Scholarships (study right started on or after 1 August 2025)

Student Guide

Scholarships (study right started on or after 1 August 2025)

Aalto University has a scholarship programme available to tuition-fee students. There are also other scholarship possibilities to fund your studies.

Scholarship information on this page is for Aalto students who have started their studies on or after 1 August 2025.

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Please note that the information on this page is for students studying at Aalto University, whose study right has started on or after 1 August 2025.

Information on scholarships for Aalto students whose study right has started on or before 1 August 2024 here Information on scholarships and tuition fees for applicants here

Scholarship types

The Aalto University Scholarship Programme seeks to recognize talented non-EU/non-EEA students across the world by awarding academic excellence. If you are liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto, you can apply for the scholarships.

Scholarships at Aalto University are offered as tuition fee waivers, meaning that the scholarship covers the tuition fees fully or in part:

International joint programmes that have their own tuition fees and scholarship systems follow their specific regulations – more about scholarships in international double degree programmes.

You may also look for funding outside Aalto University. For more information, check out the other scholarship possibilities.

Aalto University does not offer any university-wide scholarships to cover living costs in Finland. Students are expected to cover all their living expenses and other study-related costs from their own financial resources. More information about the living costs is available from the moving to Finland and financial matters page.

Scholarships and tax

The university is obliged by law to report all scholarships to Finnish tax authority on annual basis.

Scholarships in Finland are generally tax free up to the value of €26,269.46 per calendar year (in 2024; the exact amount changes annually). The amount exceeding the set limit is generally subject to tax. The set limit includes scholarships paid in Finland by a non-public entity including, but not limited to, any combination of Aalto University's scholarships (including tuition fee waivers), travel grants, one-off payments and living-expense scholarships you may get from the university for your studies.

If your combined scholarships and grants exceed the value of €26,269.46 for a calendar year (in 2024), the exceeding amount is generally subject to tax and you may be contacted by the Finnish tax authority.

For further information, please see the Finnish Tax Administration's pages on and .

Aalto University Excellence Scholarship

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are awarded as tuition fee waivers, covering the full tuition fee. Tuition-fee students may apply for the scholarhip during the admission process.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships are merit-based and they are granted on a competitive basis to the highest-achieving applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria.

Aalto University Excellence Scholarships cover the full tuition fee during the target time of the programme.

In order for the scholarship to be valid, you must agree to the terms of the scholarship by the given deadline.

Please note that Aalto University Excellence Scholarships do not cover living costs. Students need to cover all living expenses and other study related costs from their own financial resources.

The scholarships is granted for the target time of the degree programme. The target time is three years full-time study for bachelor’s degree and two years full-time study for master’s degree.

For the scholarship to continue to the second (or third in bachelor's) academic year, your study progress is checked annually. This is to confirm that you are making systematic progress in your studies according to your personal study plan.

The review of studies is done by the end of March in the spring term. If everything is all right, the scholarship is continued to the second (or third in bachelor's) academic year.
If there are any issues, such as missing credits or possible discontinuation of scholarship, they must be resolved by the end of April. This is to ensure there is enough time for enrolment (annual enrolment begins in May), and for students needing to renew their residence permits to get their documentation in order as early as possible.

The Aalto University Excellence Scholarship requires full-time study and studying according to the approved personal study plan.

The progress of your studies is checked each term and your scholarship may be discontinued if your studies do not follow your personal study plan. If you have any issues affecting your study progress, it is essential that you contact the Student Services of your degree programme and actively seek help so that your scholarship is not affected. A failure to resolve any pending issues may result in the discontinuation of your scholarship on the basis of insufficient study progress.

As a guideline, scholarships are automatically continued for the standard duration of the degree programme unless:

studies do not follow personal study plan so that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term,
studies progress so slowly that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term,
studies progress below 45 ECTS credits per academic year leading to discontinuation of residence permit, or
the terms and conditions of scholarship agreement are broken.

In such cases the school will contact you and request a meeting where the scholarship is discussed and further course of action agreed.

Please note also, that the Finnish Immigration Authority (Migri) requires students to complete at least 45 ECTS credits per each academic year for the renewal of their residence permit. A failure to comply may result in the discontinuation of your residence permit and subsequent inability to complete your studies and continue your scholarship. Hence it is essential that you contact the Student Services as early as possible should you feel the need to revise your study plan for any reason.

The university is committed to helping students to achieve steady progress throughout their studies and offers many forms of assistance towards this aim.

Scholarships for Aalto bachelor's programme graduates continuing in Aalto master's programmes

If you have received the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship for your English-medium bachelor’s programme, you have a chance to obtain the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship also when continuing to the Aalto master's programme covered by your original 3+2 right to study.

Please note that the scholarship is available only for Aalto master’s programmes to which you have a direct right to study, i.e. without applying through an external master's admissions procedure. If unsure, please contact the student services of your degree programme for further advice.

