# Studying in Finland > Degree permits that last the whole degree, thirty work hours a week, and a two-year runway to find a job afterwards. Winter is the entrance exam. Source of record: https://versityspot.com/study-abroad/finland Confirmation: 16 of 16 sections confirmed against their official source (last 2026-07-25). ## Overview Finland runs two parallel systems: research universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS), both teaching hundreds of full degree programmes in English. The state is digital, the queues are short, and the paperwork mostly works the first time. The trade is climate and cost: Helsinki is not cheap, daylight in December is a rumour, and the social code rewards patience. Students who last the first winter tend to stay. *Source: https://www.studyinfinland.fi/* ## Study System Universities award bachelor's (3 years) and master's (2 years) degrees with a research orientation; UAS degrees run 3.5 to 4.5 years with mandatory work placements and a practical bent. Both are Bologna-standard and applications for most programmes go through the national Studyinfo joint application each January. Doctoral positions are usually salaried jobs rather than fee-paying study, which changes the calculation entirely for research careers. *Source: https://www.studyinfo.fi/* ## Visa & Immigration Non-EU students apply to Migri for a residence permit for studies before travelling, through the Enter Finland service. Degree students receive a continuous (A) permit granted for the full duration of the studies, which is unusual in Europe and removes the annual renewal ritual. You must show EUR 800 per month, EUR 9,600 for the first year, in your own account; if your tuition is unpaid, the money for it must be visible on top. Older articles still cite EUR 560 per month: that figure died in 2024, and Migri's page is the one to believe. An application fee applies and has changed recently; check the current amount on Migri's processing fees page, and note the online application is cheaper than paper. Two things soften and sharpen that requirement in turn. If your institution supports your living costs, for instance by providing accommodation or meals, Migri may not require the full EUR 800 a month, but you must attach documentation of what the institution actually provides. And the requirement does not stop at the application: Migri runs automated post-decision checks on whether permit holders still meet the conditions they were granted on, and will contact you if there is reason to consider withdrawing the permit. Funds should sit in your own account, and a bank statement covering recent months is the standard evidence. *Source: https://migri.fi/en/income-requirement-for-students* ## Residence Permit After arrival, register your address with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) to get a Finnish personal identity code if you did not receive one with the permit; the code unlocks everything from banking to the pharmacy. Municipal residence status, which brings public healthcare access, generally follows for degree students staying two years or more. The permit card itself arrives by post or is collected from Migri. *Source: https://dvv.fi/en/foreign-citizens* ## Healthcare Degree students have access to the Finnish Student Health Service (YTHS), a dedicated national service for university and UAS students covering general, mental and oral health for a modest statutory fee charged with the student union term. Until municipal residence is settled, and for anything YTHS does not cover, your required private insurance or EHIC carries the load. Emergency care is provided regardless. *Source: https://www.yths.fi/en/* ## Insurance Migri requires health insurance as a permit condition unless you are covered by an EHIC or equivalent. The required cover level depends on your situation; insurers sell compliant student policies and the permit decision states what you must hold. Home contents insurance is standard in Finland and cheap; many landlords expect it. *Source: https://migri.fi/en/health-insurance* ## Housing Student housing foundations (HOAS in Helsinki, TOAS in Tampere, PSOAS in Oulu and peers elsewhere) rent purpose-built student flats well below market: a shared flat room commonly runs EUR 300 to 500 even in the capital region. Apply the moment you accept your offer. The private market is orderly by European standards: deposits capped, contracts standard, scams rare. Winter viewing tip: check the triple glazing and the heating bill inclusion, not the balcony. *Source: https://www.hoas.fi/en/* ## Bank Accounts Opening an account requires the personal identity code and patience with anti-money-laundering questions about the origin of your funds; bring your permit, enrolment certificate and the same bank statements you showed Migri. Finland is functionally cashless. Strong electronic identification (bank credentials) is the national login for everything official, which is the real reason to get a Finnish account early. *Source: