Transferring from a degree programme to another

Transfer of study right (degree title changes)

You are considered as a transfer student, if you have a valid study right in SAMK and you apply for a transfer of education from a degree programme to another so that the degree title changes, e.g. from Engineer (Bachelor of Engineering) to Sea Captain (Bachelor of Maritime Management). (Polytechnic Law 932/2014, 28§).

When applying for a transfer you should note that your maximum study right time or the period for which you are entitled to receive student financial aid will not be extended due to the transfer. The maximum study right time is calculated from the date on which you have accepted the study place in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences for the first time.

When you accept a new study place, you will be registered as having resigned from your previous study right.

The criteria for transferring from one programme to another:

When applying for a transfer, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You have progressed in your studies to the point where you have a realistic possibility of graduating within your remaining study time.
• You meet the legal eligibility requirements of the education you are applying for.
• You have been a present student for at least two semesters. (For example, a student who started in autumn 2025 can apply for a transfer at the earliest in the following spring and start in the new programme on August 1, 2026.)
• You have completed the required number of credits that can be accepted as part of the degree you are applying for a transfer to. The credits must be visible on your transcript of records or in the Studyinfo.fi link at the time of application.
  • If you are applying for a transfer during the latter half of your first academic year, at least 40 ECTS credits are required.
  • If you are applying later, an additional minimum of 30 credits per present academic term is required.

Change of language of instruction:

If you are changing from an English-language to a Finnish-language programme or vice versa, we may ask you to provide proof of your language proficiency after you submit your application.

Transfer admission can be admitted if:

• You fulfill the transfer requirements above.
• There is an available study place in the degree programme you have applied to.
• You can complete your studies within your study right period.

Application periods

SAMK has two transfer application periods per year:

• 1-15 May. Admitted students can begin their studies at the start of the autumn semester.
• 1-15 November: Admitted students can begin their studies at the start of the spring semester.

How to apply

In order to transfer to another programme, you must fill in the transfer application online on Studyinfo.fi websitelaunch during the transfer application period.

Attachments

You need to attach these documents to your application form:

• a study certificate showing your enrollment history (present and absent terms)
• a transcript of records in Finnish and English.

Please combine these documents into a single pdf file, if possible. You can download these documents from Loki, when you choose “Atomi” on the menu.

To which programmes you can apply?

You can apply to almost all of our degree programmes. Approximately a month before the start of the application period, you can find information about the transfer application on the Studyinfo.fi website of each degree programme included in the transfer application.

You cannot apply for a transfer to these degree programmes:

• Nursing, Bachelor of Health Care
• Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Health Care.

If you want to change your degree programme to Nursing or Physiotherapy, you will have to send an application in SAMK’s separate application and complete the student selection process.

Application fee

An application fee of 100 euros is collected from applicants from countries outside EU/EEA. This fee covers applications to multiple universities, for studies starting in the same semester. The application fee will not be charged from Finnish or EU citizens.

You can read more on application fee on Studyinfo.filaunch.

When you will be informed of the decision?

If you applied for transfer in May, you will receive the decision on your transfer application by email on 15 June. If your transfer is admitted, you must accept the study place offer by 15 July.

If you applied for transfer in November, you will receive the decision on your transfer application by email on 15 December. If your transfer is admitted, you must accept the study place offer by 20 December.

Tuition fee

In case you are required to pay tuition fee, you will be treated as 1st year students after the transfer, i.e. you will pay the same amount as the 1st year students. More information about the tuition fees and scholarships is on scholarships/arrow_forward.

More information

You can ask for more information about transferring from Admissions Office (admissions@samk.fimail).

Change of degree programme (degree title does not change)

You are considered a student changing programs within the institution if you want to change from one degree programme to another within SAMK where the degree title is the same. For example, if you are changing from the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) to Bachelor of Engineering (Logistics).

You can apply for a change of degree programme via an e-form at any time during the year. However, you need to be enrolled as present when you fill in the application. You cannot apply if you are enrolled as absent. The link to the application form will be published on this page during spring 2025.

The criteria for changing from one programme to another:

When applying for a change, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You have progressed in your studies to the point where you have a realistic possibility of graduating within your remaining study time.
• You meet the legal eligibility requirements of the education you are applying for.
• You have been a present student for at least two semesters. (For example, a student who started in autumn 2025 can apply for a change at the earliest in the following spring and start in the new programme on August 1, 2026.)
• You have completed the required number of credits that can be accepted as part of the degree you are applying for a change to. The credits must be visible on your transcript of records or in the Studyinfo.fi link at the time of application.
  • If you are applying for a change during the latter half of your first academic year, at least 40 ECTS credits are required.
  • If you are applying later, an additional minimum of 30 credits per present academic term is required.

Change of language of instruction:

If you are changing from an English-language to a Finnish-language programme or vice versa, we may ask you to provide proof of your language proficiency after you submit your application.

Change admission can be granted if:

• You fulfill the change requirements above.
• There is an available study place in the degree programme you have applied to.
• You can complete your studies within your study right period.

More information

For more information about changing your degree programme, please contact the Admissions Office (admissions@samk.fimail).