Aalto University Excellence Scholarship 2027 in Finland: Eligibility, Tuition Waiver and How to Apply

Aalto University in Finland waives the full tuition fee for selected international master’s students through the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship. Tuition at Aalto is 15,000 to 20,000 euros a year, so the waiver is worth 30,000 to 40,000 euros over a two-year degree. It does not pay living costs. For studies starting in autumn 2027, you apply between 7 December 2026 and 5 January 2027, in the same form as your master’s application.

This guide was last checked on 21 October 2026 against the official Aalto University website: the scholarships and tuition fees page, the apply to master’s programmes page and the language requirements page. Where we use details from Aalto’s guidance for the previous round, we say so.

Aalto Excellence Scholarship at a glance

What is the Aalto University Excellence Scholarship?

Aalto University was formed from three Finnish universities and has schools of business, technology, and arts, design and architecture. It charges tuition to master’s students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, and it offers a limited number of Excellence Scholarships to the best of those applicants.

For study rights starting on or after 1 August 2025, the scholarship is a tuition fee waiver that covers the full tuition fee. It lasts for the normal length of the master’s degree, which is two years of full-time study, and you must study full-time and follow your approved personal study plan. The scholarship is tied to the study option you were admitted to and cannot be moved to another one. It still applies during exchange or internship periods abroad.

Each programme decides how many scholarships to give, and a programme may decide not to give any.

Is the Aalto scholarship right for you?

The Excellence Scholarship removes the biggest cost of studying at Aalto, but it leaves you to pay for everything else. Before you apply, think about these points:

• Your academic record. The scholarship is merit-based and competitive, and it uses each programme’s own criteria. Strong grades in the subjects your programme cares about matter most.
• Your living costs. You need your own money for rent, food and travel. Aalto advises at least 800 euros a month, so plan for about 9,600 euros a year or more.
• Your programme choice. Some programmes give several scholarships and some may give none. You cannot see the number in advance, so choose programmes that truly fit you.
• Your timing. The application window falls over the December holidays. Test results, translations and letters take time, so start in October or November.

Choosing your study options

In the last round, you could apply to at most two study options and rank them. If you were admitted to your first choice, your second choice was cancelled automatically. This matters for the scholarship, because the scholarship is tied to the study option you are admitted to and cannot be moved to another one.

Put the programme you want most in first place. Choose a second option you would also be happy to study, not just a backup. Read both programmes’ evaluation criteria carefully, since each one ranks applicants differently. For example, one programme may give weight to specific credits in mathematics, while another may value a portfolio or a motivation video.

Tuition fees at Aalto

Multidisciplinary programmes include Creative Sustainability, International Design Business Management, and Urban Studies and Planning. Aalto says fees may change, so check the figure for your programme.

Who is eligible

• You are applying to an Aalto master’s programme starting in autumn 2027.
• You are liable for tuition fees. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens are not eligible because they do not pay tuition.
• You are admitted in the main round. Applicants admitted from the waiting list cannot receive the scholarship.

For admission itself, Aalto’s guidance for the last round asked for a bachelor’s degree equal to 180 ECTS or three years of full-time study, from a recognised institution, that gives access to master’s study in the country that awarded it. If you are still studying, you must graduate by 31 July 2027 and send a certified copy of your final certificate by 17 August 2027.

Key dates for autumn 2027

The results date for the 2027 round is not published yet. In the last round, results were published on 8 April 2026. Aalto says all of these deadlines are strict.

How to apply

There is no separate scholarship form. You apply for the scholarship inside your master’s application. Aalto’s guidance for the last round described these steps:

1. Choose your study options. In the last round you could apply to at most two, in order of preference.
2. Check each programme’s page for its extra documents and evaluation criteria.
3. Fill in the application form on Studyinfo.fi during the application period. The form could not be saved as a draft, but it could be edited until the period closed.
4. Answer yes to the question about applying for a scholarship. You cannot apply for the scholarship before or after the application period.
5. Pay the 100 euro application fee within seven days. Unpaid applications are not processed, and the fee cannot be waived.
6. Upload your documents and make sure English results arrive by 12 January 2027.

Applying for the scholarship does not affect your chance of admission.

Documents you need

Aalto’s guidance for the last round listed these documents:

• Degree certificate and official transcript of records, with official translations if needed.
• Proof of English: an accepted test or qualifying studies.
• A copy of your passport.
• Programme-specific documents, such as a CV, motivation letter, portfolio or recommendation letters. Each programme lists its own.
• GMAT or GRE for School of Business programmes, if your bachelor’s is from outside Finland or from a Finnish university of applied sciences, and GRE for the Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence programme.

Check the instructions for the autumn 2027 round when Aalto publishes them, because requirements can change.

English requirements

IELTS, TOEFL and PTE results must be from 7 December 2024 or later. TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Online are accepted. You may be exempt if you completed a degree taught in English while living in an EU/EEA country or one of the countries Aalto lists, which include Australia, Canada, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, the UK and the USA. Statements from teachers and tests not on the list are not accepted. Our comparison of IELTS and TOEFL can help you choose.

How applications are judged

In the last round, admissions staff first checked documents and eligibility. Complete, eligible applications then went to the programme for academic evaluation. Some programmes, such as many in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, use a second stage with an interview.

Each study option ranks applicants with its own criteria, which are listed on its web page. Examples include your GPA, specific credits, test scores, a motivation letter or video, and recommendation letters. The scholarship is merit-based and uses the same programme criteria. Scholarship decisions come with your admission decision and cannot be appealed.

