Financing your studies in Finland
Students that have Finnish citizenship and, under certain conditions, citizens of other countries, are entitled to student financial aid paid by Kela (The Social Insurance Institute of Finland). Check the criteria for eligibility on Kela’s webpage.
Student financial aid consists of a study grant and a state guarantee for a student loan. If the student completes a study unit abroad, he or she is also entitled to housing supplement.
In order to receive financial aid, the studies must be full-time. That entails satisfactory academic progress, in other words the student must complete at least 5 credits on average for each month of financial aid and at least 20 credits in each academic year.
In addition, the student’s income will affect whether he or she is entitled to financial aid.
The majority of students living in mainland Finland can get the new student housing supplement from the beginning of the autumn term 2025. This means that general housing allowance will no longer be paid to students after 31 July 2025. You can apply for the student housing supplement in the OmaKela e-service. The supplement will be paid from 1 August 2025 onwards. The change will not apply to students who live with their child or their partner’s child. For more information, go to Kela’s webpage.
To find more information on financial aid for students, visit Kela’s webpage.
Student meals
As a degree student of university of applied sciences, you are eligible for discounted meals in student restaurants that participate in the meal subsidy programme.
Read about how to prove your student status on Kela’s webpage.
You are entitled to the meal subsidy if you are based in Finland and are completing a bachelor’s or master’s level degree. You can qualify even if you are not a Finnish citizen.
If you are attending a higher education institution in Finland as an exchange student, you qualify for the meal subsidy for the duration of your exchange.
For more information on the meal subsidy, go to Kela’s webpage.
News on financial aid
News on financial aid and general housing allowance are publised on Diakle and in Tuudo.
Further information
For more information, please contact Kela, tel. +358 (0) 20 634 2550.
You can also ask advice in matters related to financial aid at opintotuki@diak.fi.