Admission Criteria
Eligibility for Bachelor’s degree programmes
Provisions on eligibility for universities of applied sciences are contained in the Polytechnics Act (932/2014).
You can apply to a Bachelor’s degree programme if you have completed:
- Studies required for graduating from the Finnish upper secondary school or a Matriculation Examination;
- International Baccalaureate (IB) degree and/or certificate awarded with 6 subjects.
- European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma;
- Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsche Internationale Abitur (DIA) degree;
- Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification covering 120 credits or 180 competence points or a corresponding earlier Finnish ocational degree covering at least 80 credits;
- Finnish post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma;
- Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification or a further or specialist vocational qualification as a competence-based qualification, or a comparable previous qualification;
- Foreign qualification that provides eligibility for higher education studies in the country in question;
- Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree.
N.B. Preparations to introduce application fees in progress starting from January 2025.
N.B. Except for admission method with SAT results, English language proficiency test is required for bachelor degrees. You can see various admission methods how applicants are admitted to bachelor degree programmes below.
English language skills can be proved by the following documents in International UAS Exam:
- English language test results:
- IELTS Academic: a minimum total score of 6.0 (Test sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking)
- TOEFL Academic (iBT): a minimum total score of 60 (Test sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing)
- PTE Academic: a minimum total score of 55 (Test sections: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening)
- Cambridge English Scale Score: a minimum total score of 169 (Test sections: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking)
- National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) English: Grade 4 or higher on all the subtests (speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension)
- Higher education degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States
- Upper secondary degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States
- One of the following grades in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, European Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate or Reifeprüfung/DIA:
- Finnish Matriculation Examination: English advanced syllabus with a minimum grade M
- The whole International Baccalaureate degree completed in English
- International Baccalaureate final examination: higher level English with a minimum grade 4
- European Baccalaureate: at least grade 6.00 in L2-level English
- Reifeprüfung/DIA completed diploma: at least grade 7 in advanced English
IELTS Academic UKVI, IELTS Online, PTE Academic Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are also accepted.
Different ways to Apply for a Degree
Separate Application with SAT results Feb.10-25 April, 2025
Separate Application with SAT results for the Bachelor degree programmes in International Business and Information Technology at Feb. 10 - April 25, 2025 at Studyinfo.fi
Eligibility and Student Selection for Master’s degree programmes
Eligibility to apply to a UAS Master’s degree programme is conferred by an appropriate UAS Bachelor’s degree or another appropriate higher education degree and at least two years of subsequent work experience in a relevant field. A relevant field is considered to include both the field being applied to and the field of the previous higher education degree.
The next joint application period is 8.1-22.1.2025 for autumn 2025 intake at Studyinfo.fi.
The next separate application period is 10.2.-25.4.2025 for autumn 2025 intake at Studyinfo.fi
How are applicants admitted to master degree programmes?
Selection method 1
• GMAT (500 points) or
• GRE 150 points in both the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections
Acceptable GRE tests are the GRE General Test and the GRE Revised General Test. VAMK also accepts also GMAT™ Online exam and GRE® General Test at home. GRE Subject Test results are not considered in student selection.
Sending GMAT score results to VAMK, please visit: mba.com/exams/gmat-exam/scores/sending-your-score
GMAT and GRE test results must be delivered to VAMK latest by the end of application period (see above). Additional you must submit application at Studyinfo.fi and meet the eligibility criteria for the master degree studies (bachelor degree in a relevant study field and at least 24 months work experience).
Instructions for Ordering the GRE Score Report:
- Vaasa UAS GRE designated institution code is 1426.
- Detailed information about the GRE General Test and GRE Subject Tests, including score use guidelines and score interpretation materials, is available in the GRE Scores section on the GRE website
Selection Method 2
• SAT (550/550 points for both Evidence Based Reading and Writing / Mathematics sections)
Instructions for Ordering the SAT Score Report:
- Vaasa UAS’s SAT designated institution code is 6860.
- Only the new version of SAT test (completed after March 2016) is accepted.
- Score reports printed and sent by the applicant are not taken into consideration.
In case the GMAT/GRE /SAT test scores are not delivered to VAMK directly from the test center by the given deadline, or the scores are below the minimum requirement, you can not be considered for admission for the master degree programmes.
Bachelor or master degree in Business administration or bachelor degree in Hospitality Management completed in Finland or equivalent degree completed outside Finland gives eligibility to apply. Additionally 24 months of work experience required from related field (business or tourism) from the date of award of bachelor degree.
Bachelor or master degree in engineering completed in Finland or equivalent degree completed outside Finland gives eligibility to apply. Work experience requirement is 24 months after graduation in the subsequent field.
Bachelor or master degree in Business Administration or Bachelor in Hospitality Management completed in Finland or equivalent bachelor or master degree completed outside Finland gives eligibility to apply.
Additionally Finnish post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma in corresponding field completed in Finland gives eligibility. 24 months of work experience required from related field (business) from the date of award of bachelor degree or Finnish post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma.
