and what a full degree costs in rupees.

Written by
Ananya Nallagalla
Senior Counsellor
Ananya Nallagalla, Senior Counsellor for Nordic Countries at AOEC India (Hyderabad), has 7 years of experience in Nordic admissions and has counselled 113 students at AOEC India, specialising in Sweden and Finland.
95% visa success rate
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • Tuition runs EUR 9,000-20,000 (₹9.59-21.30 lakh) a year at most universities; Uniarts Helsinki charges EUR 28,000 (₹29.83 lakh).
  • Living costs run EUR 900-1,200 (₹95,868-1.28 lakh) a month, and EUR 1,000-1,300 (₹1.07-1.38 lakh) in Helsinki.
  • Year one of a master’s costs about EUR 21,661-33,461 (₹23.07-35.64 lakh).
  • Before you apply for the permit, EUR 9,600 (₹10.23 lakh), plus any first-year tuition you haven’t paid yet, must sit in your own account.
  • The student permit costs EUR 600 online, or ₹66,400 when paid through VFS in India.
  • There are no government scholarships; university waivers cut tuition only.
  • Nine of the twelve universities below cut year-one tuition if you accept and pay early.
Table of Contents
Tuition Fees in Finland by University for 2026-27 Scroll here ↓ Cost of Living in Finland per Month Scroll here ↓ Scholarships and Early-Bird Discounts That Cut Tuition Scroll here ↓ Total Cost of Studying in Finland for Indian Students Scroll here ↓ Can Part-Time Work Pay for Studying in Finland? Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Tuition Fees in Finland by University for 2026-27

EUR 9,000 to EUR 20,000 a year (₹9.59-21.30 lakh) is the typical tuition for an English-taught degree in Finland. Since 1 August 2026, every new English-taught degree student from outside the EU and EEA pays a fee that must cover at least the average cost of teaching. Fees differ by lakhs between programmes, so check your exact programme’s fee.

You pay tuition if you aren’t an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and your degree is taught in English. PhD study and degrees taught in Finnish or Swedish are free. For the wider picture of student life there, see our Study in Finland guide.

UniversityBachelor’s per yearMaster’s per yearYear-one discount for accepting and paying early
Uniarts HelsinkiEUR 28,000 (₹29.83 lakh)EUR 28,000 (₹29.83 lakh)None
Aalto UniversityEUR 12,000-15,000 (₹12.78-15.98 lakh)EUR 15,000-20,000 (₹15.98-21.30 lakh)None
University of HelsinkiEUR 13,000 (₹13.85 lakh)EUR 13,000-18,000 (₹13.85-19.17 lakh)None
Hanken School of EconomicsEUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)EUR 15,000 (₹15.98 lakh)25% off
LUT UniversityEUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)EUR 15,000 (₹15.98 lakh)EUR 2,000 bachelor’s, EUR 5,000 master’s
Tampere UniversityEUR 10,000 (₹10.65 lakh)EUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)EUR 2,000 off
University of TurkuEUR 10,000-12,000 (₹10.65-12.78 lakh)EUR 10,000-12,000 (₹10.65-12.78 lakh)EUR 2,000 off, master’s only
University of JyvaskylaEUR 10,000-16,000 (₹10.65-17.04 lakh)EUR 10,000-14,000 (₹10.65-14.91 lakh)EUR 1,500 off
University of OuluEUR 10,000 (₹10.65 lakh)EUR 8,500-14,000 (₹9.05-14.91 lakh)Up to 30% off
University of Eastern FinlandEUR 10,000-12,000 (₹10.65-12.78 lakh)EUR 10,000-12,000 (₹10.65-12.78 lakh)30% off
TAMK (applied sciences)EUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)EUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)20% off if paid by 31 May
Haaga-Helia (applied sciences)EUR 11,000 (₹11.72 lakh)EUR 12,000 (₹12.78 lakh)EUR 2,000 off

Uniarts, at EUR 28,000, costs more than three times Oulu’s cheapest master’s at EUR 8,500. Every discount in the last column comes off year-one tuition only. For most Indian applicants the realistic band is EUR 10,000 to EUR 15,000: Tampere, Oulu, Turku, Eastern Finland and LUT. You can compare their courses in our guide to universities in Finland.

