Required certificates

Upper secondary school qualification completed outside Finland

If you have completed your higher secondary school outside Finland, upload the final graduation certificate to your application form by 25th January 2023. Applicants must always submit their final certificate when applying.  A qualification completed outside Finland must provide eligibility to apply to higher education in the country it has been awarded. When applying to a Bachelor’s Degree, the upper secondary school certificate awarded after 12 years of education is usually the general requirement. If you are unsure whether or not your upper secondary school certificate gives eligibility for higher education, please contact Laurea Admissions Services.

If you are graduating from upper secondary school in spring 2023, you have to submit your latest transcript of records and it has to be uploaded to your application form by 25th Jan 2023. Your final graduation certificate has to be submitted by 14th July 2023.

Offical translation

If any of your educational documents are issued in another language than English, Finnish or Swedish, an official translation in Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator must also be submitted together with the copy of the original document. Such translations must be signed and stamped by the official translator.

The students' admission is conditional until all relevant education has been checked from the education certificates.  Admission may be cancelled if the student has given false information in the application form.

International Baccalaureate Diploma, Reifeprüfung Diploma, Deutsches Internationales Abitur or European Baccalaureate Diploma

Completed International Baccalaureate (IB) Degree, Reifeprüfung (RP), Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) or European Baccalaureate (EB) diplomas must be uploaded to the application form by 25th January 2023.

Applicants with Reifeprüfung completed outside Finland must also provide official translation into Finnish, Swedish or English.

If you are graduating in spring 2023, you have to submit your predicted grades by 6th April and the final diploma must be submitted by 14th July 2023. The IB transcript of grades indicating the IB diploma has been awarded is also accepted.

Bachelor or Master degree completed outside Finland

If you have graduated, upload your final degree certificate by 25th January 2023.

If you are graduating in spring 2023, upload your latest transcript of records by 25th January 2023 and your final degree certificate must be submitted by 28th July 2023.

If your degree documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish, an official translation in Finnish or Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator must also be submitted with the document.

Admission is conditional until the final education certificates have been checked.

You can apply to the following Degree programmes with SAT Test results (instead of entrance exam):

• Service Business Management: 30% of the study places will be filled based on SAT Scores.
• Business Information Technology: 30% of the study places will be filled based on SAT Scores. 
• Business Information Technology, Cyber Security: 30% of the study places will be filled based on SAT Scores.
• Safety, Security and Risk Management: 20% of the study places will be filled based on SAT Scores.

An applicant applying with SAT Test Scores must also fill in the application form at studyinfo.fi during 4th - 18th January 2023.

In order for your SAT score to be considered, both of the following SAT test sections must be completed with the following minimum points:

1) Evidence-based reading and writing(minimum 500 points)

• Reading Test
• Writing and Language Test

2) Math (minimum 500 points)

Only the new version of the SAT test (completed after March 2016) is accepted. The lowest accepted SAT Test result total is 1000 points. Students are selected in order of best points. Please note that SAT Subject Tests are not accepted. An official SAT Scores Report must be ordered to Laurea straight from the SAT Test organizer. To collect SAT Test Scores, universities of applied sciences use an electronic test score service provided by the SAT Test organizer. To order your SAT Scores Report to Laurea, use the Institutional reporting code: 6965. Those applicants, who have already completed a SAT Test, must request their SAT Test result from the test score service to be delivered to universities of applied sciences. SAT results are considered only if they arrive via the test score service. The SAT Test Scores must arrive to Laurea latest by 3rd April 2023.

SAT reports printed or sent by the applicants themselves are not accepted.

If you are applying to study to Laurea Nursing or Laurea Social Services please be aware that in the social welfare and health care sector, the studies include working with customer groups requiring special protection, in which case ethical requirements and requirements for patient or customer safety are crucial. The health and functional capacity of students shall be such that they are capable of performing assignments and practical training related to their studies.

Studying and working in these professions requires sufficient physical, mental and social capacity.

Obstacles to student admission may include, for instance, the following:
•    Severe rash and/or allergy to e.g. medicinal products and detergents
•    Sensory disability affecting functional ability
•    Mental health disorder
•    Substance abuse/drug abuse or misuse during the last two years
•    Limited social capacity which makes it difficult to work with people
•    Long-term illness or physical injury limiting participation in studies and practical training

Applicants to Nursing and Social Services will be asked in the application form whether or not they have any health issues that could prevent studies and if their study entitlement has been cancelled.

• If the applicant answers 'Yes' to either of these questions, the university of applied sciences will request a detailed health information (medical certificate) and/or an account of the reason for previously cancelled study entitlement. These documents will be requested in order to assess whether the student will be able to manage the studies and which support measures will reasonably be required.

The admission of such applicants is conditional until the University of Applied Sciences has assessed the afore mentioned documents provided by the applicant.


An issue related to health or functional ability is not an obstacle to student admission if the obstacle can be removed by reasonable means. The severity and the management of the obstacle will be taken into account when assessing the applicant's suitability to be admitted as a student in the degree programme concerned.
 

