Apply to SAMK
Study in English, study in Finland, choose Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, SAMK. We have gathered here information how you can apply to SAMK. See you soon!
Application Period 3 – 17 January 2024
Bachelor's Degrees:
Master's Degrees:
SAMK webinar for applicants 4 Jan 2024
SAMK will host an online webinar on Thu 4 Jan 2024 at 1 pm EET (Helsinki time). We welcome all applicants, their parents and other interested to join the event and find out more about our university, degree programmes, applying and studying in Finland. You will have the opportunity to ask questions during the event.
Join the event https://zoom.us/j/98994576096
Apply to SAMK step-by-step
The application for international degree programmes is aimed at those who are interested in SAMK’s English-language degree programmes and have completed (or will complete by 31 July 2024) at least an upper secondary level qualification.
The most important step in the admissions process is choosing the degree programme that is right for you. Use our web pages to find out which degree programmes are available in English.
In the spring 2024 separate application you can apply to one degree programme that is available in the application period.
If you’re offered study places from this separate application or any application period of a Finnish higher education institution, you’re allowed to confirm only one study place for studies starting in autumn 2024 from a Finnish university or university of applied sciences.
Bachelor's degree programme
In order to apply, you must have completed at least an upper secondary level qualification (or will complete by 31 July 2024):
- foreign or Finnish qualification that provides eligibility for higher education studies in the country in question or
- foreign or Finnish higher education degree.
You need to prove your English proficiency during the application process (please see details below).
Master's degree programme
You can apply to a Master’s degree programme if you have completed:
- an appropriate UAS Bachelor’s degree or another appropriate higher education degree and
- at least two years of subsequent work experience in a relevant field. As a relevant field is regarded both the field being applied to and the field of the previous higher education degree.
Additional information
You can find all the educational and work experience requirements from SAMK's Admissions Criteria for Autumn 2023.
SAMK doesn’t have discretionary admission, i.e. the possibility to apply without an eligible background education, to its degree programmes.
You need to prove your English language proficiency when you apply to a degree programme tuitioned in English. Following results are accepted:
- IELTS Academic: a minimum total score of 6.0
- IELTS Academic online : a minimum total score of 6.0
- TOEFL Academic (iBT): a minimum total score of 60
- PTE Academic and PTE Academic online: a minimum total score of 55
- Cambridge C1 Advanced: a minimum total score of 169
- Cambridge C2 Proficiency: a minimum total score of 169.
Also following test, exams or degrees are accepted:
- National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) test in English, arranged by Finnish National Agency for Education: Proficiency level 4 on all the subtests (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
- Higher education degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States
- Upper secondary degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States
- Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification: grading scale 1-5 with a minimum grade of 5, grading scale 1-3 with a minimum grade of 3
- One of the following grade cases in Finnish Matriculation Examination, European Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate or Reifeprüfung/DIA:
- Finnish Matriculation Examination: English on advanced Level with a minimum grade of C
- International Baccalaureate completed in English
- International Baccalaureate diploma: grade 4 in higher level English
- European Baccalaureate: at least grade 6.00 in L2-level English
- Reifeprüfung/DIA completed diploma: at least grade 7 in advanced English.
Applicant must attach a copy of the passed result to the application form by 24 January 2024.
Check if your test can be verified
There are no certain expiration dates, but your language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser. The TOEFL test cannot be verified after two years. If the test scores can no longer be verified, the test is not valid. The applicant should make sure that the test results are not too old. If the applicant is unsure and the test results are more than 2 years old, it is advised to retake the test.
Master's degree programmes
When applying to a Master’s degree programme at SAMK there’s no need to provide an English language test result, since student selection to the Master’s degree programme is based on an entrance examination course. English skills are evaluated during the course.
These documents are required to attach on the application form:
- Educational certificates including study transcripts
- A copy of a valid passport
- Adequate results from accepted international English language tests
- Work certificates (only when applying to the Master’s degree programme).
