FAQ - Admissions

• Arcada has a separate application for its bachelor's degree programmes International Business, Information Technology and Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering. It is arranged as a continuous application.
• All applications are submitted through Studyinfo External link.
• All applicants must have taken the SAT or OMPT test(s) in order to submit an application. 
• All applicants must submit valid proof of English language skills.
• All applicants will participate in an online interview as part of the selection process.

Please read more about the application to Arcada's bachelor's degree programmes.

Arcada uses a continuous application to the bachelor's degree programmes in International Business, Information Technology and Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering.

This means that:
1. The application period is longer.
2. Admission is continuous: an applicant can receive an offer of admission during the application period, as soon as the application has been verified to fulfill all eligibility criteria.
3. The application may close earlier than the given end date in case all study places have been filled.

To be eligible to apply you need one of the following educations:

• Finnish Matriculation examination or/and Finnish upper secondary education, EB, IB or Reifeprüfung examination;
• Finnish upper secondary vocational education;
• A non-Finnish degree or qualification which gives eligibility for higher education in the degree awarding country; or
• Higher education degree.

Please read more about eligibility to Arcada's bachelor's degree programmes here.

To apply you need:

• An education with certificates/diplomas that give you eligibility for higher education.
• Proof of English language skills.
• An accepted SAT score or OMPT test score, depending on which selection method you choose in your application.

Please read more about the application process for bachelor's programmes here.

No, as of now you can submit an application without paying a fee. This is due to change starting 1st January 2025 for applicants from outside EU/EEA. More information will be posted on this later. Please see this link for more information. External link

Arcada does not discriminate based on age or any potential gaps or interruptions in the applicant's educational background. Applications are welcome by all who fulfill the eligibility criteria for the programme(s) in question.

Detailed information regarding the documents you need to submit and their deadlines when applying to International Business, Information Technology and/or Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering can be found here.

Please read the information carefully so that you do not miss any documents or deadlines. Documents need to be uploaded as attachments to the application form. They do not need to be sent by mail.

No, you are not allowed to submit several applications during the same application period. You can apply to one or several of the programmes International Business, Information Technology and Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering with the same application. Any additional applications will be removed.

No, unfortunately, we do not accept late applications. Please apply again during the next application period.

To be eligible to apply to Arcada’s master’s degree programmes, an applicant must have a suitable bachelor’s degree in the specific field and a minimum of two years (24 months) of suitable work experience gained after the completion of the bachelor’s degree.

Please read more about eligibility to Arcada's master's degree programmes on the specific programme pages.

Please read more about which documents to submit when applying to Arcada's master's degree programmes. Please read the information carefully so that you do not miss any documents or deadlines.

Documents can be uploaded as an attachment to the application form.

The tuition fee for a bachelor's programme starting in 2025 is 11 000 euros per academic year. For a full-time master's programme, the tuition fee is 12 000 euros per academic year. Please click on the links below to find more detailed information about tuition fees.

• The tuition fee for Arcada's bachelor's degree programmes.
• The tuition fee for Arcada's master’s degree programmes.

Tuition fees apply to applicants from countries outside the European Union/EEA area, with some exceptions. You can use this list of questions External link to check if you are liable to pay tuition fees.

The tuition fees cannot be paid in installments. The tuition fee for the first year must be paid in full before being able to register as a student at Arcada.

Bachelor's degrees

Scholarships are granted from the second year of study onward, based on academic achievement.

For more detailed information on scholarships for Arcadas bachelor's degree programmes please visit this page. External link

Master's degrees

Arcada does not grant scholarships to master’s students.

Asylum seekers, refugees and persons under temporary protection

Arcada offers a separate scholarship for asylum seekers, refugees and persons who are under or have applied for temporary protection. This scholarship covers the entire tuition fee for the first academic year. To be granted the scholarship, the fee-paying students must provide documentation of their status to Arcada's admissions service. Thereafter, to maintain the scholarship, students need to show that their status has not changed for each new academic year.

No, unfortunately, there are no scholarships for the first year of studies. We do, however, have an early bird offer, which means that an admitted student can receive a 2 000 € discount on the first year's tuition fee by bindingly accepting the study place offered at Arcada and paying the discounted tuition fee within 14 days. Other restrictions may apply.

One exception is made for asylum seekers, refugees and persons under temporary protection. More information on this can be found in the answer above.

An admitted student can receive a 2 000 € discount on the tuition fee for the first academic year by bindingly accepting the study place offered at Arcada and paying the tuition fee within 14 days. Other restrictions may apply.

Yes, all applicants to International Business, Information Technology and/or Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering must provide proof of their English language skills. Read more here.

This is not needed if applying to the master's programmes at Arcada except for the programme Emergency Care Systems Development and Leadership. English language proficiency certificate is mandatory when applying for this master programme..

Applicants are generally not required to submit any English language proficiency certificates when applying to our master's programmes. Instead, the applicant's language skills are evaluated both through the written assignment (thesis proposal or motivation letter) and the personal presentation video, in case that is included in the assessment criteria of the programme. 
The master programme Emergency Care Systems Development and Leadership does however require English language proficiency certificate at the time of application.

If you apply to our programmes in International Business, Information Technology and/or Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering you must have taken the SAT or OMPT test in advance in order to apply. There is no entrance exam, but you will need to partake in an online interview.

If you apply to the Nursing TopUp programme, there is an entrance exam which consists of a written test and an individual interview on campus.

If you apply to our Master programmes, the student selection process varies but is never an entrance exam. Students are instead selected based on factors such as a motivational letter, video, international admissions tests such as GRE or GMAT, or other selection methods. Please see the detailed information for each programme.

This depends on the programme(s) you have applied to.

Many programmes have a detailed timetable including when you can expect your results. This can be found in the admission instructions for the programme in question.

Unfortunately, Arcada cannot assist students in their residence permit application process. Arcada will, however, issue a Certificate of Study to every new student at Arcada as soon as possible, which you can use when submitting your residence permit application. Please read more about the residence permit for studying in Finland on the Finnish Immigration Service's website External link.

Unfortunately, Arcada cannot assist students in obtaining accommodation. However, we have provided a page with information about student accommodation External link on campus and in Helsinki.