Separate applications for full-time degree programmes
Applicants can apply for a full degree programme at Laurea via separate application. The details of the eligibility criteria for each separate application process is described below.
Separate application process based on Open UAS studies for Bachelor degrees
The link to the application form will be updated here later.
- Application period 22.10. at 8:00 - 29.10.2025 at 15:00. The application form is open during the application period.
- Attachments for the application by 5.11.2025 at 15:00
- Invitations for the interview will be sent by 12.11.2025 (The path students of Laurea will not be interviewed.)
- The interview will be arranged during 17. - 19.11.2025 (The path students of Laurea will not be interviewed.) The specific time of the interview will be in the invitation. Please notice that the given interview dates or places cannot be changed.
- Wait for the results of student admission by 20.11.2025
- Accept the offered study place and pay the tuition fee (if applicable) by 27.11.2025 at 15.00.
If you have completed a certain amount of study credits in Open University of Applied Sciences, you may apply to become a full time student through a separate application process.
Applicants can apply for a full degree programme at Laurea via separate application. The details of the eligibility criteria for each separate application process is described below.
The application form is open during the application period.
Who can apply?
In order to apply, applicants must meet the eligibility requirements required to apply for a bachelor's degree programme at a University of Applied Sciences (UAS) in Finland:
- A person who has earned 60 credits in an open university of applied sciences may apply to become a degree student through a separate application process.
- Studies completed in any university of applied sciences are eligible, but they must be open UAS studies and part of the degree programme that the person is applying for.
OR
- Upper secondary education certificate and Laurea open university of applied sciences path studies completed during it with a separate cooperation agreement at least 20 credits.
You are eligible, if:
- All credits of studies must be fulfilled and registered by 31st July for the spring application period and by 31st of December for the fall application period. (Student selection is conditional until registered studies have been checked.)
- You have progressed in your studies goal-oriented and with good academic success. Academic success means not only success in the grades, but also suitability for the field, language skills, attitude towards studying and study skills.
- Applicants must clearly indicate in the application form the total amount of credits received from Open UAS.
- The studies must be newer than three years and relevant Open UAS studies.
- You have attached the required attachments to your application by the deadline.
- The academic success of applicants for Laurea Nursing and Laurea Social Services must correspond to an average grade of 3 at the end of the application period.
- Also, all applicants for Laurea Nursing and Laurea Social Services are required to have Finnish language skills (level B1 or better). Finnish and English language skills will be tested in the aptitude interview. The interview is conducted based on the same forms and criteria for evaluating aptitude as in the joint application process. In addition, the applicants are handed out an official recommendation regarding the health of individuals seeking to study in the fields of social services, health and sport, and they are required to provide a self-assessment regarding their current health. The applicants must also fill in a form concerning the cancellation of the previous study entitlement. If a student has had their study entitlement in the field of social services and health care revoked on a previous occasion, the matter requires an additional review (the SORA procedure).
Applicants who have studied in an Open UAS other than Laurea need to attach their Transcript of Records of relevant Open UAS studies. The transcript must be attached directly to the application form. The document must be signed and stamped or electronically signed with an electronic signature that can be verified. Upload the attachment in pdf, jpeg, png or gif form
If you have completed your Open UAS studies in Laurea, you don't need to submit any certificates, your Open UAS studies will be checked from the Laurea Student Register.
The interview to applicants outside Laurea
The interview will be arranged after the application period. The specific time of the interview will be in the invitation. NOTE: the given interview dates or places cannot be changed. If necessary, a statement from the Open UAS regarding any pending credit completions may be presented during the interview.
Student selection
- The decision on admission is made based on the interview and study performance in Open UAS studies.
- If the number of applications exceeds the available amount of study places, the student selection will be based on the student's aptitude, total number of credits completed and grades received.
- The decisions on admissions will be informed to applicants by Laurea Admission Services via email.
- Please note, non-EU/EEA area students who have been selected through the Finnish joint application or through Laurea's separate application for admission to degree programmes taught in English starting from 1.8.2017 onwards will be charged tuition fees. However, there are some special exceptions, as not all non EU/EEA students are liable to pay fees.
Separate application process based on Open UAS studies for Master's degrees
Laurea offers two separate application processes for those who have completed open UAS (University of Applied Sciences) or open university studies at the master’s level:
- If you have completed individual open higher education studies (30 ECTS) or pathway studies elsewhere than Laurea, you can apply twice a year through a separate application process to Laurea.
- If you are a Laurea open UAS pathway student and have completed 30 ECTS, your application is through a rolling separate application for Master's degrees.
1. Separate application for those who have completed open Master’s degree studies
This separate application is intended for applicants seeking degree studies based on open higher education studies. Eligibility is provided by master’s level (EQF7) studies completed in one of the following:
- Laurea’s open UAS
- Other universities of applied sciences’ open UAS
- Open university
You must have completed at least 30 ECTS credits, and these must be recorded in the study register by the final deadline for attachments. The studies must be relevant to the degree you are applying for. The expiration of studies follows Laurea’s degree regulations (§25).
In addition, the applicant must meet the general eligibility requirements for applying to a master’s degree: a previously completed relevant higher education degree and two years of work experience after graduation. Work experience must be accumulated by the final deadline for attachments.
The application must include a copy of the official transcript of records, proof of identity, employment certificates, and a motivation letter if required.
