Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries are liable to pay tuition fees. Holders of certain residence permits issued by the Finnish Immigration Service are exempted from paying tuition fees. See the full list of exempted students below. If you are unsure about whether you are liable to pay the tuition fee, please check the FAQ of the Studyinfo website or contact admission@abo.fi.

The individual student’s fee will remain the same throughout the completion of the programme.

The tuition fee can be paid in one or two installments, the deadline is the last day of enrolment each semester.

• The payment can be made on our webshop. (If you pay via the webshop, you do not need to send us a separate receipt).

         OR

• by using the bank details in your admissions letter, in that case please send the receipt of the payment to studentservice@abo.fi

If you have any questions, please contact admission(at)abo.fi.

The following tuition fee refund policy is applicable to students of our 9 international master’s degree programmes from intake 2025 and onwards:

The tuition fee can be refunded only in the following situations:

Residence permit

• If the students receives a Negative decision on the residence permit application. In this case the negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Services must be submitted to admission(at)abo.fi.

Deferral of studies

• If the student has already paid the tuition fee and must defer their studies due to e.g. not being able to get the residence permit on time to start the studies (according to the programme’s recommendations for starting the studies), the tuition fee payment can either be transferred to the following academic year or refunded.

Non-attendance

• If the student has already paid the tuition fee and registers as non-attending by the enrolment deadline, the fee can be refunded.

Conditionally accepted student

• If a conditionally accepted student does not meet the conditions by the given deadline.

Renouncement of study right

• If the student renounces their study right bindingly during the enrolment period.

Force majeure events

• If the degree programme is not offered, or a force majeure event occurs.

Please note:

• A precondition for all refunds of tuition fees is that no studies have been completed within the same semester the refund is applied for.
• Changes in the fee status made in the middle of term do not result in the reimbursement of the tuition fee for that term. The revised status will be effective, as a rule, from the beginning of the following term.
• You can contact admission(at)abo.fi to request a refund (where applicable) and get the relevant information on how to proceed with your request for refund.
  You must apply for refund by the 30th of September (autumn semester) or the 31st January (spring semester).
• Tuition fees will be returned only upon application.

The following tuition fee refund policy is applicable to students of our 9 international master’s degree programmes up until and including intake 2024:

N.B.! The tuition fee refund policy below has been updated from December 1st 2024 due to Government changes to legislation. According to the new legislation, students who have come to Finland with a residence permit for studies, and who change their residence permit to a work-based residence permit, will no longer be exempted from paying tuition fees. Also, family members of persons who have a continuous residence permit (A), but who originally came to Finland with a study-based residence permit, will no longer be exempted.

(Students who have previously been exempted from paying tuition fees due to a change of residence permit basis, will continue to be exempted from paying tuition fees for as long as the residence permit is valid. From 1 December 2024 and onwards, students will no longer be able to apply for being exempted from paying tuition fees, even if the residence permit changes to a work-based residence permit.)

The tuition fee can be refunded fully or partially in the following situations:

Residence permit

• A Negative decision on the residence permit application. In this case the negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Services is required to be submitted to the Admissions Services admission(at)abo.fi.

Non-attendance
If the student has already paid the tuition fee and registers as non-attending by the registration deadline, the fee can be returned. The student must apply for refund by the 30th of September (autumn semester) or the 31st January (spring semester).

Graduation

If the student graduates by January 31^st, they are allowed to graduate without payment of the tuition fee for the spring semester.
If the student graduates by September 30^th, they are allowed to graduate without payment of the tuition fee for the autumn semester.
In these cases, please contact admission(at)abo.fi.

Please note that if the student graduates in the middle of the autumn term (after September 30th), and has paid the tuition fee for the whole academic year, Åbo Akademi University will only return payments made for the spring term. (Refunds are done only per term.)

Conditionally accepted student
A conditionally accepted student does not meet the conditions by the given deadline.

Renouncement of study right
Student renounces their study right with a written form. If the student renounces their study right for example on the 1st of October, the payment will be returned from the 1st of October onwards. Scholarship that has been granted as a tuition fee waiver only, will not be collected back from the student. Tuition fees will be returned only upon application.

Force majeure events
The degree programme is not offered, or a force majeure event occurs.

Please note:

• A precondition for all refunds of tuition fees is that no studies have been completed within the same semester the refund is applied for.
• Changes in the fee status made in the middle of term do not result in the reimbursement of the tuition fee for that term. The revised status will be effective, as a rule, from the beginning of the following term.
• You can contact admission(at)abo.fi to request a refund (where applicable) and get the relevant information on how to proceed with your request for refund.
  You must apply for refund by the 30th of September (autumn semester) or the 31st January (spring semester).
• Tuition fees will be returned only upon application.

Tuition fees will be returned only upon application, email your application to admission(at)abo.fi.

