University of Turku
Turun yliopisto
A Finnish research university founded by public subscription in 1920, with two small English-taught bachelor's programmes.
- Students
- 23,148
- 9,206 undergraduates
- International
- 10%
- of students
- Tuition
- €10,000
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1920
About UTU
The University of Turku was founded in 1920, when 22,040 people contributed to a fundraising campaign for a Finnish-language university in the country's oldest city, which explains its motto, "The gift of a free people to free science". It is now one of Finland's largest universities, with 23,148 students in 2025, over 4,000 staff, eight faculties and four independent units, and campuses in Turku, Pori and Rauma.
The faculties cover Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Science, Social Sciences and Technology, plus the Turku School of Economics. Research is organised around national research flagships such as InFLAMES (immunity and inflammation), and the university runs independent units including the Turku PET Centre and Turku Bioscience Centre, a subarctic research station at Kevo in Lapland and an observatory on La Palma.
For international school leavers the offer is small and specific: two English-taught bachelor's programmes, in Information and Communication Technology (30 places) and Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship (20 places), filled mostly by SAT ranking in Finland's January joint application. Most other bachelor's teaching is in Finnish, while the English-taught master's range is much wider. It suits independent students: the university itself warns that no one will regularly check your progress.
Vapaan kansan lahja vapaalle tieteelle
“The gift of a free people to free science” — university motto
Why students choose UTU
Two compact English-taught bachelor's programmes, ICT (BSc Tech) and Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship, with 30 and 20 study places.
ICT bachelor's graduates can continue straight into the international Master's in ICT, with tracks in cyber security, data analytics, robotics and software engineering, without a separate admission.
Fee-paying bachelor's students who complete 55 credits a year with a 3.0 average and some Finnish can get the Merit Scholarship covering 50% of second- and third-year tuition.
Research at scale for a mid-sized university: 68.7 million euros of Horizon Europe funding across 95 projects by the end of 2025, and 14 ERC projects running.
Admissions
Autumn 2027 entry (joint application January 2027)
Selectivity
The university does not publish an admit rate. In 2025 it had 40,125 applicants for bachelor's and master's programmes (all languages) and 3,234 accepted study places. The English-taught bachelor's programmes are small (30 places in ICT, 20 in Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship), and meeting the minimum score does not guarantee admission.
Typical entry requirements
| General eligibility | An upper secondary qualification that gives eligibility for university bachelor's studies in the country where it was awarded |
|---|---|
| SAT (admission group I) | Ranked by total SAT score; ICT needs at least 1150 with 600 in Math. Group I fills 60% of ICT places and 70% of Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship places |
| IB / EB / Finnish matriculation / DIA (admission group II) | Certificate-based selection using the national scoring rules (40% of ICT places, 30% of entrepreneurship places); ICT requires advanced mathematics at grade C in the Finnish matriculation or a comparable grade. IB and EB predicted grades due 1 April 2027 |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 78 SAT applicants prove English with the SAT. Otherwise: IELTS Academic 6.0 with no sub-score below 5.5; TOEFL iBT 78 with writing 20 for tests before 21 January 2026; PTE Academic 54 (writing 42); Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency grade A-C. Secondary education in English in the EU/EEA, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or Switzerland, or the IB Diploma in English, also counts. |
Deadlines
- Joint application (English-taught bachelor's programmes) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~4 months21 January 2027, 15:00 Finnish time
Application period 7-21 January 2027. Attachments and official SAT scores due 28 January 2027, 15:00. IB/EB predicted grades by 1 April 2027.
For the ICT programme, SAT-group results are published on 31 March 2027 and certificate-group results on 27 May 2027; admitted students send original documents by 31 May 2027 (or 15 August 2027 if graduating later) and pay the first-year fee by 31 July 2027.
How to apply
Apply in Finland's joint application on Studyinfo.fi, where you can list up to six programmes, at most three at the University of Turku. Upload colour scans of original documents plus official English, Finnish or Swedish translations; SAT scores must also be sent by College Board to code 7838. Non-EU/EEA applicants pay a 100 euro application fee.
What admissions looks for
- A high SAT total above the programme minimum; ties are broken by the Math section score.
- For certificate-based applicants, strong IB, EB, Finnish matriculation or DIA grades under the national scoring rules, including advanced mathematics for ICT.
- Eligibility for bachelor's study in your own country and proof of English at the required level.
- Independence: the university stresses that students plan their own studies and must keep up the pace themselves.
Tips for applying to UTU
- 1 Take the SAT by late 2026: scores must reach Turku (code 7838) by 28 January 2027, and results sent only by you are not accepted.
- 2 If you have an IB or EB diploma and an SAT score, you can be considered in both admission groups, which improves your chances.
- 3 Use only two or three of your six joint-application choices on Turku programmes; the maximum at one university is three.
