Aalto University for international applicants: Bachelor entry in 2027

Aalto University takes applications to its English-taught Bachelor programmes 7 to 22 January 2027, and studies begin in August-September 2027: no official proof of English skill level is required in science and technology or business and economics, and applicants with A-levels or national diplomas are ranked on SAT or ACT scores.

Aalto offers six English-taught Bachelor programmes in business and economics, science and technology, art and design. The admission cycle runs once a year.

• Route. A high school diploma from Vietnam or the A-levels means round A, which is ranked on SAT or ACT test results; an IB diploma from an accredited IB school goes to round B on certificate grades.
• Results. Round A by 31 March 2027, round B by 28 May 2027.
• Application fee. Non-EU/EEA applicants pay a €100 application fee.
• Tuition. Non-EU/EEA students in business, technology and the multidisciplinary programme pay €12 000 per academic year (rights to study beginning on or after 1 August 2025).
• Extra documents. Aalto says no additional documents, such as references or statements of extra-curricular activities are required.

Aalto says it places 9th globally in art & design and in the top 100 in several other subjects.

Aalto does not say which ranking it means on its admissions page, so read the sentence as the university's own summary. The same page lists international career opportunities and degrees valued by employers among the benefits, with a main campus in the vibrant Helsinki capital region.

For a Bachelor student the practical advantage is the path onward: an automatic study right to a master's programme after the Bachelor degree.

Aalto does not publish one acceptance rate; it publishes applications, places accepted and the lowest accepted score, with SAT scores out of 1600 points, study option by study option and year.

Read the minimum score and the lowest accepted score as two different numbers. The minimum, for example SAT total score at least 1200 or ACT composite score at least 25 for Economics, only lets you into the ranking. In round A the admission is based on SAT or ACT test results and the highest scores take the places, so the lowest accepted score on the statistics page is the level that actually got in.

Places reserved for first-time applicants

In certificate-based admission, 70 per cent of places in science and technology and in Technology, Business and Design are reserved for first-time applicants, and 80 per cent in business and economics. The reservation is not applied to SAT/ACT test-based admission, so it does not change the odds of round A applicants.

Aalto also publishes an intake table per study option and admission group. After results, places can still open: admission from the waiting list ends on 3 August 2027, or earlier if all places are filled.

Selection follows your diploma: round A applicants are ranked on SAT or ACT test results, and IB applicants are ranked on the total score of their certificate grades.

Nothing else is scored. No grades or subjects other than those from the Finnish matriculation examination or the IB, EB or DIA/RP diploma are considered, and references or statements of extra-curricular activities are not required.

Round B: certificate points

For the IB, certificate grades are scored according to the national scoring tables of the Finnish admissions service. The combination of subjects with the highest points is used, and there is no specific required minimum score, but certain threshold criteria must be met.

Programmes with an extra step

Technology, Business and Design adds a preliminary assignment, and Design and Media is decided on preliminary assignments, intake assignments, and an interview. You can list a maximum of three study options per round and be admitted to one; you are admitted to the highest preference your results are sufficient for.

You apply in round A or round B, and the choice depends on your diploma: any qualification other than the round B list goes to round A.

Both rounds share one window, 7 to 22 January 2027, but results come at different times.

Rules that apply to both rounds

The offer acceptance is binding, and you can accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland in the same term. Study rights already held in Finland matter too: earlier rights at the same or lower level are terminated when you accept a new one.

An IB diploma goes to round B, while A-levels, a US high school diploma with AP exams and national diplomas go to round A: Aalto states that any other qualification must apply in round A.

IB Diploma

Only students who have studied at a properly accredited school participating in the IB programme of the IBO can hold the diploma, and a high school diploma awarded outside Finland does not qualify for an IB diploma. No difference is made between HL and SL subjects.

If you are still studying, predicted grades are due 1 April 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3) and final grades by 13 July 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3). The admission is conditional until the official final grades arrive, and the offer may be revoked if the final scores are lower than the predicted ones.

A-levels, AP and national diplomas

A-levels are included in the category of upper secondary education completed outside Finland. The qualification must give eligibility to the corresponding level of higher education in the country in which it was awarded. That covers a national diploma from, for example, Italy, France, Poland, Romania, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, Greece, Algeria, Japan, Egypt, Germany, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia or Turkey; Aalto names only Vietnam and the A-levels as examples and publishes no country-by-country grade table, because no grades other than those from the Finnish matriculation examination or the IB, EB or DIA/RP diploma are considered.

AP exams are not mentioned on the page, and AP grades are therefore not scored; a US high school diploma is ranked through the SAT or ACT. A German Abitur earned in Germany is not on the round B list, because the DIA and RP diplomas count only when completed in Finland.

European Baccalaureate

The EB diploma goes to round B when completed in an accredited EB school.

