How much does it cost to study in Finland? Finland remains the most preferred among most international students when it comes to popular study-abroad destination options. However, proof of clear available funds is required to pursue studies in Finland to cover tuition and living expenses.

• How much are the tuition fees in Finland?
• How to prove funds for Finland?
• How much does student accommodation costs in Finland?
• How much does it cost to live in Finland?
• What financial support is available to international students in Finland?

1. How much are the TUITION FEES in Finland?

• Finland is one of the most popular destinations for university study but, like the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, it is not much expensive.
• Finland does not charge any kind of tuition fees for students coming from EU/EE and Switzerland. Finland offers PhD courses free of cost to the citizens of all nations. The students belonging to any other nation than EU/EEA have to pay around 8,000-25,000 EUR/year.

2. How to prove FUNDS for Finland?

• In order to pursue your studies in Finland, proof of sufficient funds is required to cover tuition and living expenses. You can prove to fund with the following:
• International students interested to study in Finland must have financial ability to live during their study in Finland.
• If you are a student of outside the European Union you should look at this sponsor money matters. You need to prove that you have sufficient funds available to study and live in Finland using your personal bank statement.
• Amount: When you apply for the study permit and visa to Finland you must provide financial information by providing your personal bank statement. All applicants must prove they can afford their living expenses during their studies. The amount is 9,500 Euros per year.
• Proof you paid for tuition and housing. Travellers’ cheque, your international bank account also can be an added document.
• A savings book or deposits in a bank (the account has to be accessible from Finland). Proof of purchase of traveller’s cheques. A letter of guarantee from a person living in Finland or an institution domiciled in Finland. A personal bank statement indicating your financial movements (for at least 6 last months). Credit card. Cash. Supporting document to attest sponsor’s readiness to cover your expenses during your stay (sponsor must have a legal residence permit). Proof of prepaid accommodation

3. How much does the student ACCOMMODATION costs in Finland?

• Types of costs to take into account: In Finland, university students get to enjoy the benefits of high quality and affordable student housing that allows students to save thousands of euros during their studies. In fact, student apartments are generally much cheaper than rental apartments found on the private market, and a good rule of thumb is that the cost of a student apartment is around half or even less compared to getting a place from a private landlord. There are types of costs that you have to take into account when building a budget for your student apartment: (1) a security deposit (2) the monthly rent.
• Security deposit: A security deposit is a one-time payment that you are required to deposit to the landlord when moving in. When you move out, the deposit will be returned to you in full, as long as the apartment is in good condition. However, if there is any damage to the apartment (beyond normal wear and tear), for example, if you have nicked the wall and it requires repainting, the apartment provider does have the right to use your deposit to pay for the repair. However, they will also return to you any of the money left after the costs of repair. What is great about student apartments in Finland is that most of them use a fixed deposit which lands somewhere between 250 to 500 euro. The exact sum depends on the type and size of your specific apartment and the apartment provider, however, if you compare this to the private market where the security deposits can be anything between 1-3x your monthly rent, you can already see how much money you are saving by applying for a student apartment.
• Rent: Do remember that the exact rent will depend on the variables like, the type of your apartment. Room in a shared apartment: Renting a room in a shared apartment is a type of living where you have your own, private and lockable room in a larger apartment that you share with 1-4 other people. The rent for a room in a shared apartment usually starts from 200-250 euros per month but they can also go up to around 450 euros per month. Studio apartments: The second type of apartments are studios, or one-room flats. In general studios are the most popular types of apartments for students in Finland and thus they can also be rather expensive for their size. The rents for one-room apartments usually start somewhere around 400 euros per month but they can easily go all the way up to 650 euros or even up to 700 euros depending on the apartment. Two-room apartments: Moving on to two-room apartments. These are pretty much like studios meaning that they are rented to a single person but they simply have a bit more space with one additional room. The rents for two-room apartments usually start around 400 euros and they can go all the way up to 600 euros per month. Family apartments: Family apartments are a special type of accommodation meant for either couples or for families with children. The one major difference to all other apartment types is that in family apartments, only one of the tenants needs to be a full-time student. Hoas (the largest student apartment provider in the Finnish capital region) has a range of family apartments in the Helsinki capital region and the rents for their apartments range from 500 euros all the way up to 1000 euros per month.

4. How much does it cost to LIVE in Finland?

• The living expenses in Finland comprise of accommodation, books and supplies, food, grocery, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses. The average living expenses in Finland can range from 1,500 EUR to 2,000 EUR per month, depending on your standard of living. The overall living expenses in Finland have been discussed briefly below:
• The cost of living in Finland can be grouped into the following heads: 
• Water: A large portion of student apartment contracts include water into the rent itself. This means that there are no monthly, additional costs from water. However, this doesn’t mean that you should take hour long showers every day just because its included, as the apartment providers will check the overall water consumption of the whole building every year and they will increase your collective rents if your consumption is more than anticipated!
• Electricity: Just like with water, some student apartments contracts in Finland also have electricity included in the rent. This is true especially with shared apartments where it’s pretty much impossible to divide the cost of electricity per person based on personal consumption. However, it is still more common that electricity is not included in the rent and in these cases, you need to make a personal electricity contract with a local electric company. As a benchmark, the electricity cost for two people living in a 50 square meter two-room apartment should be around 30€ per month (depending on your consumption).
• Internet: Next up, you obviously are going to need a good internet connection. The cool thing about Finland is that many students’ apartment has a fast internet connection included in the rent. However, if this is not the case with your apartment, the same principles apply as to the electricity bill. Please contact multiple internet operators and look for the cheapest options AND remember to ask for student discounts. As a benchmark, a 300-megabit broadband connection to my old student apartment in downtown Helsinki was only 29,90 euro per month.
• Insurances and other miscellaneous costs: First of all, while it is not mandatory by law, it is highly recommended that you get your student apartment a home insurance from day one. This is because while living in a student apartment, any damage that you cause to the apartment, directly or indirectly, is your responsibility. While the exact cost of an insurance depends on many variables like the apartment you are living in, your age, you previous insurance history and so on, a good benchmark for a small student apartment is around 130-150 euros per year. It’s a very small cost to safeguard yourself from huge payments in case you would have an accident, for example, a fire in your home.

5. What financial support is available to INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS in Finland?

• Financial aid comes in many formats: Scholarships, Grants, Assistantships, and Work–Study Schemes. In Finland, there are 2 main ways that students can fund their studies–scholarships and financial aid. There are a few scholarships that students can apply for which can help towards living expenses and tuition fees.
• Grants and scholarships: Foreign students can apply for different grants to Finnish higher education institutions. Each Finnish higher education institution has its own grant system for students who come from outside the EU/EEA area and who have been accepted to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the English language.
• The grant may be dependent, for example, on your study success. The grant may cover the whole tuition fee or a part thereof. Some grants may also cover other costs. In some cases, the grant is tied to a certain level of success in your studies. Usually, you can apply for a grant at the same time you apply for a study place.
• The special Erasmus Mundus master’s degree programmes also have their own grant systems. The Finnish National Agency for Education has scholarship programmes for postgraduates who come to Finland to complete their doctoral thesis. American students can apply for the Fulbright scholarship.