Scholarships and grants

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

Looking for funding to your studies? On this site, you will find information about current grants and scholarships offered by the UH Funds and other funds.

The University of Helsinki Funds

University of Helsinki Funds grant a total of approximately 400,000 euros in various scholarships and grants to students and researchers each year. The University of Helsinki Funds includes over 350 funds: discipline-specific funds and named funds founded by our alumni, friends and other supporters. The funds' assets consist of funds donated to the University of Helsinki over the past centuries.

Mainly only students, researchers and staff at the University of Helsinki can apply for scholarships from the University of Helsinki's funds.

University of Helsinki Funds' application round

The funds’ application round for 2024 is from January, 15 to February, 8, 2024. Read the descriptions for the grants you can apply for this year, and apply by logging into the University of Helsinki Grant Portal.

If you have questions regarding the grants and scholarships, please contact studentinfo@helsinki.fi

Instructions for applying and evaluation criteria

Who can apply, grant period, and informing the applicants of the grant decisions

Mainly only students, researchers and staff at the University of Helsinki can apply for scholarships from the University of Helsinki's funds.

If you are employed at the University of Helsinki, you cannot receive a grant, but if there is a period during a period of three years when you are not employed at the university, you can receive a grant. If you are employed at the University of Helsinki and have been granted travel or mobility support, please read these instructions in Flamma.

The decisions concerning the grant recipients are made by the end of April at the latest. All applicants are personally informed of the decisions.

Grants must be spent within three years of the date awarded (by the end of the last month of the three-year period). No grant period can exceed the three-year limit. Grants not spent within three years will be considered cancelled.

Applying for a grant

You can apply for the grants in the University of Helsinki Grant Portal. The portal works in three languages. You can apply for all of the grants of the University of Helsinki Funds in either Finnish, Swedish or English.

All attachments added to the application must be sent as PDF files. 

You can save your application either as a draft or a final application. Please remember to send your final application. Drafts are not acknowledged as applications when the decisions about the grants and stipends are made.

Undergraduate and graduate students need to add the following attachments:

A transcript of credits (ordered from Sisu).

Other attachments won't be needed unless they are specifically asked for in the grant description.

Reference

You can add one or more references to your application. The statement can be freely formulated. If the applicant provides a reference in their application, the reference will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to submit the reference. 

Make sure you ask your reference in advance for their willingness to function as a reference and their contact details, that is e-mail address and phone number. You will receive an automatic confirmation by e-mail when the statement has been sent.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of the application is based on the common evaluation criteria of the University of Helsinki Funds.

Study progress

  • number of credits and grades compared to the study time

Research plan and research activities

  • is taken into consideration if the applicant is working on his/her thesis or if the applicant is applying for a research grant

Other activities that support the application

  • work experience and positions of trust that support the studies or research
  • activities within the University community

Some grants can also have specific criteria that are mentioned in the grant descriptions.

Evaluation criteria for travel grants

Study progress

  • number of credits and grades compared to the study time

Significance of the planned trip for the studies

  • the significance of the planned trip for the studies or research
  • the link between the planned trip and the studies

Financial significance of the travel grant for the trip planned

Evaluation criteria for scholarships from the Ensio Hyvärinen fund

Scholarships from medicine candidate Ensio Hyvärinen's fund are applied for in the grant portal in the same way as other scholarships as part of the fund's application round. Please see the evaluation criteria here (in Finnish and Swedish).

Valo Fund's grants

The Valo Fund aims to promote the mental health of students enrolled at the University of Helsinki with the help of psychotherapy.

The fund's scholarships can be applied for in the same way as other scholarships as part of the University of Helsinki Funds' application period from January, 15 to February, 8, 2024. You'll find more information and the application form in this attachment.

The applicant must send their application as an encrypted e-mail from their personal University of Helsinki e-mail address to the address valorahasto@helsinki.fi

The Valo Fund's support is intended to support continued psychotherapy either for the third or fourth year after the KELA's support for rehabilitative psychotherapy has ended. The Valo Fund's scholarships can be applied for by students enrolled at the University of Helsinki.

For more information about the fund, please contact valorahasto@helsinki.fi 

Get Your Master's Thesis Written! Grant

The aim of the grant is to promote the finalizing of the master’s thesis by providing for an intensive thesis writing period at one of the field stations of the University. The grant is meant for those students that are close to the end of their thesis work. The field stations are located in Hyytiälä, Kilpisjärvi, Lammi, Tvärminne and Värriö.

You can apply for the grant if you are a basic-degree student at the University of Helsinki and you have not been awarded the grant before. The grant is applied for one week and it includes full room and board at the field stations. More information available on Get Your Master's Thesis Written! Grant page.

Dean's Award to Fees-liable Student

International degree programmes can award a Deans' Award to a tuition fee liable student for outstanding study performance during the student's first study year. For more information on the awards, please see the page Tuition fees.

Scholarships and grants not administered by the University of Helsinki

This section compiles current calls for applications for other grants and scholarships available for students. The University of Helsinki is not responsible for the content of these notices. Please read the application instructions carefully and always check the relevant information with the grant provider.

Rozentāls Society scholarship for thesis writers

The Rozentāls Society (Rozentāls-seura) is a Finland-Latvia friendship society. Thesis writers can apply for a grant from the association. The topic of the thesis must be related to Latvia or Finnish-Latvian relations. 

Applications can be submitted all year round. More information about the grant is available on the Rozentāls Society's website (in Finnish) or directly from the society: info@rozentals-seura.fi

Databases

Academy of Finland

The application rounds of The Academy of Finland are usually in April and September.

Research.fi

Research.fi lists open funding calls in sciences, arts and culture. The database is open for all.

Association of Finnish Foundations

The Association of Finnish Foundations helps applicants with questions concerning grants.

Finnish cultural foundation

The Finnish Cultural Foundation awards grants from the central fund and regional funds. Application period for the central fund takes place in October. The regional funds have a common application period in January.

FYRK

FYRK is a grant database in Swedish.

Research Professional

The international Research Professional is an online database of research funding. It can be accessed with a computer connected to the university’s network.

Grants database SYL

The National Union of University Students in Finland SYL maintains a database where you can search for grants and scholarships.