https://www.finanssiala.fi/en/* ## Taxes Working students request a tax card from Vero; without one, employers withhold at a punitive default. The card sets a personal withholding rate against your expected annual income, and most part-time student incomes attract little tax. Vero's online service is in English and among the least painful tax systems you will meet. *Source: https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/* ## Transportation Student discounts on regional transport run deep: HSL in the capital region discounts season tickets for degree students, and VR long-distance trains sell student fares. The bicycle is a serious year-round vehicle here; studded winter tyres are a purchase, not a joke. Cities are compact and walkable; a car is unnecessary for student life anywhere with a university. *Source: https://www.hsl.fi/en* ## Phone & Internet Finnish mobile data is among the cheapest and fastest in the world: unlimited 5G SIMs commonly cost EUR 15 to 25 a month with no data caps in the culture at all. Home broadband is often included in student housing. An unlocked phone and a prepaid SIM bridge the first week until the identity code lets you take a contract. *Source: https://www.traficom.fi/en/* ## Student Life Student unions are statutory bodies with real budgets, and their overalls (haalarit), badge-sewing and sitsit dinner rituals are the visible edge of a highly organised student culture. Membership is automatic for university students and brings YTHS access with it. Guilds and subject associations organise most of the actual social life; join yours in the first week and say yes to the strange traditions. *Source: https://syl.fi/en/* ## Language English carries you through the degree and daily urban life without friction. Finnish is a project: agglutinative, regular, and unrelated to almost everything you know; Swedish is the second national language and an easier on-ramp for many. Universities teach both to students free or nearly so, and even survival-level Finnish visibly changes how the country treats you, particularly in the job market. *Source: https://www.infofinland.fi/en/finnish-and-swedish* ## Part-time Jobs Students may work an average of 30 hours per week across the year: intensity can vary week to week as long as the average holds, and there is no restriction on the field of work. That average structure suits exam rhythms better than a hard weekly cap. Pay follows collective agreements; there is no statutory minimum wage because the agreements are the floor. The identity code and tax card come before the first shift. *Source: https://migri.fi/en/working-during-studies* ## Post-study Work Finland grants graduates a residence permit to look for work or start a business for up to two years after the degree, and it need not be used immediately: you can claim it in parts within five years of graduating, which allows a trip home before the job hunt. Time on the A permit counts toward permanent residence, and the degree plus language skills is the established route into it. Budget for it as well as counting on it. The job seeking permit carries the same EUR 800 a month means test as the study permit, applied across the whole period you request, so a two year permit means showing EUR 19,200. The permit can also be drawn down in up to three separate parts within the five year window rather than having to be used in one continuous block, which makes it far more useful if you want to try the market, leave, and come back. *Source: https://migri.fi/en/looking-for-a-job-in-finland* ## Emergency Numbers For any emergency, 112 reaches police, ambulance and fire across Finland and the European Union, free from any phone. The 112 Suomi app shares your precise location with the dispatcher, which matters in a country with a great deal of remote terrain. Operators handle English and Swedish alongside Finnish. *Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumer-rights-and-complaints/unfair-treatment/112-general-emergency-number_en* ## Common questions ### How much money must I show? EUR 800 per month, EUR 9,600 for the first year, plus your unpaid tuition on top. Articles citing EUR 560 are describing a rule that ended in 2024. ### How long is the permit? For degree students, the whole duration of the programme in one continuous (A) permit. No annual renewals. ### How many hours can I work? An average of 30 hours per week over the year, in any field. Busy weeks and quiet weeks are fine as long as the average holds. ### What happens after graduation? A permit to seek work or found a company, up to two years, usable in parts within five years of the degree. ### Do I pay tuition? Non-EU/EEA students pay tuition for English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes, commonly in the EUR 8,000 to 18,000 range. Doctoral positions are typically salaried, not fee-paying. ### Is the winter genuinely a problem? It is dark, long and cold, and the country is engineered for it: heated homes, lit cycle paths, saunas. Vitamin D and a proper coat are course requirements.