You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• Have done the IELTS Academic test and received a minimum overall average score of 6.5, with no band score below 5,5
  • • The IELTS Online (Academic) test is accepted.
  • • The IELTS General Training test is not accepted.
  • • IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted.
• Upload a copy of your test report form as a PDF file to the application system following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

IELTS scores are valid for two years and your test score must be valid throughout the application period. This means it must not expire prior to the application deadline.

You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• Have done the TOEFL iBT (Internet-based) test and received a minimum score of 92. (TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted.)

How to submit the test score:

• Share your score report directly to Åbo Akademi University (institution code 9880) through the test organiser, or
• Upload a copy of your score report as a PDF file to the application system following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started, as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years and your test score must be valid throughout the application period. This means it must not expire prior to the application deadline.

You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• Have done the PTE Academic test and received a minimum score of 62, or
• Have done the PTE Academic Online test and received a minimum score of 62.

How to submit the test score:

• Upload a copy of your test score with your Score Report Code in the application system following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started, as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

PTE Academic scores are valid for two years and your test score must be valid throughout the application period. This means it must not expire prior to the application deadline.

You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• Have done the Cambridge English: C1 Advanced (formerly CAE) test and received a pass level of A, B or C, or
• Have done the Cambridge English: C2 Proficiency (formerly CPE) test with a minimum result of C1 (or C if taken when the test was called CPE).

How to submit the test score:

• Upload a copy of your test report following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

• More information about the C2 test
• More information about the C1 test

Your test score must be valid throughout the application period. This means it must not expire prior to the application deadline.

The National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) is a language test organized by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• Have done the National Certificate of Language Proficiency test and passed at level 5 in all subparts of the test (speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension)

How to submit the test score:

• Upload a copy of your National Certificate of Language Proficiency test score to the application system following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.
• Your test score must be valid throughout the application period. This means it must not expire prior to the application deadline.

You can prove your language skills with a degree completed in a Finnish university or university of applied sciences if you have demonstrated foreign language proficiency in the English language in accordance with the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004) or University of Applied Sciences Degrees (1129/2014).

You show language eligibility in the English language if you have a:

•  Bachelor’s degree (or higher) or an equivalent degree in an English-language programme in one of the following countries:
  • An EU/EEA country or Switzerland
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
• Starting with the application round 03.01.2024–17.01.2024 for the autumn 2024 intake, the above is also applicable to the following countries:
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Dominica
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Malawi
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Switzerland
  • Tanzania
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Please note!

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed entirely in English

The language of instruction must always be indicated clearly on the educational documents. If the language of instruction is not stated in the educational documents. The applicant must submit a separate statement that indicates that the language of instruction of the higher education degree is English. 

How to submit your degree:

Submit your degree certificate and transcript of records following the instructions on how to submit enclosures to your application.

If your degree includes transfer credits from outside the specified countries/area, or if it includes courses conducted in a language other than English, the degree does not meet the requirement.

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries/area cannot be used to indicate language skills, even if the degree-awarding main institution is based in one of the accepted countries.

If the degree you use to prove your language skills is different from the one used as a basis for eligibility for the programme, the degree must have been earned by the time of application.

You show language eligibility in the English language if you:

• You are a former exchange student at Åbo Akademi University and have a good study record of at least 20 credits (ECTS) during one term of your exchange.

How to submit your study record:

We have your study record in our student registry. You need to indicate which year you were an exchange student here and we will check your study record in the registry.

Only for applicants to:

• Master’s Degree Programme in Social Exclusion, Master of Arts (2 years), or
• Master’s Degree Programme in Social Exclusion, Master of Theology (2 years)

You show language eligibility in the English language if:

• The programme assesses your language proficiency to be sufficient for studies.

The programme only assesses those who hold a degree that render them eligible for the programme and who have no other way of showing their language eligibility.

How to apply to have your language proficiency assessed:

In the application you can indicate that you wish to have your language proficiency assessed. Please note that if you have applied to other master’s degree programmes at Åbo Akademi University, you will need to show your language eligibility one of the other ways. The language assessment as a way of showing your language eligibility only applies to the programmes listed above.