Autumn 2025 Separate Application Schedule
• Application period: 22 Oct at 8:00 – 29 Oct 2025 at 15:00
• Attachments deadline: 5 Nov 2025 at 15:00
• Invitations to interviews sent by: 12 Nov 2025
• Interviews: 17–19 Nov 2025
• Results published by: 20 Nov 2025
• Acceptance deadline: 27 Nov 2025 at 15:00
Selection criteria:
- You have progressed well in your studies. Academic success refers not only to grades but also suitability for the field, language skills, attitude toward studying, and study skills.
- Your completed studies are relevant and can be accredited toward the degree according to Laurea’s curriculum.
- There is space in the group suitable for your study phase.
If studies were completed outside Laurea’s open UAS, a motivation letter must also be attached. The motivation letter assesses the applicant’s commitment and motivation to complete a master’s degree at Laurea UAS. The motivation letter is graded as pass/fail.
Based on these criteria, applicants are invited to an interview. Invitations are sent by email, and interviews are conducted via Teams video call.
If there are more applicants than available places, ranking is based on academic success.
2. Laurea UAS Master’s degree pathway student
Separate application to become a degree student is continuous, so you can apply as soon as the required studies have been completed. Separate application is for applicants who apply to become a degree student based on their studies at Laurea Open UAS. Applicants must have a minimum of 30 credits completed at Laurea open UAS, and the studies must be registered in the study register before applying. Separate application is continuous, so you can apply as soon as the required studies have been completed.
The decision on student selection is based on completed studies and an interview. Academic performance is also assessed as a selection criterion. Academic performance refers not only to success in studies, but also to suitability for the field, language skills, attitude towards studying, and study skills. The selection interview assesses the applicant’s motivation for the programme as well as readiness and capability for Master's level studies. The interview is evaluated as pass/fail.
Applicants are requested to attach a copy of their degree certificate, identity document, and work certificates to the application.
Applicants must also have eligibility to apply for a master's degree programme at a University of Applied Sciences. Applicants must have a suitable bachelor's or master's degree and at least two years of work experience after graduation. Work experience must be obtained before the application is filled in.
If you are granted a right to study in a degree programme in the middle of the year, the Open UAS annual fee (EUR 400) will not refunded to any extent, as it will grant you the right to study for one year. Not using your right to study does not entitle you to a full or partial refund of the study fee.
Please note, non-EU/EEA area students who have been selected through the Finnish joint application or through Laurea's separate application for admission to degree programmes taught in English starting from 1.8.2017 onwards will be charged tuition fees. However, there are some special exceptions, as not all non EU/EEA students are liable to pay fees.
General Eligibility for Master’s Degree programme
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General eligibility requirements for applying to a Master’s degree programmes:
In addition to specific eligibility requirements, the applicant must have a suitable degree completed at a university or a UAS and at least two years of relevant work experience acquired after graduation. The relevant field includes both the field of the degree already completed and the field to which the applicant is now applying. The required work experience must be accumulated by the time the application for the separate admission process is submitted. Laurea may, at its discretion, also consider other relevant degrees completed at University or University of Applied Sciences or a Finnish former higher vocational level qualification (opistoasteen tutkinto). In addition applicants must have at least 24 months of subsequent work experience in the field being applied to or the field of the previous higher education degree.
Entrepreneurship is accepted as work experience if there is a certificate proving that the applicant is or has been insured under YEL or MYEL. (YEL = Entrepreneur’s Pension Insurance, MYEL = Farmers’, forest owners’, fishermen’s and reindeer herders’ pension insurance, including their family members). Foreign entrepreneurship must be proven with equivalent official documents.
Work experience is reported in full months. The applicant must convert part-time work hours (less than 35 hours/week) into full-time equivalent so that 150 hours or 20 workdays of at least 7 hours each equals one month. Work experience does not need to be continuous or with the same employer. For overlapping employment relationships, only the amount corresponding to full-time work can be counted. Work experience is verified from copies of employment certificates submitted to the admissions office by the application deadline.
Military service, voluntary military service for women, non-military service, or parental leave are not counted as work experience.
Information on completed higher education degrees is obtained directly from the applicant’s study records. To demonstrate eligibility based on a post-secondary qualification, the applicant must upload a copy of the relevant diploma to the application form or submit it to Laurea Admission Services when submitting the application, for the application to be processed.
To demonstrate eligibility based on a degree completed outside Finland, the applicant must upload a copy of the relevant diploma to the application form or submit it to Laurea Admission Services by the application deadline. If the diploma is in a language other than Finnish, Swedish, or English, the applicant must provide a copy of an official translation into Finnish, Swedish, or English by an authorized translator. Copies must be received by Laurea Admission Services by the application deadline.
If the applicant is a refugee or in a refugee-like situation and cannot provide documentary proof of their degree, the university of applied sciences may invite the applicant to an entrance examination or consider a pre-assignment submitted by the given deadline. The applicant must provide a copy of the official decision confirming refugee status (asylum decision or residence permit based on protection) to Laurea Admission Services by the application deadline.
Eligibility requirements for separate admissions to Finnish- and English-language programs follow the same educational background criteria. The applicant must either:
- have previously completed at least 55 credits in a Finnish higher education institution toward a Master’s degree in a specific program, or
- have completed at least 30 credits of Master’s-level studies in Laurea’s Open UAS
The final decision on student selection is made by the Head of Student Affairs. Laurea Admission Services will notify applicants of the decision.