The University of Helsinki Scholarship is a tuition waiver for non-EU/EEA students starting a Master's programme at the University of Helsinki in Finland. It pays either 50 or 100 percent of your tuition fee. It does not pay rent, food or any monthly allowance. There is also no separate scholarship form: you are considered automatically when you apply for Master's admission.
That last point makes it one of the simpler awards a Pakistani student can go for. Pakistan is outside the EU and EEA, so Pakistani citizens fall into the group this scholarship is meant for. You can read the full scholarship details on our listing, and this guide explains how the award works in practice, who it suits, and where students tend to slip up.
A tuition waiver, not a full ride
Many students see the word "scholarship" and assume their costs in Finland are sorted. With this one, they are only partly sorted. The award is classed as partial funding. At best it removes your entire tuition fee. At worst (from your point of view) it removes half of it, and you pay the rest yourself.
Either way, living costs stay with you. The official guidance is plain on this: the waiver covers tuition only, and living costs are your own responsibility. So before you get excited about a 100 percent award, ask yourself a blunt question. If Helsinki offered you a place with full tuition waived tomorrow, could you pay for housing, food, transport and everything else for the whole programme? If the answer is no, you need a second source of money, and you should start looking for it now rather than after the offer letter arrives.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | University of Helsinki |
| Country | Finland |
| Study level | Master's |
| Fields | All fields, subject to programme admission |
| Funding | Partial: 50% or 100% tuition fee waiver, no living stipend |
| Applications open | December (expected) |
| Deadline | Around January 16, aligned with the Master's application deadline |
| Separate application | No, automatic consideration |
| Official site | University of Helsinki tuition fees and scholarship programme |
Why there is no scholarship form to fill in
At Helsinki, the scholarship decision rides on your Master's application. You apply for the programme by the admission deadline, and the university considers you for the tuition waiver at the same time. There is no extra essay, no separate portal and no second deadline to track.
This is good news and a trap at the same time. Good, because you save effort. A trap, because your admission documents are now doing two jobs. The transcripts, CV and motivation statement you send are what the university looks at when it decides on both your place and your waiver. A rushed motivation statement weakens your admission chances and your case for funding together, and you get no second chance to make that case.
Who has a realistic chance
The published requirements are short:
- You must be a non-EU/EEA citizen.
- You must hold a Bachelor's degree.
- You need a strong academic record.
- You must study full-time and keep up a pace of 55 ECTS credits per year to retain the scholarship.
The phrase "strong academic record" is doing a lot of work there. The source does not set a minimum CGPA or percentage, so be careful with anyone who quotes you a fixed cut-off. Read it as: the waiver goes to applicants whose grades stand out within the applicant pool for their programme. If your transcript is average, you can still apply for admission, but plan your budget on the assumption that you may get no waiver at all, or the 50 percent version.
Fields are open. Any Master's programme counts, as long as you are admitted to it. That means your choice of programme matters more than your choice of scholarship here. Pick a programme that genuinely fits your degree and your plans, because admission comes first.
The 55 ECTS rule that decides your second year
This is the part most applicants skim past, and it is the part that can cost them the most money. Winning the waiver once does not lock it in for your whole programme. To keep it active in later years, you have to complete at least 55 ECTS credits per year.
If you fall short, the scholarship can be affected in the following years. In practice that could mean facing tuition you had not budgeted for, in the middle of your degree, in a foreign country. That is a hard position to be in.
Some practical habits help:
- Plan your course load at the start of each year so the credits you register for comfortably clear 55.
- Do not count on a part-time job fitting in without cost to your studies. Work hours that push you into failing or dropping a course can end up more expensive than the wages you earned.
- If you are struggling with a course, talk to your programme staff early rather than letting a failed module quietly eat into your credit count.
- Check the exact rules on retention with the university once you enrol, since the details of how a shortfall is handled are set by them.
The five documents behind your application
Because the scholarship has no form of its own, the documents are simply those of your Master's application:
- Master's application
- Academic transcripts
- CV
- Motivation statement
- English proficiency proof
The source does not list a required English test or a minimum score, so check what your specific programme accepts on the official site before you book anything. Programme requirements on language can differ, and it is your job to confirm them.
For Pakistani applicants, the slow part is usually not writing the CV. It is getting transcripts and degree documents into the form universities expect, and sometimes getting them attested. If you have not done this before, our documents checklist for international scholarships and the IBCC and MOFA attestation guide walk through the process. Start early, because Pakistani offices do not move on the university's schedule.
How the application actually runs
- Choose your Master's programme at the University of Helsinki and read its admission requirements on the official website.
- Prepare your transcripts, CV, motivation statement and English proficiency proof.
- Submit your Master's application once applications open, which is expected in December.
- Make sure it is in before the deadline, which is around January 16. Confirm the exact date for your intake on the official portal.
- Wait for the outcome. You do not need to submit anything separately for the scholarship, since consideration is automatic.
December to mid-January is a short window
Applications are expected to open in December, and the deadline sits around January 16. That gives you roughly six weeks once the portal opens, and part of that falls over the winter holiday period when offices in many places slow down.
Six weeks is not enough time to start from zero. If you are reading this before December, use the gap to finish your motivation statement, update your CV, collect transcripts and sort out your English proof. Then the open window is only for filling in the form and uploading, which is how it should be.
Treat these dates as approximate. The deadline is described as "around" January 16 and opening as "expected" in December. Check the official University of Helsinki page for your year's exact dates before you plan around them.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
This award suits a student with a strong Bachelor's record who has some way to fund living costs, whether that is family savings, a sponsor or another grant. For that student, a 50 or 100 percent tuition cut at Helsinki is a serious saving with very little extra paperwork.
It is a weaker fit for a student who needs every cost covered. If you cannot study abroad without a monthly stipend, this waiver alone will not get you there. You will need to pair it with something else or look at fully funded options. Our guide to all Finland scholarships is a good place to compare the alternatives.
Mistakes that cost applicants the waiver
- Assuming "scholarship" means living costs are paid. They are not.
- Treating the motivation statement as a formality, when it feeds both admission and funding.
- Waiting for December to start collecting documents.
- Forgetting about the 55 ECTS pace after arrival and losing the waiver in a later year.
- Relying on a deadline date from a friend or an old post instead of checking the official portal.
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Helsinki Scholarship cover living costs?
No. It is a 50 or 100 percent tuition fee waiver only. Housing, food and other living costs are your own responsibility.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Yes. The scholarship is for non-EU/EEA citizens, which includes Pakistani nationals, as long as they meet the academic and admission requirements for their Master's programme.
Do I need to fill in a separate scholarship application?
No. You are considered automatically when you apply for Master's admission by the deadline.
Can I lose the scholarship after the first year?
Yes. If you do not maintain the required pace of 55 ECTS credits per year, the scholarship can be affected in later years of your programme.
Is there a minimum CGPA?
No specific figure is published in the information we have. The requirement is a strong academic record, so check the official site and your programme's page for any further guidance.
Is it available for Bachelor's or PhD study?
No. The scholarship is for Master's students only.
Before you apply, check the latest dates and rules on the official University of Helsinki website, and keep the University of Helsinki Scholarship page handy for the key facts.