Information for northern European students, scroll down.
Finland
For those who are entitled to financial support in Finland, school year 2024-25:
As a student enrolled in our study programme you receive 279,38 €/month as a study grant, when you are 18 years old, unmarried and live in the school dormitory or elsewhere.
If you live at the school dormitory there is a housing allowance of 88,87 €/month.
If you live on rent elsewhere, you apply for a general housing allowance and then the income and housing costs affect.
Here (in Swedish) or here (in Finnish) via FPA’s calculator, you can calculate exactly what you get in study grant and housing allowance.
More information about the study grant from FPA can be found here.
You are eligible to receive a student allowance from the month following your 17th birthday. The student’s own income impacts the financial support level and students should ensure that their income doesn’t exceed the allowed income. For those students under 20, parents’ incomes will be taken into consideration i.e. an increased or decreased amount of financial support.
Check the conditions carefully for both student allowances and housing allowances, as well as what factors will affect your support before you apply – so you avoid problems and delays in payment. If you study in a fee-paying programme in a folkhögskola (People’s Academy) and reside as a boarder there, you have the right to claim housing allowance (88,87€ per month).
Your local Folkpensionsanstalten (National Pension Fund or FPA/KELA) will be able to answer your questions. On the FPA’s website are forms where you can apply for student allowances, housing allowances and studying loans: www.kela.fi/web/en/students. You can also get forms from the school office once term has started.
Financial aid for foreign students
Have you moved to Finland? Read more about your entitlement to social security coverage.
If you are not a Finnish citizen and have come to Finland for study purposes, the general rule is that you cannot get financial aid from Finland.
However, you may qualify for financial aid if you meet the following requirements:
- You have arrived in Finland for some other reason than to study. Such a reason can for example be employment or family ties.
- You have been granted a continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permit or an EU residence permit for third-country nationals (P-EU or P-EY) or a residence card as referred to in the withdrawal agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom.
- If you are a citizen of another EU or EEA country or of Switzerland, the family member of such a person, or a citizen of a Nordic country, you only have to register your right of residence or present your residence card.
- If you are living in Finland permanently.
Whether your residence is considered to be permanent is determined on the basis of the Municipality of Residence Act.
If you are a citizen of another EU or EEA or of Switzerland or if you are covered under the withdrawal agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom, you can get financial aid even if you have come to Finland to study.
- You can get financial aid if you are employed in Finland for at least 4 months with an average of at least 10 hours of work per week, or if you have taken out statutory pension insurance for self-employed persons. The entitlement to financial aid for students only continues for the duration of the employment.
- You are also eligible for financial aid if you have a right to permanent residence in Finland as defined in section 1, subsection 2 of the Act on Student Financial Aid.
You are also eligible for financial aid if you are a family member of a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland who works in Finland or of a British citizen who works in Finland and is covered under the withdrawal agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom.
Apply for financial aid in the same way as other students. Enclose with your application the Appendix to application for student financial aid filed by foreign resident (OT 10e, PDF), if you have not previously received financial aid in Finland.
Sweden
Studying at Borgå folkakademi is CSN-eligible, contact www.csn.se for more information.
Norway
Studying at Borgå folkakademi is eligible for support from Lånekassen, contact www.lanekassen.no for more information.
Denmark
Applying for support for studying at Borgå folkakademi should be through Folkehøjskolernes Forening in Denmark, contact www.ffd.dk for more information.