Opetushallitus / Utbildningsstyrelsen

34 700 applicants to higher education programmes in the autumn joint application

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34 700 applicants participated in the autumn joint application to programmes starting in January 2026. There were over 10 900 study places available in the autumn joint application, offered mostly by universities of applied sciences.

The autumn joint application to higher education ended on Thursday 11 September. Most of the study programmes that participated in the joint application were in universities of applied sciences (UAS). 98% of the applicants only applied to universities of applied sciences, 1% only applied to university studies and 1% to both university and UAS programmes. The most popular fields by number of applicants were business, administration and law, health and welfare as well as engineering, manufacturing and construction.  

Applicants could select six applications options on the application form, and the average number of study programmed applied to was 3,1 per applicant.

Most of the study programmes available were Bachelor’s level studies, and there were 29 500 applicants to these study programmers. In addition to this, there are nearly 2 100 study places available for Master’s level studies in both universities and universities of applied sciences.

The majority of the available study programmes were in Finnish; the share of English-language programmes was 10%. Although the percentage is small, these programmes have been very popular. In autumn 2025, 88% of applicants were Finnish citizens. The share of international applicants was 12%, of whom 90% were from outside the EU/EEA area.

In the corresponding joint application in 2024, there were 44,900 applicants, so the number of applicants decreased by 23% compared to the previous year. At that time, the share of international applicants was 31%; of them, 97% were from outside the EU/EEA area. The decline is largely due to the new application fee charged from international applicants after January 1, 2025.

Admission results published in the end of November at the latest

During the next few months, higher education institutions inspect applications and organize entrance exams. The first results of the autumn joint application will be published in October, and all results will be published on Studyinfo on the 20th of November 2025 at the latest.

Applicants who are offered admission will be automatically informed by Studyinfo via e-mail.

Contacts

Topias Kähärä
Special advisor
tel. 029 533 1758
topias.kahara@oph.fi

Mikko Eronen
Special advisor
tel. 029 533 1485
mikko.eronen@oph.fi

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The Finnish National Agency for Education is an agency operating in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture. It is responsible for the development of education, early childhood education and care, and lifelong learning as well as for the promotion of internationalisation.

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