Writing a strong motivation letter

Not every Aalto programme asks for a motivation letter, but many do, and it is one of the few parts of your application you can still improve. Check your programme’s page for the length and any questions it wants answered. A clear structure works well:

1. Your interest: the problem or field that draws you to this programme, linked to something you have studied or done.
2. Your preparation: the courses, projects, research or work that prepared you, with concrete results.
3. Why Aalto and this programme: specific parts of the curriculum, research groups or teaching methods that fit your goals.
4. Your plan: what you want to do after graduating, in Finland or elsewhere.

Write it for the programme you are applying to, not a general letter. If you apply to two options, write a separate letter for each. Our motivation letter template shows a structure you can adapt.

Budgeting for living costs in Finland

Because the scholarship covers tuition only, you need a clear plan for living costs. Aalto’s figure of at least 800 euros a month is a minimum guide. Your actual costs depend on housing, which is usually the biggest expense in the Helsinki area.

• Look for student housing as soon as you get an offer.
• Check the residence permit rules on the Finnish Immigration Service website. Students from outside the EU usually need to show they can support themselves, so plan your savings early.
• Read the work rules for students before relying on part-time income. Our guide to part-time work rules for international students covers how these rules usually work.

After you receive an offer

In the last round, admitted students had about three weeks to accept their offer, and accepting was binding: you could accept only one offer. Waiting-list admissions continued into June, but remember that waiting-list students cannot receive the Excellence Scholarship. After accepting, you send certified copies of your documents by the deadline you are given; your admission stays conditional until they arrive. Then apply for your residence permit as early as you can.

Other scholarships at Aalto

• Pekka Mattila Excellence Scholarship: a 3,000 euro relocation grant in the first year for the Marketing and International Management programmes. It cannot be combined with the Excellence Scholarship.
• FUNED (Mexico) and COLFUTURO (Colombia): a 25% tuition discount for up to four recipients each.
• Fulbright-Aalto Graduate Award: for US citizens, with a living allowance and a separate Fulbright application.
• Aalto bachelor’s graduates: a 100% tuition waiver for two years of master’s study if you held the Excellence Scholarship as a bachelor’s student, graduated within three years and have a weighted average of at least 3.5.

Tips for a stronger application

• Match the criteria. Read your programme’s evaluation criteria line by line and make sure your documents show each point, such as specific credits or project work.
• Book tests early. English results must arrive by 12 January 2027, and business programmes may need a GMAT or GRE. Test dates fill up in December.
• Make your transcript easy to read. Upload clear scans and official translations, and include the grading scale if your university provides it.
• Prepare portfolios carefully. Art, design and architecture programmes often ask for a portfolio, and some invite applicants to an interview in a second stage.
• Ask referees early. If your programme wants recommendation letters, give your referees several weeks.

A plan from now to 5 January

If you do not get the scholarship

Many admitted students do not receive a waiver, because the number is limited and some programmes give none. If that happens, you still have choices:

• Accept the place and pay the tuition yourself, if your budget allows.
• Check Aalto’s list of external scholarships and loans, which the university links from its scholarships page but does not run.
• Look at programmes where Aalto is a partner in an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master, such as CYBERSURE, where Erasmus Mundus scholarships cover tuition and pay a monthly allowance.
• Apply again in a later round with a stronger application, if you decide to wait.

Whatever you decide, plan your living costs carefully. Apart from the 3,000 euro Pekka Mattila relocation grant and the Fulbright-Aalto award for US citizens, the Aalto scholarships described on its website do not pay living costs.

Related scholarships

• Finland university scholarships for non-EU master’s students.
• Erasmus Mundus CYBERSURE, where Aalto is one of the second-year universities.
• EPFL Excellence Fellowships in Switzerland.
• TU/e Scholarship for Excellence in the Netherlands.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting to answer yes to the scholarship question. It cannot be added later.
• Not paying the application fee within seven days.
• English results arriving after 12 January 2027.
• Missing the GMAT or GRE for business programmes.
• Planning without money for living costs, which the scholarship does not cover.
• Accepting a waiting-list place and expecting a scholarship.

Checklist before you submit

• I am liable for tuition fees.
• I chose my study options and read their evaluation criteria.
• I answered yes to the scholarship question.
• My documents and translations are uploaded.
• I will pay the 100 euro fee within seven days.
• My English results will arrive by 12 January 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Aalto Excellence Scholarship fully funded?

No. It covers the full tuition fee but not living costs. Aalto advises having at least 800 euros a month.

Do I need a separate scholarship application?

No. You answer yes to the scholarship question in your master’s application.

When is the deadline?

The application period runs from 7 December 2026 to 5 January 2027.

Can EU students get it?

No. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not pay tuition, so they are not eligible.

Does applying affect my admission?

No. Aalto says applying for the scholarship does not affect your admission chances.

Can I appeal a scholarship decision?

No. Scholarship decisions cannot be appealed.

How many scholarships does Aalto give?

Not stated on the official source. Aalto calls them a limited number, and each programme decides how many to award, possibly none.

Do I keep the scholarship in my second year?

The waiver covers the normal two-year length of the degree. You must study full-time and follow your approved personal study plan. Credit rules for keeping it are not stated on the official source, so ask your programme.

Where to apply

Read the rules on the official Aalto scholarships and tuition fees page. Our Aalto Excellence Scholarship page keeps the key facts in one place.