Study Early Childhood Education in Finland: programmes, fees and entry requirements
Finland has 13 undergraduate programmes in Early Childhood Education at 10 universities in 9 cities. At public institutions EU students typically pay no tuition fee; non-EU students no tuition fee (€0–€12,000).
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.
- Taught in: Finnish (8), English (4), Swedish (2)
- Selection: entrance exam, Studyinfo (Opintopolku) joint application
All Early Childhood Education programmes in Finland
How admission works in Finland
Applications go through Studyinfo (Opintopolku), the national portal of the Finnish National Agency for Education: in one joint application you can apply to up to six programmes. For studies starting in autumn 2027, programmes taught in English are in the first joint application, 7–21 January 2027, and programmes taught in Finnish or Swedish in the second joint application, 9–23 March 2027; a few programmes have separate applications. Selection is based on Finnish matriculation examination grades (certificate-based selection) and on entrance exams; holders of foreign school diplomas are usually selected through an entrance exam or under criteria set in each programme's admission rules. Applicants from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland pay a €100 application fee.
See also: Study in Finland · Early Childhood Education in other countries
Sources
- Universities Act 558/2009 § 8–10 and Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014 § 12–13 (Finlex): degree education is free; a tuition fee covering at least the cost of the education must be charged only for bachelor's and master's programmes taught in a language other than Finnish or Swedish ("muuhun kuin suomen- tai ruotsinkieliseen ... koulutukseen"), and not from citizens of the EU/EEA or persons treated as such under an agreement with the EU (Switzerland), their family members, holders of an EU Blue Card, permanent or EU long-term residence permits, checked 19 October 2026
- Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014 § 13 (Finlex): "Ammattikorkeakoulun on perittävä muuhun kuin suomen- tai ruotsinkieliseen ammattikorkeakoulututkintoon ... johtavaan koulutukseen hyväksytyiltä opiskelijoilta ... maksut lukuvuodessa"; not charged from EU/EEA citizens and persons treated as such (Switzerland) and their family members, checked 19 October 2026
- HAMK – Tuition Fees and Scholarships (web.archive 8 Feb 2026): "Tuition fee for Bachelor's degree studies: €9 700 / academic year" (2026-2027 intake), checked 20 October 2026
- Turku UAS – Tuition Fees and Scholarships ('annual tuition fee for the degree programmes starting in 2026 or later... 12 000 EUR per academic year'), checked 20 October 2026
- TAMK – Early Childhood Education and Care: "Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens 12000 € per academic year" (August 2027 start), checked 20 October 2026
- JYU – Tuition fees and other financial matters ('...in 2027... Early Childhood Education €10,000'), checked 20 October 2026
How the figures are collected and calculated: Data and sources.