From 1.12.2024, we will follow the terms of the new law regarding the tuition fee exemptions. A student can be exempted from the tuition fees, if having one of the following permits:

• An EU/EEA citizenship
• EU blue card in Finland  
• A permanent residence permit card in Finland, (type P)  
• EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (type P-EU)  
• Family members of all the above
• Residence permit based on temporary protection in Finland, as referred to in the Aliens Act. The permit must be valid at the beginning of the study right, and the permit cannot have later been revoked.  
• Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders and those who are studying in the Erasmus Mundus programme funded by the European Union.  
• Students in on-demand studies.

Note!

• Students who have been granted an exemption from tuition fees by LAB, based on their residence permit before 1.12.2024, will retain their previously granted right to exemption as long as the permit and study right remain unchanged and uninterrupted. Any changes to the permit’s grounds or interruption of the study right will automatically lead to reviewing of the exemption based on the new law.
• Possible exemptions are reviewed based on the student's own and the possible sponsor's permit history.  
• If the student’s first residence permit in Finland was granted for the purpose of studying or they arrived as a student’s family member, the student must pay tuition fees, even if later obtained a continuous residence permit (type A) on other grounds. Also, if the student is currently residing with a student’s permit or as a family member of a student, they are liable to pay the fees.  
• If the student has originally arrived and is still residing with a continuous residence permit (type A) based on working, the student is exempt from the fee. This also applies if residing as a family member and the sponsor's original and current permits are based on working.
• The obligation to pay the tuition fee ends when the person receives a permanent residence permit (P permit).  

Changes in the residence permit

If there are any changes in your residence permit after being accepted, please prepare to inform LAB.Scholarship@lab.fi about any changes prior to the start of the next semester. If you have a permit card that exempts you from the fees, but it expires before the semester starts, you are liable to pay the tuition fees. Any changes on the payment status are always counted to start from the beginning of next semester. For any exemptions:

• The card needs to be valid on the first day of the semester (1.8. or 1.1.)    
• The card needs to be presented before the semester starts (by 31.7. or 31.12.).