In order to be eligible, applicants must have two years of work experience accumulated as from the date of award of the final degree certificate and obtained no later than 31 July for the spring application period and no later than 31 December for the autumn application period.
Universities of applied sciences also accept work experience obtained after completion of a post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma in Finland (in any field of education) but prior to taking the higher education degree. In such cases, too, at least two years of work experience obtained in a relevant field is required.
Entrepreneurship will be accepted as work experience if an applicant can produce a certificate attesting that he or she is or has been covered under the statutory YEL or MYEL pension scheme (YEL = statutory pension scheme for entrepreneurs; MYEL = statutory pension scheme for farmers, forest estate owners, fishers and reindeer herders and their family members). Enterprising activities abroad should be substantiated with comparable official documents.
Required Documents
Depending on the admission methods and the desired study programs, the required documents may vary. The main important documents for applications are:
- Passport identifying nationality
- Qualification eligible for higher education
- Language certificate (if required)
See below how to submit your qualifications, depending on the type of the qualification.
Applicants with a Finnish qualification certificate need not submit copies of their certificates , as only the certificates of those admitted as students will be checked. However, this does not apply to applicants who have taken the Finnish matriculation examination prior to 1990, as they will need to submit copies of their certificates to the Admissions offices of the relevant Universities of applied sciences by the deadline specified in advance.
In order to prove their eligibility, applicants with a non-Finnish qualification certificate must submit a copy of the final certificate used as the basis for application by the deadline specified in advance to the Admissions office of the university of applied sciences marked as the first choice on their application form, which will then decide on each applicant’s Eligibility for all UAS programs they have selected.
A provisional certificate issued by the educational institution on the graduation of the applicant will be accepted as a certificate that demonstrates the applicant’s Eligibility to apply if the applicant’s official Diploma cannot be delivered in advance within the stated deadline due to an action taken by the authorities or any equivalent reason.
A copy of the (foreign) degree certificate or a provisional certificate issued by the educational institution on the graduation of the applicant, together with an official translation , must be submitted to the Admissions office
Those applying with an IB, EB or RP Diploma will need to submit certificate copies by a deadline specified in advance. Those graduating during the application period should submit a predicted grades or equivalent.
In addition, each applicant must submit a copy of his or her qualification certificate translated into Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator if the original document is in none of these languages. Such translations must be signed and stamped by the translator. The translations must be submitted by the deadline specified in advance to the admissions offices of the relevant universities of applied sciences. Only final qualification certificates can be accepted; no provisional or temporary certificates will be accepted.
If an applicant is a refugee or in a refugee-like situation (subsidiary protection) and is unable to submit documentary evidence of his or her degree, a university of applied sciences may invite the applicant to sit an entrance examination or take any advance assignment submitted by the specified deadline into account. The applicant must have an official decision attesting to his or her refugee status (a decision on asylum or a residence permit granted on the basis of a need for protection). The applicant must submit a copy of such decision to the admissions office of each university of applied sciences to which he or she is applying by the deadline
Asylum seeker who is yet to receive decision on his/her refugee status can present photo identity card provided by the Finnish Immigration Service at the entrance examination venue. In addition certificate of processing (vireilläolotodistus) should be provided if requested by the UAS. Certificate is issued by the Finnish Immigration Service and costs 20 euros.
Evidence of language proficiency as part of admissions
Excellent skills in English are required for success in degree programmes provided in English. The applicants’ language proficiency is assessed in the entrance examination. For a more detailed description of the examination, see the admissions criteria for specific fields.
N.B. Applicants who are applying to bachelor degree programmes through International UAS Exam, are required to proof their English language skills in order to be eligible for entrance exam. Detailed information on required documents can be found at uasinfo.fi
In cases of equal admission scores, UAS applicants will be ranked on the following grounds:
- points awarded for the entrance examination;
- points awarded for school performance; (applicants with Finnish Matriculation Examination)
- points awarded for work experience;
- the preferred programme ranking on the application form.
The grounds applied to cases of equal admission scores vary by programme choice, depending on the selection methods used for the programme in question. If these criteria fail to produce a difference between tied applicants, a university of applied sciences may choose to admit all or none of the equally ranked applicants, or the applicants may be automatically ranked by lots drawn by a computer system.
Appeal
An applicant not satisfied with the results of the student selection process should first contact the UAS Admission Services he/she has applied to. If the matter is not resolved, the student may appeal against the decision in writing to the executive board of the UAS in question. Such an appeal must be made within 14 days from the publication of the admission results.
- Personal circumstances such as health condition (sickness/injury), difficult life situation, inability to attend entrance examination or misunderstanding are not considered to be a valid reasons for a successful appeal.
- Late attachments will not be considered. Required documents and their delivery dates are mentioned in the admission criteria.
- Appeal can only be successful if the applicant can clearly point out that the admission criteria has not been followed at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences. Therefore appeal should be well-grounded.
