Scholarships and Part-Time Work for Students in Estonia

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Estonia has generous rules on work and very little scholarship money for international bachelor's students. The biggest saving is structural: full-time study in Estonian is free, and some English-taught programmes are free for EU citizens. After that, most help comes from universities, and only for strong students. Plan to pay your fees and living costs yourself, and treat any scholarship or job as a bonus.

State scholarships: mostly not for bachelor's students

The Education and Youth Board (Harno) runs the Estonian national scholarships for international students. For 2026/27 the scholarship for degree and exchange study supports master's and doctoral students in all fields. At bachelor's level it can only be used for fields related to Estonian language and culture, and only by citizens of the countries Harno lists. Applications for 2026/27 are open from 1 to 31 October 2026. You need a letter confirming your admission.

The separate scholarship programme for expatriate Estonians, which supported studies in Estonian, is closing: Harno says there will be no application rounds from 2026 onwards.

A student from abroad taking a bachelor's in business, IT or medicine should not expect a state scholarship.

Free tuition instead of a scholarship

Study in Estonian. According to the Ministry of Education and Research, higher education is free for full-time students in Estonian, whatever their citizenship.
TalTech's engineering and IT programmes in English. Citizens of the European Union pay no tuition, except in the School of Business and Governance. Students from outside the EU pay.
The University of Tartu stopped offering tuition waivers to newly admitted non-EU/EEA students from 2026/27. All of its English-taught bachelor's programmes charge fees.

University scholarships and discounts

A few examples from the universities' own pages:

TalTech, Success Scholarship. €200 a month for students with excellent results, applied for in February and September through the study information system. The number of awards is limited.
TalTech, olympiad medal winners. Bachelor's students who won a medal at an international olympiad, such as the IMO, IPhO, IChO or IBO, receive €800 a month for gold, €600 for silver and €400 for bronze during the nominal study period, if they keep a grade average of at least 4.0. Medal winners can also be admitted with maximum points.
Tallinn University, fee discounts. For students admitted in 2027, Liberal Arts in Humanities offers two 50% fee discounts. The School of Governance, Law and Society awards two 100% discounts in total across its six English-taught degree programmes, in the first year to the top two applicants by entrance exam results. Discounts are awarded semester by semester.

Need-based study allowance

The state's need-based study allowance (vajaduspõhine õppetoetus) depends on family income. It is open to full-time students who are Estonian citizens or who live in Estonia on a residence permit or a right of residence, so EU citizens who register their residence can apply. It is not open to students from outside the EU who hold a residence permit for study. You apply on the state education portal, and you need an Estonian personal identification code.

Working while you study

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work freely.
Non-EU students with a residence permit for study may work alongside their studies with no fixed limit on hours, as long as work does not interfere with their studies and they stay full-time. See student visa for Estonia.

Pay and tax

The national minimum wage is €946 a month for full-time work, or €5.67 an hour, since 1 April 2026. The 2027 rate has not been set yet.

According to the Tax and Customs Board, in 2026:

income tax is 22%;
the basic exemption is €700 a month, and your employer applies it only if you give them a written application;
the employee's unemployment insurance premium is 1.6%;
the employer pays 33% social tax on top of your salary.

Health insurance through work

International students are not covered by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, unless they work in Estonia or have long-term residence. A job can therefore bring you into the public system. Keep your own insurance for the periods when you do not work. See health insurance for students in Europe.

Finding a job

University career services. The University of Tartu offers free career counselling to all its students, up to five appointments each. Study in Estonia also lists the career and counselling services of TalTech, Tallinn University and Estonian Business School.
Job sites. Study in Estonia recommends Work in Estonia for English-speaking jobs, as well as CV Keskus, CV.ee and LinkedIn.
Language. Study in Estonia warns that without Estonian some jobs will be out of reach. It points to international companies, such as client-support and reservation centres, and to IT work as options for students who speak other languages.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.