If you are a tuition-fee student who graduates from an Aalto University bachelor’s programme taught in English, you may receive an Aalto University Excellence Scholarship for your master’s studies if you have also received the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship for your bachelor’s programme.

In addition, you must complete the bachelor’s degree within the target time period (i.e. three years or six terms) with a weighted average grade of at least 3.5 to be eligible for the scholarship for the master's programme. The weighted average grade is calculated from the completed degree in its entirety.

The scholarship is granted as a 100% tuition fee waiver for the target time frame of a master’s degree (i.e. two years or four terms). The target time is considered to start directly after graduating as bachelor, except when registering as non-attending due to reasons specified in the law.

The scholarship is applied for in Sisu when filling in the bachelor’s degree graduation request. You will receive instructions for agreeing to the scholarship terms in connection with the scholarship decision. In order for the scholarship to be valid, you must agree to the terms by the given deadline.

If you haven't applied for the scholarship in Sisu when filling in the bachelor’s degree graduation request, but are eligible for the scholarship, please contact the student services of your degree programme.

The scholarship is granted for the target time of the master's programme (i.e. two years or four terms). The scholarship is to be used for the completion of degree studies only.

The scholarship is continued for the second academic year provided that you have progressed in your studies according to your approved personal study plan during the first academic year in your master's. In addition, you must have a goal-oriented and feasible study plan for the second year. The study progress is checked during spring term.

As a guideline, scholarships are automatically continued for the standard duration of the degree programme unless:

studies do not follow personal study plan so that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term,
studies progress so slowly that graduation is likely to be delayed by more than one term,
studies progress below 45 ECTS credits per academic year leading to discontinuation of residence permit, or
the terms and conditions of scholarship agreement are broken.

In such cases the school will contact you and request a meeting where the scholarship is discussed and further course of action agreed.

The university is committed to helping students to achieve steady progress throughout their studies and offers many forms of assistance towards this aim.

Scholarship for one additional term following the standard period of study (5th or 7th term scholarship)

In order to successfully complete your studies and apply for graduation, you may be awarded a scholarship for one additional term beyond the standard duration of the degree programme (i.e. one term in addition to the three years of a Bachelor’s programme, and one term in addition to the two years of a Master’s programme).

The scholarship for an additional term is available for those students who have been granted the right to study before 1.8.2026.

You can apply for the scholarship on the condition that your studies have progressed in accordance with the approved study plan and that you have a realistic, approved plan to complete the remainder of the programme.

You may be awarded the scholarship if the following criteria are met:

you have a goal-oriented and feasible plan for completing your studies,
your thesis topic has been agreed with the thesis supervisor during the last academic term covered by target period for completing the degree (applies to master’s degree students),
your thesis supervisor confirms that the thesis is progressing according to the plan.

You can normally apply for the scholarship between April and May, but applications may be considered at other times if the circumstances demand it.

Please note that the additional term is likely to impact on your residence permit, student accommodation and financial arrangements, so it is highly recommendable that you start planning as early as possible and use the help of student services in the process.

The scholarship for one additional term is offered as a 100% tuition fee waiver.

The scholarship has a strict requirement that you

submit your Bachelor's or Master's thesis (as applicable) by the agreed deadline,
successfully complete the programme, and
apply for graduation within the additional term.

Please note that the scholarship can be used only for completing the remaining compulsory studies in your programme. This means that you cannot apply for the additional term scholarship to e.g. complete studies outside your degree or go on exchange, unless an exchange period is a compulsory part of your studies.

If your programme includes a compulsory exchange period and you apply for the scholarship for one additional term to go on one, bear in mind that the scholarship terms require you to complete your studies and apply for graduation within the additional term. For example, course registrations after an exchange period might take some time, so it is good to take this into account when planning your studies.

Aalto Reserve Scholarships

Aalto Reserve Scholarships are aimed at students who become liable to pay tuition fees in the middle of their studies. The scholarship is offered as a 100 % tuition fee waiver.

You can apply for this scholarship if your residence permit status changes in the middle of your studies so that you are no longer exempted from tuition fees. You can also apply for a Reserve Scholarship if you are a non-EU/non-EEA student who continues their studies from a Finnish-medium bachelor's programme to an English-medium master's programme.

In order to be eligible for the Aalto Reserve Scholarship, you need to prove that

you have been exempted from paying the tuition fees on the basis of your previous residence permit, but you will be liable to tuition fees based on your new permit type, OR
you have completed your bachelor's programme in Finnish and will become liable to tuition fees when continuing your studies in an English-medium master's programme within the same study right.

Please note that you must have a residence permit which does not exempt from tuition fees in order to be granted the Aalto Reserve Scholarship. More information on exemptions from tuition fees.

The scholarship decision can be made conditionally if

your residence permit application is still pending, OR
your average grade and accumulation of credits for the ongoing academic year cannot yet be determined. The credits relevant to the scholarship decision must be in the student register by the end of the ongoing academic year (31 July).

