Students outside the EU/EEA area and Switzerland are required to pay a tuition fee for each academic year. The fees vary depending on the chosen programme:
These fees apply to both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes taught in English.
There is a tuition fee applicable to students who are not citizens of countries of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. You are exempted from paying the tuition fee if you have one of the documents mentioned below.
Please read more information about tuition fees in general from Studyinfo.fi and Finnish Immigration Service.
The Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Act was amended at the end of 2024. The new law entered into force on 1 December 2024, changing the types of residence permits that allows tuition fee exemptions. The new law affects both new students as well as those currently studying at SAMK. Possible exemption of tuition fees depends on your current residence permit type and your residence permit history in Finland.
Exemption from the tuition fees is given in the following cases:
Non-EU/EEA/Switzerland citizens who have a continuous residence permit (Type A) are required to pay tuition fees in the following cases:
Please note that if you have been exempted from paying the tuition fee, you must take care of the continuity of your residence permit and your study right so that both continue uninterrupted, to secure the continuity of your tuition fee exemption.
Only a physical passport, identity card or residence permit card can be considered as proof of exemption. Once you have received the residence permit card, you must send a copy of the front and back side of the card to the Admissions Office of SAMK (admissions@samk.fi) within 30 days of receiving the decision, so that we can confirm your residence permit status and possible exemption from tuition fees. Be prepared to present the card in person. Please note that changes in the fee status made in the middle of term do not affect the tuition fee for that term. The revised status will be effective, as a rule, from the beginning of the following term.
You are only exempted from paying the tuition fees as long as the exempting residence permit is valid. An expired residence permit or a pending residence permit application does not exempt you from paying tuition fees. You are required to provide a copy of the exempting document (copy of the residence permit card) before the beginning of the next semester to secure the exemption from the tuition fees for the following semester.
If you are unsure about whether you’d be subject to tuition fees, check the ‘Am I required to pay tuition fees?‘ section on the Studyinfo.fi application site.
New students
The admission notification e-mail will include the payment instructions for the tuition fee. Your acceptance letter will arrive from the e-mail address admissions@samk.fi. Please be careful and do not trust any other e-mails that claim to be from us.
New students are required to pay the tuition fee for the first year of studies in one installment.
Students starting their studies in August: The deadline for the tuition fee payment is in July.
Students starting their studies in January: The deadline for the tuition fee payment is in November.
The exact deadline will be provided in the acceptance e-mail.
Continuing students
Enrollment due date for the autumn semester: 15 June
Enrollment due date for the spring semester: 15 November
More information about enrollment for both new and continuing students is available here.
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) refunds the paid tuition fee to the payer only in the following cases:
Please note that in all scenarios described above, you are required to request a refund in writing from the Admissions Office of SAMK by e-mail: admissions@samk.fi. These policies are non-negotiable. If you are unsure of your situation, please contact the Admissions Office in advance. In case you are granted a refund, the refund is always made to the original payer. Refund will only be made in the above-mentioned scenarios, exceptions are not possible.
For example, you are not eligible for a refund in the following cases:
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences’ scholarship programme is available for SAMK’s non-EU and non-EEA degree students who are liable to pay the tuition fee (excluding double degree students).
The scholarships are to be applied only after the studies have started (excluding the early bird discount).
To be eligible to apply for the scholarships offered by SAMK, you must be liable to pay tuition fees and be enrolled as present.
The Early Bird is a discount of 1,500 € on the tuition fee of the first study year at SAMK.
All new students who have been selected, accepted the study place, and paid the tuition fee no later than 24 October 2025 (for the separate application) or 27 November 2025 (for the Int. UAS Exam, Joint application for higher education) will be rewarded with an early bird discount of 1,500 €.
The discount will be deducted from the first-year tuition fee. You will receive detailed payment instructions in your acceptance e-mail. This offer is valid only for the first year of studies.
Please note that an early bird has to pay the tuition fee in one instalment.
The discount is not available for transfer students, Edunation Pathway students nor for students applying based on their previously interrupted studies in SAMK or in another Finnish higher education institution.
If you are eligible for the discount, you will receive separate instructions for the discount along with your acceptance e-mail.
During the degree studies students can apply for a scholarship after each study year (as a degree student) and get 50 % of the paid fee back by progressing well in studies.
You can apply for a scholarship if you:
Your performance in the previous years will affect the scholarship application in the later stages of your studies. For example in order to apply for a scholarship after your second year of studies you need to have completed at least 60 ECTS during the first academic year and at least 60 ECTS during the second academic year (120 ECTS credits altogether).
You can find information about the application period and instructions for applying on the student intranet Oiva.
You can find information about the application period and instructions for applying on the student intranet Oiva.
The Student Ambassador Scholarship is available for the nationals of non-EU and non-EEA countries studying at SAMK in bachelor’s degree programmes taught in English.
The Student Ambassador Scholarship Programme has been created for students who have an interest in becoming involved in international activities in SAMK during their studies. The Student Ambassador Scholarship offers successful students an annual award of 200–500 euros. The Student Ambassador Scholarship can be granted more than once.
You can find information about the application period and instructions for applying on the student intranet Oiva.
The scholarships during the studies cannot be granted to a student who has been guilty of deception or otherwise breached the order of the UAS, and has been given a warning by the president as provided in the UAS Act (932/2014).
More information about tuition fees and scholarships can be found on the Oiva intranet.