University of Helsinki - Scholarship

What you get

You receive a one-off scholarship of up to 1,000 EUR for your Master's studies, which you have up to three years to spend. The money comes from the University of Helsinki Funds, a collection of over 350 donated funds that together give out around 400,000 EUR in scholarships and grants each year. Two of those funds matter here: the Fund for Social Sciences gives 13 scholarships of up to 1,000 EUR to students at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Fund for Arts gives 19 scholarships of 1,000 EUR to students at the Faculty of Arts.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are a Master’s student at the University of Helsinki, in the Faculty of Social Sciences or the Faculty of Arts.
• Field of study: Social sciences and political science (Faculty of Social Sciences), or subjects such as linguistics and philosophy (Faculty of Arts).
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. The key requirement is that you are studying at the University of Helsinki.
• Grades and progress: You will be assessed on how your studies are progressing: your credit points, your marks and whether you are on track to complete your degree within the standard period of study. For the Arts Fund, the mark you achieve for your Bachelor’s thesis and the timely completion of your Bachelor’s degree also count.
• Not on the university payroll: If you are employed by the University of Helsinki, you are not usually eligible for a scholarship. Exceptions apply to periods when you are not employed.

How to apply

You apply online via the University of Helsinki’s funding portal, which is available in Finnish, Swedish and English, and attach a summary of your academic achievements. The 2026 round runs from 14 January to 6 February 2026 and ends at 23:59. Decisions will be made by the end of April, and each applicant will be informed personally of the outcome.

Our guide Scholarships in Finland lists further funding options in Finland that may complement this scholarship.