If your decision is conditional, you cannot register as attending before all conditionalities have been met.

If your residence permit status changes so that you will become liable to pay tuition fees in the middle of your studies, you can apply for a Reserve Scholarship.

Students studying in English-medium bachelor's programmes

You may meet the eligibility conditions for the Reserve Scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

you would have received a tuition-fee waiver under the terms of the admissions process that existed when you applied 91��, and
you have a feasible study plan to complete their degree within the target period.

Students studying in master's programmes

If you have been admitted directly to the master's programme, you may meet the eligibility conditions for the Reserve Scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

you would have received a tuition-fee waiver under the terms of the admissions process that existed when you applied 91��, and
you have a feasible study plan to complete your degree within the target period.

If you have continued from a bachelor's programme within the same 3+2 study right at Aalto (3-year bachelor's, 2-year master's), you may meet the eligibility conditions for the Reserve Scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

you would have received a tuition-fee waiver during the bachelor’s admissions process,
you meet the scholarship criteria currently in force for transferring from an English bachelor’s programme to a master’s programme (grade average and graduation target time), and
you have a feasible study plan to complete your degree within the target period.

Bachelor's programmes completed in Finnish have no tuition fees. However, if you continue your studies within the same 3+2 study right to a master's programme taught in English, you will become liable to pay tuition fees for your master's studies.

You meet the eligibility conditions for the Reserve Scholarship if you meet the scholarship criteria currently in force for transferring from an English bachelor’s programme to a master’s programme (grade average and graduation target time).

You can apply for a Reserve Scholarship throughout the year, as there are no set application times. If you are eligible and meet the criteria, you are granted the scholarship. Only students currently studying at Aalto University may apply for the Reserve Scholarship.

If you want to apply for the Reserve Scholarship, please send a message to tuitionfees@aalto.fi to request the application form. Please note that it is compulsory to apply for the scholarship in order to receive it.

The scholarship application will be processed at your school and you will receive the decision to your email. You can accept the offered scholarship by signing the scholarship terms by the given deadline.

As defined in the Finnish Universities Act, the scholarship decision cannot be appealed to.

The scholarship is granted as a 100 % tuition fee waiver for the target period remaining to complete the degree. The Reserve Scholarship will be valid earliest starting from the term

after the validity of your exemption based on your previous residence permit ends, OR
when you become liable to pay tuition fees.

If your scholarship decision has been conditional, the scholarship validity will start only after all the criteria and conditions have been met. Please note that you cannot register as attending if the decision is still conditional.

In case the scholarship is granted for more than one academic year, the study progress is checked annually to confirm that you are progressing in your studies according to plan.

For students in a bachelor’s programme, the scholarship is awarded only for completing the bachelor’s degree. Scholarships for master’s level studies (tuition-fee waivers) can be applied for when graduating with a bachelor’s degree.

Aalto University's scholarships in international double degree programmes

International joint programmes that have their own tuition fees and (externally funded) scholarship systems follow their specific regulations. In programmes where students are liable to pay the tuition fee directly 91�� University, students are eligible to apply for Aalto University's scholarships. However, this only applies to the terms the student is studying at Aalto and is liable to pay tuition fee directly 91�� University. Please read more from programmes' web pages.

The programme-specific tuition fee and scholarship policies are typically valid for the normative duration of the programme (two academic years). After this, the student may become liable for local tuition fees and eligible for related scholarships at Aalto University. The student should refer to the student or scholarship agreement they have signed with the programme.

Other scholarship possibilities

In addition to scholarships from Aalto University, there are other scholarship opportunities to finance your studies. You can check out different possibilities and find the suitable scholarship for you.

Please note that if the scholarship does not cover the whole duration of your studies, you can't apply for Aalto University's tuition fee waivers (Aalto University Scholarship / Aalto University Excellence Scholarship) in the middle of your studies.

You can find several external scholarships and loan schemes suitable for international students liable to pay tuition fees at Aalto University on the external scholarships page.

You can also look for different scholarship opportunities from e.g. the .

A prestigious scholarship for Aalto master’s degree students from the United States with the collaboration of Fulbright Finland Foundation. The award offers many outstanding benefits for the right candidate, including generous living allowance, comprehensive support services and excellent networking opportunities. Please note that the scholarship is available only to U.S. citizens.

You can find more information on the Fulbright Aalto University Graduate Award on the . If you have any further questions regarding the award at Aalto, please contact tuitionfees@aalto.fi.

The award has a dual application procedure where separate applications need to be submitted to the Fulbright grant competition and admission to the university. The application deadline for the award (from Fulbright) is typically in early October. When applying 91�� University, applicants should apply for a scholarship covering their full tuition fee in conjunction with their application for admission if they wish to be considered for the full award (the grant from Fulbright and the tuition fee waiver from Aalto).

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Updated: 17.3.2025
Published: 17.3.2025

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Student Guide