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Student Union and Healthcare fees

The membership fee for the Student Union is compulsory for all degree students aiming at a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Exchange, visiting and doctoral level students may join the Student Union, if they wish.

The Student Union membership fee entitles students to various discounts and benefits, e.g. discounts for the long-distance trains and coaches, student lunch, and many more:

Degree students are also required to pay the student healthcare fee each semester, unless they possess an EHIC card. Further information:

Healthcare

Living costs

We recommend that you have at least 800-900 € per month in order to have enough funds to pay for your food, lodgings, clothes, study material, social life, etc. How much you need in the end is partly also a question of your personal spending habits. A general breakdown of living expenses in Jyväskylä in comparison with other cities can be checked, for example, on the website.

Average costs for a student:

• Rent in a student apartment in shared accommodation is 280-420 €, and 350-650 € for studios (includes electricity, water and Internet connection). Rents in the private rental market are higher and usually don't include utilities.
• Lunch in a student restaurant 2.95 € (Bachelor's and Master's level students)
• Monthly bus pass 42 € for the local transportation
• University sports fee 60 €/academic year 

The cost of course literature is not very high, since most of the books can be borrowed from the .

You can find further information about students' living expenses in Jyväskylä in the blog post, written by our Student Ambassadors:

How to budget for student life in Finland

Non-EU/EEA citizens: The immigration authorities in Finland require students from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area to have at least 800 € per month (9 600 € /year) in a bank account in their own name to cover first-year living expenses when applying for the residence permit. You cannot use this money to pay the tuition fee.
 

Moving with family:

In case you are planning to bring your family with you, please note that the monthly sum required by Finnish immigration authorities will be higher. For example, the family of one adult student, another adult, and one underage child should have 2020 € per month at their disposal (800+610+610 €). Further information: .

Average prices for student-priced 2-room accommodation are 550-840 €, and for 3-room accommodation are 800-1200 € (includes electricity, water and Internet connection). Rents in the private rental market may be higher.

Scholarships

Scholarships available at JYU

The Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ offers JYU Scholarship for international degree students liable to pay tuition fees, which covers 50% of the tuition fees. 
U.S. nationals can apply for the Fulbright Graduate Award, which covers 100% tuition fee and includes living costs covering grant. 

Scholarships at JYU

EDUFI  scholarships

The Finnish National Agency for Education (Edufi) awards and administers scholarships to international postgraduate students, researchers and teachers:

•  (Finno-Ugrian minorities in Russia)

National & international scholarships

•  for U.S. students
•  for college studies
•  for German students

Finnish study aid

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.

If you come to Finland from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom to study here, your stay in Finland is, as a rule, considered temporary regardless of the duration of the studies, and you cannot get benefits from Kela. You have social security coverage in your country of origin. 

If you come to Finland from a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom in order to study here for 2 years or more, you can get certain benefits from Kela such as sickness allowance or reimbursement for the costs for private healthcare services and prescription medicines. However, you do not have the right to all Kela benefits. For instance, you cannot get student financial aid (opintotuki). 

Your circumstances may change during your studies. When determining whether a person is entitled to social security coverage, Kela also takes into account possible other reasons for the stay in Finland in addition to studies (e.g. family ties, employment). However, please note that the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) may consider receiving financial aid from Kela as an inability to finance one's stay in Finland, therefore it may be a good idea to clarify this matter beforehand. 

Further information:

Working while studying

International degree students are allowed to work in Finland with certain restrictions. The restrictions depend on your nationality and the nature of your employment.

If you are a Nordic or EU/EEA national, you have the right to work in Finland without any work permit or restrictions on hours. Please note that the work should not affect your study progress, as all international master's degree programmes at JYU require full-time studies and attendance on campus.

If you come from outside of the EU/EEA countries, you have the right to work part-time with the student's residence status. The amount of part-time work on average should not exceed 30 hours a week. For more information on the regulations of study and work, please see the .

Finding a part-time job in Finland can be quite challenging, especially if you do not have Finnish language skills. Therefore, you should not count on getting a job to finance your studies.

Please note that you should not count on getting a job to finance your studies.

Services of the are available for our degree students. You can also use the services of the , which provides guidance regarding employment, entrepreneurship and organizes events for the international population of Jyväskylä.

As for university positions, some programs hire department interns and research assistants. Additionally, students can work at student restaurants. There are also other short-term opportunities like acting as a student tutor or ambassador. The Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ also provides funding opportunities for internships in Finland and abroad that you complete as a part of your degree.