• Exchange students
• PhD students
• Citizens of EU/EEA states or Switzerland
• Students studying under the Erasmus Mundus programme funded by the European Union
  Master’s degree students are not liable to pay tuition fees in case they have:
• a  permanent residence card in Finland (type P)
• a long-term resident’s EU residence permit for third-country citizens in Finland (type P-EU permit)
• a residence permit based on temporary protection
• an EU blue card in Finland
• Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (Brexit residence permit)
• a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen in Finland.
• continuous residence permit (type A) may exempt from paying tuition fees if it is not granted on the basis of studying. However, they are required to pay tuition fees if:
  • their first residence permit in Finland was granted for studying, they have to pay tuition fees, even in case they have later obtained a continuous residence permit (type A) on other grounds.
  • they have a continuous residence permit (type A) based on family ties in Finland, and their family member originally came to Finland on a residence permit granted for studying.
  • they have a continuous residence permit (type A) granted for studying.

Åbo Akademi University will waive the tuition fees from asylum seekers living in Finland who have been admitted to a programme where the language of instruction is English.

Read more about tuition fees on Studyinfo.fi.

The Finnish Government has introduced amendments to the Universities Act, which will impact international students in Finland. The amended Universities Act has entered into force on 1 December 2024.

The changes have affected or will affect tuition fees, scholarships, and the grounds for which residence permits will exempt from tuition fees.

The changes impact students who are liable to pay tuition fees, i.e. students from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland who are studying in English-medium master’s programmes.
There will be no tuition fees for EU/EEA/Swiss students.

Effects on the tuition fees (prices)

If you are a current student, there will be no changes in the tuition fee amount. The tuition fee remains the same as it was at the start of your studies at Åbo Akademi University. This also applies to students whose study right begins on 1 August 2025.

With the amendments on the Universities Act, the tuition fees have to cover the costs of completing a degree. This is likely to have an effect on tuition fees collected from students. These changes will most likely affect those whose study right begin on 1 August 2026 or after.

Effects on tuition fee scholarships (waivers) 

There are no changes to your tuition fee-scholarship if you are a current student whose study right has started on or before 1 August 2024.

In the intake 2025, there are two categories of tuition fee scholarships that an applicant can apply for. (Students admitted to start their studies in the autumn 2025).

The scholarship system is likely to be affected due to changes in legislation. The changes will probably take place from the intake of 2026 and onwards. The information will be updated with release of new information.

Effects on tuition fee exemption and residence permits 

These changes concern all tuition fee paying students, i.e. also those who are currently studying at Åbo Akademi University.

The new law has entered into force on 1 December 2024 and has an effect on which permit types exempt students from the tuition fee.

Your current residence permit type and exemption status will determine whether you will be exempted starting from the next academic year or term (deadline for sending the documents by the end of the enrolment period), for example:

• If you are currently on a study-based residence permit (i.e. not exempted), and you obtain a new continuous residence permit (type A) on a non-study basis after 1 December 2024, you will continue to be liable to pay tuition fee. The first residence permit in Finland determines your tuition fee liability.
• If you are currently on a study-based residence permit, and you obtain a new permanent residence permit (type P) after the new law enters into force, you will be exempted from tuition fees.

If you have been exempted from paying tuition fees before the new law entered into force on 1 December 2024:

• The tuition fee exemption continues until the end of your current exemption period. The exemption period is tied to the validity of your exempting residence permit card.
• When renewing your permit, if your residence permit type or the grounds of your permit remain the same without a change of the RP status in between, you will continue to be exempted. If the type or the grounds of your permit change, contact admission@abo.fi to check the situation.

If you get a Finnish/EU/EEA/Swiss nationality, you will be exempted from tuition fees starting from the next academic term.

During the transition period British students were not liable to the tuition fees. The transition period ended 31 December 2020.

Tuition fees will not be charged

• • from British citizens or their family members who currently reside in Finland and have applied for the right of residence by 30 September 2021.
    Proof of right to residence, or proof that the student has applied for it (from Migri) is sufficient for exemption.
  • from British citizens or their family members who have arrived to Finland between 1 October 2020 and 31 December 2020 and have applied for the right of residence by 31 December 2020. Proof of registration or application (from Migri) is required.

Tuition fees will be charged

• • From British citizens and their family members who arrive to Finland after 1 January 2021. Tuition fees will be charged in the same way as from all non-EU/EEA citizens. British citizens may also apply for scholarships.

For instructions on how to apply for the right to residence in accordance with the withdrawal agreement please see the immigration services website.

For questions please email admission@abo.fi.

The participation cost (i.e. tuition fee) for the double degree EDISS master’s programme is charged from all admitted students (incl. students from the EU/EEA area).

The tuition fee can be paid in one or two installments, the deadline is usually by the last day of registration to each term.

Contact ediss@abo.fi for further information.