Cost of Living in Finland per Month

Plan on about EUR 900 to EUR 1,200 a month for rent, food and travel in Finland, and your city decides where you land in that range. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) asks for at least EUR 800 a month for the permit, but that’s a minimum, not a comfortable budget, so plan from the top of the range.

CityMonthly budgetStudent housing rent
HelsinkiEUR 1,000-1,300 (₹1.07-1.38 lakh)EUR 450-800 (₹47,934-85,216)
TampereEUR 800-1,200 (₹85,216-1.28 lakh)EUR 200-600 (₹21,304-63,912)
LappeenrantaEUR 900-1,200 (₹95,868-1.28 lakh)Shared student flat, inside the monthly figure

Rent is the line you control most. A Tampere student room costs EUR 200 to EUR 600, while a private flat starts at about EUR 600. A Tampere month also needs:

  • Food: EUR 250-450, including one student-restaurant meal on weekdays.
  • Local transport: from EUR 45 for a 30-day student ticket.

Families we counsel in Hyderabad are often surprised that the city, not the campus, is the biggest lever on monthly spend. Living on the permit minimum is very tight in Helsinki, so if money is short, pick the city before the programme.

Scholarships and Early-Bird Discounts That Cut Tuition

Finland has no government scholarship programme for bachelor’s or master’s study. Every award comes from a university, it’s competitive, and it pays tuition only, so budget on the full fee.

Here is what each university offers for the next intake:

  • Aalto: the Excellence Scholarship covers the full fee, for very few top applicants.
  • Helsinki: a very limited number of master’s waivers of 50% or 100%, mostly 50%. You need at least 55 ECTS credits (Finland’s study points) a year to keep one. Helsinki’s published waiver rules are for the 2025-26 round.
  • Tampere: a 50% scholarship, but only nine were awarded across all programmes in 2026.
  • Eastern Finland: no 100% waiver and no first-year scholarship, only a 30% early-bird discount.
  • Turku and Jyvaskyla: no first-year scholarship, only an early-bird discount.

The early-bird discount (a cut for accepting your place and paying fast) is the saving you can count on. At Tampere you must accept and pay within 21 days of your results, so have the money ready before results day. Our scholarships in Finland guide lists each award.

From our counselling desk: Among our 2026-27 Finland applicants, the families who treated the early-bird deadline as a hard deadline, not a nice-to-have, consistently got the biggest first-year reductions.

Total Cost of Studying in Finland for Indian Students

Here is the total cost of studying in Finland for Indian students in four common cases, before any discount. Each row adds tuition, 12 months of living, a EUR 70 student union fee and the healthcare fee. Year one adds EUR 720 more: the EUR 100 application fee, the EUR 600 online student permit and the EUR 20 VFS fee.

CaseTuition a yearLiving a monthYear oneWhole degree
2-year master’s, lower-fee university outside HelsinkiEUR 10,000EUR 900EUR 21,661 (₹23.07 lakh)EUR 42,601 (₹45.38 lakh)
2-year master’s at Tampere UniversityEUR 12,000EUR 1,200EUR 27,261 (₹29.04 lakh)EUR 53,801 (₹57.31 lakh)
2-year Aalto technology master’s, living in HelsinkiEUR 17,000EUR 1,300EUR 33,461 (₹35.64 lakh)EUR 66,201 (₹70.52 lakh)
3-year university bachelor’s at EUR 10,000EUR 10,000EUR 900EUR 21,661 (₹23.07 lakh)EUR 63,542 (₹67.69 lakh)

Two choices move these totals most: your programme’s fee and your city. Living in Helsinki at EUR 1,300 a month costs EUR 4,800 more a year than living elsewhere on EUR 900 a month, close to half a year’s tuition at the cheaper universities. Our masters in Finland guide helps you find a lower-fee programme in your field.

