Aalto University scholarship for outgoing exchange students

What you get

You will receive 2,000 EUR per semester for a period of study abroad funded by your own university, Aalto University in Helsinki. If you are studying at the Faculties of Chemical Engineering (CHEM), Electrical Engineering (ELEC), Engineering (ENG), Natural Sciences (SCI) or Art, Design and Architecture (ARTS), you may instead receive 3,500 EUR for a full academic year for two semesters. The money is paid out in two instalments. You will receive the larger portion before you leave, and the remaining 500 EUR upon your return, once the courses you have taken abroad have been credited towards your degree. ARTS students can receive a maximum of 2,500 EUR per level of study. You may receive this grant on multiple occasions. Some programmes, such as Erasmus+, may offer higher amounts.

Who can apply

• University: You are enrolled on a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme at Aalto University in one of its faculties (ARTS also supports PhD students).
• Where you go: You will spend a semester or a year abroad, either at one of Aalto University’s partner universities or at a university of your own choosing as a ‘free mover’.
• On-site stay: You are studying in person in the host country. Exchange programmes that take place entirely online are not eligible for funding.
• Exchange, not a full degree: You are going abroad as an exchange student. Funding is not available for a full degree programme at the foreign university.
• No job contract: Your stay abroad must not be under an employment contract.
• Field of study: All fields are permitted.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.

If you go through a partner university, you get the scholarship automatically when you are selected, with no separate application. If you organise the stay yourself as a free mover, you apply separately. Students in CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI and Business cannot get a free-mover scholarship for a university that already has an exchange agreement with Aalto. Students in the technical schools can also use a one-time free-mover scholarship to write their Master's thesis abroad (3 to 6 months), with a supervisor at both Aalto and the host university.

How to apply

No separate scholarship application is required for exchange programmes with partner universities. To apply for a ‘Free-Mover’ scholarship, you must complete your university’s online form before the start of your stay. Deadlines vary depending on the faculty. At the School of Business, for example, the application deadline for the autumn semester 2026 is 30 April 2026, and for the spring semester 2027 it is 15 November 2026. In the ARTS, the application window for the autumn 2026 runs from 16 February to 24 April 2026, whilst the application window for the spring semester 2027 runs from 5 October to 20 November 2026. If you have any queries, please contact your school’s international exchange coordinator.

If you are planning your studies abroad from Aalto, our guide Scholarships in Finland brings together further funding options available to you in Finland.