- 4 Budget for the full first-year fee: there is no first-year scholarship or Early Bird discount for bachelor's applicants.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
There is no scholarship for the first year of a bachelor's degree. From the second year, the University of Turku Merit Scholarship covers 50% of tuition for fee-paying students who earn 55 credits a year (110 by the end of year two) with an average of at least 3.0 on a 1-5 scale and at least 4 credits of Finnish. The university offers no scholarships for living expenses.
- 50% of tuition
- Merit Scholarship (bachelor's, years 2 and 3)
- 100 euros
- Application fee (non-EU/EEA)
- About 55 euros per academic year
- Student union membership
Academics
Academic calendar: Academic year starts in August; autumn term August-December, spring term January-July
Information and Communication Technology (BSc Tech, English)
30 places, SAT minimum 1150 with 600 Math, and a direct route into the international Master's in ICT.
Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship (BSc, English)
A 20-place Turku School of Economics programme built on team projects with real businesses and entrepreneurship research.
Futures Studies (MSc, English)
Taught at the Turku School of Economics with the Futures Research Centre, a natural next step for business graduates.
Drug Discovery and Development (MSc, English)
A Faculty of Medicine master's (12,000 euros a year for non-EU students) in a university that runs the Turku PET Centre and Turku Bioscience Centre.
Law (Finnish-taught)
Turku's law faculty trained President Sauli Niinistö, who took his Master of Laws here in 1974.
Research
- The InFLAMES research flagship on immunity and inflammation received a continuation period after its mid-term evaluation; INVEST, DIWA and EDUCA are further flagships.
- Independent units include the Turku PET Centre, Turku Bioscience Centre and the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO.
- Field sites stretch from the Kevo subarctic research station in Lapland to an observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands.
- 68.7 million euros of Horizon Europe funding across 95 projects and 14 ongoing ERC projects by the end of 2025.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Technology
- Turku School of Economics
The university awarded 1,853 bachelor's, 2,011 master's and 227 doctoral degrees in 2025.
Student life
Most teaching happens on University Hill (Yliopistonmäki) close to Turku's city centre, with further buildings such as the ICT building and BioCity in Kupittaa. Student union membership is compulsory for degree students and costs about 55 euros a year; it gets you lunch for under 3.50 euros in seven campus cafeterias. The CampusSport programme gives access to five gyms and instructed classes for 78 euros a year, and students are covered by the Finnish Student Health Service. The university does not provide housing, but says the student housing situation in Turku is relatively good.
- Student union (TYY) membership brings student-price lunches under 3.50 euros in campus cafeterias.
- CampusSport: five gyms, group classes and outdoor sports for 78 euros per academic year.
- Students from 131 nationalities (2025), with over 4,500 international students including the Open University.
- Unibuddy lets applicants chat with current students before they apply.
Housing. The university does not provide accommodation; students find their own through student housing providers, which lease by the month and have their own application deadlines.
Location
Turku is Finland's oldest city and its former capital, with about 210,000 residents at the mouth of the River Aura on the south-west coast. It is the country's third-largest urban area, a port with over three million passengers a year travelling to Stockholm and Mariehamn, and was European Capital of Culture in 2011. It calls itself Finland's Food Capital and has a strong cafe and canteen culture; around 18% of residents speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish.
Nearest airport: Turku Airport (TKU)
Notable alumni
- MK Mauno Koivisto9th President of Finland; master's and licentiate from Turku, later a doctorate in sociology
- SN Sauli Niinistö12th President of Finland; Master of Laws from the University of Turku
- PO Petteri OrpoPrime Minister of Finland; master's in political science
- RP Riikka PurraFinnish Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister; master's in political science
- KM Kaisa MatomäkiNumber theorist and SASTRA Ramanujan Prize winner; master's from Turku, now a professor there
- HL Heli LaaksonenPoet writing in south-western Finnish dialect; MA in Finnish language
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Turku teach bachelor's degrees in English?
Yes, two: Information and Communication Technology (30 places) and Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship (20 places). Most other bachelor's programmes are taught in Finnish.
When is the application deadline for 2027 entry?
The joint application runs from 7 to 21 January 2027 (15:00 Finnish time) on Studyinfo.fi, with attachments and SAT scores due by 28 January 2027.
What SAT score do I need for the University of Turku?
The ICT bachelor's requires at least 1150 in total and 600 in Math, and applicants are ranked by total score. IB, EB and Finnish matriculation holders can apply without the SAT through certificate-based selection.
How much is tuition for non-EU students?
10,000 euros a year for both English-taught bachelor's programmes (2026 admissions). EU/EEA and Swiss citizens pay no tuition.
Are there scholarships for international bachelor's students?
Not in the first year. From the second year, fee-paying students who meet the credit, grade and Finnish-language requirements get a Merit Scholarship covering 50% of tuition.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to UTU in the QS World University Rankings 2027.