How to Get Into a University in Estonia as an International Student
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Estonia has two doors into higher education, and which one you use depends on the language of the programme and, often, on where you finished school. Programmes taught in Estonian take applications through SAIS, the national admission information system. Most English-taught programmes take international applicants through DreamApply, an online platform shared by many Estonian universities.
Universities and universities of applied sciences
- Universities (ülikool) award the bakalaureusekraad, usually after three years. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, architecture and civil engineering are taught as integrated programmes of five or six years that lead to a master's-level degree.
- Universities of applied sciences (rakenduskõrgkool) run professional higher education programmes of three to four and a half years. Since the 2019/20 intake graduates receive a bachelor's degree, and they can go on to a master's.
Our catalogue has 195 full-time first-cycle and integrated programmes at 22 institutions and campuses. Most are in Tallinn and Tartu.
The first choice: Estonian or English
- Full-time study in Estonian is free of charge, according to the Ministry of Education and Research. Most of these programmes are at public universities and state institutions, and you need to show strong Estonian. TalTech, for example, runs its own Estonian-language admission test for SAIS applicants.
- English-taught programmes usually charge tuition. Our catalogue lists 19 bachelor's and integrated programmes taught in English, at the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, TalTech, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and private institutions in Tallinn. The fees are in how much it costs to study in Estonia.
When to apply
There is no single national deadline: each institution sets its own calendar.
English-taught programmes close early, especially for non-EU applicants. TalTech's admission calendar for 2027/28, approved in April 2026, sets these DreamApply windows:
| Applicants | Deadline for 2027 |
|---|---|
| Third-country nationals | 1 February – 22 March 2027 |
| Citizens of OECD countries, Ukraine and Georgia, or non-EU applicants already staying legally in Estonia | 1 February – 1 May 2027 |
| EU, EEA and Swiss citizens | 1 February – 1 June 2027 |
For the 2026 intake, the University of Tartu accepted applications for English-taught bachelor's programmes and medicine until 15 April. Its 2027 dates were not yet published in October 2026.
Programmes in Estonian close in early summer. At TalTech, SAIS applications for 2027 run from 1 March to midday on 5 July 2027. Other institutions publish their own dates in SAIS.
Entry requirements
- School diploma. You need a secondary qualification that gives access to higher education in the country where it was issued. Study in Estonia, the official portal run by the Education and Youth Board (Harno), says this rule binds all Estonian institutions. See document recognition for Estonia.
- English. According to Study in Estonia, internationally recognised tests such as IELTS and TOEFL are accepted, and the usual minimum for bachelor's programmes is IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 72. Each university sets its own scores and exemptions. See IELTS and TOEFL for European universities.
- Selection. Each programme ranks applicants by its own criteria: Estonian state exam results for local students, and for international applicants grades, entrance tests, interviews, essays or portfolios. There is no national cutoff score, so our Estonia pages show no entry scores.
Application fees
Most universities charge international applicants a non-refundable fee. Study in Estonia puts the range at €0–€120. The University of Tartu, Tallinn University and TalTech each charge €100. At TalTech, the €100 covers applications to two programmes.
Step by step
- Shortlist programmes and read each programme's page: deadline, documents, English score, entrance test.
- Book an English test early if you need one.
- Apply on DreamApply (English-taught) or SAIS (Estonian-taught) and pay the application fee.
- Upload your documents and take any test or interview you are invited to.
- Accept the offer and pay what the university asks. TalTech asks non-EU students for two semesters' fees before enrolment, Tallinn University for the first semester, and the University of Tartu for half of the first semester.
- Non-EU students then apply for a D visa or a residence permit.
Non-EU students: visa and residence permit
Students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland usually enter with a long-stay D visa and then apply for a temporary residence permit for study at the Police and Border Guard Board. You must have at least €880 a month in 2026 and health insurance. Under Estonian sanctions in force since 2022, Russian citizens cannot obtain a visa or residence permit to study. Details are in student visa for Estonia.
Where to look next
- How much it costs to study in Estonia
- All 195 programmes in Estonia
- Student visa for Estonia
- Document recognition for Estonia
- Student housing in Estonia
- Studying in English in Europe
Official sources
- SAIS: national admission information system
- Study in Estonia: How to apply and General requirements: Education and Youth Board (Harno)
- TalTech: Admission calendar 2027/2028
- University of Tartu: Application fee
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.