Non-Finnish certificates
If you are applying with a non-Finnish qualification certificate, in order to prove your eligibility, you must save a copy of the certificate used as the basis for application by 24 January 2024 to the application form. In addition, you must submit a copy of your qualification certificate translated into Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorized) translator if the original document is in none of these languages. Such translations must be signed and stamped by the translator.
Application must be submitted at Studyinfo.fi between 3 - 17 January (the application period ends on 17 January at 3:00 p.m. Finnish time). Make sure that you have all the required documents with you when you start filling out the application form.
You should also save a copy of your passport or ID card to the application.
Notice that if you are not citizen of countries of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are subject to tuition fee. If you are exempted from tuition fee, you should save the liberating document to your application.
Please notice that you should use your own e-mail address through the application period and it should be the same in all of your communication.
Make sure that you receive the e-mail confirmation that will be sent to you automatically within 24 hours from submitting the application form. If you do not receive the e-mail confirmation, please contact the Admission Services (admissions(at)samk.fi) .
There is no application fee.
Student selection to SAMK's Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing and Bachelor of Health Care, Physiotherapy programmes is based on an entrance examination. The exam is online and it includes a written part and an interview. Invitations to the entrance exam will be sent to the email address the applicant provided on the application form. All the applicants are invited to take the written part of the entrance examination. After the written part, eligible applicants with the best score on the written part are invited to take the online interview.
Rest of the Bachelor's degree programmes at SAMK have certificate-based selection.
Student selection to the Master level programmes is based on an entrance examination course. It is an online course of 3–5 ECTS credits belonging to the curricula of the degree programme.
You can read more details on student selection in the Admissions Criteria.
You will be contacted via e-mail for example when:
- your application has been submitted successfully
- your application is found insufficient (you will be given 7 days to complete your application)
- you are invited to the entrance examination
- you are offered a study place.
The results of student selection are given:
- for Bachelor level programmes by 14 March 2024
- for Master level programme by 15 May 2024.
If you would be selected as student based on your 2nd year certificate, the selection is conditional. You are required to present certificates that prove your eligibility before the studies start.
Student selection from reserve places ends at the latest on 6 August 2024.
The study place must be confirmed by 11 July 2024 at 3 pm (local time in Finland).
You will receive more detailed instructions how to confirm the study place with your acceptance letter.
Take care of all the arrangements necessary (e.g. Visa and residence permit application, accommodation, insurances etc.) immediately after receiving the admission notification. For more information, please click "New student".
Applying to the degree programmes at SAMK takes place in studyinfo.fi-portal.
Important information about Admission 2023
Transfer Application
A transfer student is a student
- who has a valid study right in another higher education institution and who applies for a transfer of his/her study right to Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK)
- who has a valid study right in SAMK and who applies for a transfer of education from a degree programme to another so that the degree title changes, e.g. Engineer (Bachelor of Engineering) -> Sea Captain (Bachelor of Maritime Management).
(Polytechnic Law 932/2014, 28§)
It is not possible to transfer from abroad.
Students applying for a transfer should note that their maximum study period or the period for which they are entitled to receive student financial aid will not be extended due to the transfer. The maximum study period is calculated from the date on which the student accepted the study place in the previous higher education institution.
The students applying for transfer from one degree programme to another within SAMK, and whose degree title will not change are not considered as “transfer students”. These students will have to apply for degree programme change in LOKI system E-services, e.g. Engineer (Mechanical Engineering) -> Engineer (Electrical and Automation Engineering). There is no specific application period for changing the degree programme and the student can apply for change any time during his/her studies.
The applicant for study transfer needs to meet the following conditions
- the applicant has a valid right to study in SAMK or some other higher education institution in the same or close field of education
- the applicant has progressed in his/her studies to be able to graduate within the study time left
- the applicant meets the statutory qualification requirements of the transfer application education
The transfer form another university of applied sciences can be accepted earliest after one term of studies. For example a student accepted as a student in autumn 2021 can apply for transfer during the same autumn and start the studies in SAMK at the earliest on 1 January 2022.