A bachelor’s at a university of applied sciences usually runs 3.5 to 4.5 years, not 3, so its total climbs with every extra term. If you’re applying straight after Class 12, read our guide to study in Finland after 12th.

Fees on top of tuition and rent

CostAmountHow often
Application fee (Studyinfo)EUR 100 (₹10,652)Once per application round
Residence permit, onlineEUR 600 (₹66,400 at VFS)Once
Residence permit, paperEUR 750 (₹83,000 at VFS)Once
VFS service feeEUR 20 (₹2,215)Once
Student healthcare fee (Kela)EUR 35.35 (₹3,765)Every term (2026 amount)
Student union feeEUR 50-70 (₹5,326-7,456); University of Helsinki EUR 85 (₹9,054)Every year

Studyinfo (Finland’s national application portal) charges only once per round, so apply to your whole shortlist together. Nobody bills you for the Kela healthcare fee (Kela is Finland’s social insurance office), so set a reminder each term. Insurance and flights aren’t in the totals, because their price depends on the provider. Insurance is still compulsory: for a degree of two years or more, Migri wants cover of at least EUR 40,000 for medicines, and travel insurance doesn’t count. The rupee permit amounts in the table are VFS India’s own figures and move with the exchange rate.

Before you apply for the permit, Migri wants EUR 9,600 (EUR 800 a month) in the student’s own account, plus first-year tuition if it isn’t paid yet. That’s your first year’s living money shown in advance, not an extra cost, so it’s already inside the totals above. Our Finland student visa guide covers the bank statement rules.

Can Part-Time Work Pay for Studying in Finland?

Not in year one. You can’t use a job to meet the bank-balance rule for your first permit, and part-time pay wouldn’t cover both tuition and living costs. Treat work as help with groceries and travel, not fees.

  • During term: up to 30 hours a week on average over the year, as long as your studies keep a normal pace.
  • From your second permit: work income can count towards the bank-balance rule.

Our guide to part-time jobs in Finland covers the work students find.

Plan for after graduation too. The job-search permit lets you stay up to two years to find work or start a business. Applied for inside Finland it costs EUR 230 online, but you must again show at least EUR 800 a month, or EUR 19,200 for two years. Our post-study work visa guide explains how it works.

Get in Touch

Frequently Asked Questions

No, not for the English-taught degrees most Indian students choose. Tuition is free for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, for doctoral study and for degrees taught in Finnish or Swedish. Since 1 August 2026, new students pay a fee that must cover at least the average cost of teaching.

At Haaga-Helia and Helsinki, yes. Haaga-Helia wants the full first-year fee paid before your studies begin, and at Helsinki you can’t register as an attending student until the fee is paid. From the second year, Haaga-Helia splits the fee into two payments a year, each covering half the annual tuition.

Among the twelve universities in our table, Oulu has the lowest published master’s fee: EUR 8,500 (about ₹9.05 lakh) a year for one programme. Tampere, Turku, Jyvaskyla, Oulu and Eastern Finland all charge EUR 10,000 (about ₹10.65 lakh) for many programmes.

Rarely. Aalto’s Excellence Scholarship and Helsinki’s 100% master’s waiver cover full tuition, but both are very limited. Eastern Finland says you can’t apply for a full waiver at all. No waiver pays living costs, so you still show EUR 9,600 (about ₹10.23 lakh) for the permit.

Plan on EUR 900 to EUR 1,200 a month, which is about ₹95,868 to ₹1.28 lakh. In Helsinki, budget EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,300 (about ₹1.07 to 1.38 lakh). Add the student healthcare fee of EUR 35.35 (about ₹3,765) each term.

Ardent Overseas works with families from our offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati. Before a Finland file goes in, our counsellors check three things: the exact fee for your programme and intake, a six-month bank statement in the student’s own name, and insurance that meets Migri’s cover rules.

Sources

Official sources first, then universities.

Show 21 more sources

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