Students involved in traineeships in social welfare and health care operating units shall be vaccinated against measles and chicken pox or have acquired immunity to them from natural infection, and those treating infants shall be vaccinated against whooping cough. In addition, annual influenza vaccination is required. (Section 48 of the Communicable Diseases Act 1227/2016). The required vaccinations are free of charge for students in the social welfare and health care sector.

The social welfare and health care sector is not suitable for individuals convicted of one of the following: offences against children, sexual offences, violent offences, crimes against freedom, or drug offences.

An extract from the judicial record shall be submitted for completing assignments or practical training included in the studies which require working with minors.

Blood-borne illnesses may restrict practical training and, after graduation, the students’ placement in work assignments.

SORA legislation applies to education leading to a degree in applied sciences in the field of social welfare and medical care, the humanities, physical exercise and maritime navigation. These fields have requirements concerning the safety of minors, patient and customer safety or traffic safety which restrict student admission. In this case, it is required that the health and functional capacity of approved applicants is such that they are able to take part in the practical assignments or training related to the studies.
A restriction related to health or functional ability does not prevent students from being admitted if the effects of the restriction can be reasonably eliminated, for example by making special arrangements. The purpose is not to impose unnecessary obstacles to the access to training for people with disabilities or people with other physical or mental restrictions. Restrictions apply only in situations where it is clear that the applicant cannot participate in the training because of their health or functional capacity. The severity of the obstacle and the situation related to its treatment are taken into account when assessing the applicant's suitability as a student in the degree programme concerned.

At the request of the university of applied sciences, students shall present an extract from the judicial record if, for their studies or practical training related to the studies, they are given assignments which essentially require working with minors. A university of applied sciences may oblige a student to present a certificate on a drug test if there is a reason to suspect that the student is performing practical assignments related to the studies under the influence of drugs or that the student has a drug addiction.

If you are applying to our Master's programmes with

• a Bachelor's/Master's degree that has been completed outside Finland OR
• a Finnish former post-secondary or Finnish former higher vocational level (opistoasteen/ammatillisen korkea-asteen tutkinto) 

you must upload the following educational documents to your application form by the given deadline 25th January 2023 at 15.00:

• the degree certificate and
• the transcript of records/mark sheet for your degree
• official translations of the above mentioned documents if the documents are not issued in English, Finnish or Swedish.

An official translation in Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator is also required if your bachelor’s/master’s degree document is not issued in one of these languages. The translation must be uploaded to the application form no later than 25th January 2023 15.00.

Work experience certificates

Applicants applying to the Master’s Degree Programme must have at least two years (24 months) of work experience after the graduating date of degree which gives them eligibility to apply.

Employment certificates will be checked from admitted applicants and they must be uploaded to the application form latest by 14th July 2023 15:00. Details about work experience requirements is available in Selection criteria

An official translation in Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator is also required if your work experience document is not issued in one of these languages. Such translations must be signed and stamped by the translator. The translation must be uploaded to the application form no later than 14th July 2023 15.00.

The students' admission is conditional until all relevant certificates have been checked. Admission may be cancelled if the student has given false information in the application form.

If your Bachelor's/Master's degree has been completed in Finland, the Admissions Services will usually be able to verify the degree electronically. If the verification of your degree completed in Finland is not possible, you will be asked to submit your Degree certificate.

 

All Bachelor degree applicants must upload their official ID to their application form by 25th January 2023. The ID will be used to verify the applicant's identity in the online entrance exam. 

Non-EU/EEA citizens are liable to pay tuition fees unless they posess a valid document that exempts them from tuition fees. The documentary evidence for exemption of the tuition fee for the academic year must uploaded to the application form by 25th January 2023. Please see the Tuition fee page for list of exempting documents.

Disclaimer: Even though it is highly recommended that applicants send in all documentary evidence that prove eligibility for a tuition fee waiver to the admissions office by the 25th of January 2023, it is not a mandatory requirement. In the event that one receives an unwarranted tuition fee invoice when admitted, the applicant can still submit the required attachments to apply for a tuition fee waiver. This should be done as soon as the notification of admission has been received but latest before confirming the study place.

Refugee status

A person with refugee status or an asylum seeker may apply and be accepted to study in education just as any other eligible citizen of Finland or any other country.

If an applicant is a refugee or in a refugee-like situation or is an asylum seeker, and is unable to submit documentary evidence of his/her educational qualification completed outside Finland, a university of applied sciences may invite the applicant to take an entrance examination.

The applicant must have a decision by authorities concerning his/her status (a decision on asylum or a residence permit granted on the basis of a need for protection). In order to declare his/her status, an asylum seeker who has not yet been granted a decision may verify his/her status by presenting an identity card with his/her photograph granted by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) and, when required by the degree programme, a fee-based (€20) pending application by Migri that states that the applicant is permitted to legally reside in Finland during the time when his/her case is being processed, i.e. until a lawful decision has been made on the case.

The decision on asylum or a residence permit granted on the basis of a need for protection must be uploaded to the application form no later than 26th January 2022 15.00.