A transfer student coming to SAMK resigns from his/her own higher education institution and in this transfer the student´s right to study is transferred to SAMK. The attendance and absence terms used for previous studies will be reduced from the right to study when calculating the study time left in transfer application.
Students required to pay tuition fee are treated as 1st year students after the transfer, i.e. the tuition fee is the same as for 1st year students. More information about the tuition fees and scholarships is on website https://www.samk.fi/en/study/admissions/tuition-fees-scholarships/.
Application periods
The transfer application periods in SAMK are 1 – 15 May and 1 – 15 November. The applicant who has submitted the application in spring and has been accepted as a student can start the studies at the beginning of the autumn term and the applicant who has submitted the application in autumn and has been accepted as a student can start the studies at the beginning of the spring term. The transfer application is done online during the application period on www.studyinfo.fi.
The electronic application enclosure (one pdf file)
- a study certificate with full attendance and absence terms
- a transcript of records in Finnish and English
The transfer student is eligible if
- the applicant meets the conditions of transfer
- there is a study place available in the degree programme where the students could be transferred based on previous studies
- a personal study plan can be drawn up so that the completion of studies within the normative study time is possible
Decision about transfer will be sent to the transfer applicant by email on 15 June and 15 December and the study place has to be accepted by 15 July and 20 December.
For further information, please contact:
Admissions Office, (02) 623 4801, admissions@samk.fi
Separate Application System: Open Path to Degree Studies
The application period to Open Path degree studies in SAMK is 1 – 15 May and 1 – 15 November. The required Open UAS studies must have been completed by the end of May when applying in spring and by the end of November when applying in autumn. Separate application is submitted online during the application period at www.studyinfo.fi.
In open path separate application the applicant does not need to pass the entrance exam or interview or give any other specific proof to be selected. Student admission is based only on the completion of open UAS studies.
Education leading to Bachelor´s degree:
Those who have completed Finnish Open UAS studies can apply to Satakunta University of Applied Sciences based on these studies. In order to be eligible the applicant must have completed at least 45 ECTS credits of Open UAS studies, which can be recognized as a part of the degree programme for which he/she is applying. The applicant does not need the previously required school education to be eligible for Bachelor´s degree studies (Polytechnic Law 25 §). Maximum 15 ECTS credits completed in another higher education institution and included in the studies leading to Bachelor´s degree will be taken into account in the selection.
Education leading to Master´s degree:
The applicant must have completed at least 30 ECTS credits of Open UAS studies, which can be recognized as a part of the Master´s degree programme for which he/she is applying. Besides open Open UAS studies the applicant must have a Bachelor´s degree, Finnish professional higher level degree or Finnish polytechnic degree, and two years of work experience in the relevant field of the Bachelor´s degree or the field applied for in order to be eligible (Polytechnic Law 25§). Maximum 15 ECTS credits completed in another higher education institution and included in the studies leading to Master´s degree will be taken into account in the selection.
For further information, please contact:
Admissions Office, (02) 623 4801, admissions@samk.fi
The process of the identification and recognition of competences (AHOT) is a procedure, through which the student can get earlier studies or competences or for example work experience included in the degree. Students don’t have to study again skills or other things they have studied/acquired earlier or during the present studies.
Students can apply for identification and recognition of competence throughout their studies and the academic year. There is no limit for the number of credits which can be identified and recognised. However, the thesis remains outside this process. AHOT procedure is always initiated by the student.
If you need individual arrangements in an entrance examination (e.g. extra time, technical aid, or other special arrangement) due to an injury, illness, reading disability, or other special reason, you must submit an application for the individual arrangements.
Deadlines for delivering the application are as follows:
- Autumn 2023: 21 September 2023, 3 p.m.
Next application periods
Spring 2024 application period
Studies start in Autumn 2024
3 – 17 January 2024
Autumn 2024 application period
Studies start in January 2025
28 August – 11 September 2024
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Contact information:
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
Satakunnankatu 23
FI-28130 Pori
Finland
admissions@samk.fi
+358 (0)2 623 4801