Round A applicants must reach a programme minimum: SAT 1200 or ACT 25 for Economics, Finance and International Business, and SAT 1350 or ACT 29 for Science and Technology.

These are gates, not the level of admitted students: places go to the highest scores. You must take the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Mathematics sections in the SAT or the Reading, English and Mathematics sections in the ACT, and only tests completed 1 January 2025 or later count in the 2027 admissions.

Sending your scores

Scores must reach Aalto from the test organiser: by 29 January 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC +2), using SAT code 1700 and ACT code 3008. Results delivered after the deadline or solely by the applicant are not accepted, and you cannot combine scores from different test dates. An ACT score is converted to an SAT score for ranking.

Plan the test early: the ACT is not organised in Finland and the closest test center is in Tallinn, Estonia.

For science and technology and for business and economics, no official proof of English skill level is required.

In Economics, Finance, International Business, Science and Technology and Technology, Business and Design, you are not required to submit a language test result. The university still warns that you must be prepared to understand rapid, idiomatic English spoken in lectures and group discussions, and it does not offer preparatory language courses before studies begin.

Design and Media

Design and Media is different: all applicants must prove sufficient language skills, and there are no exceptions to the language requirements.

Round A is decided by the SAT or ACT, and Technology, Business and Design adds a preliminary assignment.

The assignment is published on 17 December 2026 and due 22 January 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2). On the SAT/ACT route, applicants who pass the preliminary assignment are ranked on their SAT or ACT scores; on the IB route, admission rests on certificate grades and a passed preliminary assignment.

For the other programmes in this guide the admission test is the SAT or ACT in round A and the certificate score in round B. Design and Media is decided on preliminary assignments, intake assignments, and an interview.

The window opens 7 January 2027 at 8am/8.00 (UTC+2) and closes 22 January 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2); Aalto does not extend deadlines: we do not make any extensions to our deadlines.

A rectification request must be sent within 14 days of the publication of the admission results.

Round A needs your diploma, your SAT or ACT report and an ID; academic documents are due 29 January 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+2).

If you finish school in spring 2027, send a certificate of ongoing studies or your latest transcript first and the final diploma by 31 July 2027 at 3pm/15.00 (UTC+3). Passport or other ID and, if applicable, the residence permit go in with the academic documents.

Translations

All application documents must be available in Finnish, Swedish or English. A translation is official if done by the awarding institution or a certified translator, and you must also submit the originals, since translations by themselves are insufficient. Extra documents are not taken into account.

Aalto lists Design and Media, Economics, International Business, Finance and Science and Technology, plus the Technology, Business and Design programme.

Science and Technology has six study options: Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Digital Systems and Design, Mechanical and Civil Engineering and Quantum Technology. Design and Media has its own admission rules and is outside this guide's scope.

A Bachelor degree has a normative duration of three academic years, the studies are full-time, and 1 credit is equivalent to 27 hours of studying.

Aalto points to international career opportunities and degrees valued by employers and gives every Bachelor student an automatic study right to a master's programme.

Treat these career claims as the university's own description of its degrees.

The master's offer is wide: Aalto has about 100 different master's programmes.

Non-EU/EEA students pay €12 000 per academic year in business and technology; EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not pay tuition fees.

These fees apply to rights to study beginning on or after 1 August 2025 and to degree programmes taught in English, and Aalto reserves the right to change them. Fees are collected from citizens of countries other than the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.

Application fee

Non-EU/EEA applicants pay a €100 application fee; citizens of EU or EEA member states and Switzerland are exempt. Payment must be made within seven days of submitting your application and no waivers are available.

Paying and exemptions

The tuition fee is paid as a single instalment for the following academic year; new students are advised to pay by 31 July, and you cannot enrol until it is paid. Certain residence permit types exempt you, but the permit must be valid at the beginning of the academic year (1 August 2027).

The Aalto University Excellence Scholarship is a tuition fee waiver that covers the full tuition fee, and it is merit-based and competitive; programmes may decide not to grant any scholarships.

You can apply only if you are liable to the fee: only students who are liable to pay tuition fees are eligible. You must ask for it in the form, because you cannot apply for a scholarship after the application period. The scholarship does not cover living costs.

Aalto does not own student apartments and students are responsible for seeking housing themselves.

The options are student housing providers or the private market. Start the search once you have an offer.

At the two main student housing providers, HOAS and AYY, rent ranges roughly between 300 and 600 euros. At Hoas a room in a shared apartment costs about 250 to 500 euros a month and a studio about 580 to 750 euros a month. On the private market the average rent of a rental apartment typically starts from 600 euros a month, and Aalto advises being prepared to spend around 500 euros per month on rent.

Aalto describes an inspiring international Aalto community on a main campus in the Helsinki capital region.

Budget for monthly living costs of at least 800 euros per month. Student Union membership brings discounts on public transport and meals in student restaurants; the fee was 65 euros in the academic year 2025-2026. The student healthcare fee was 36 euros per semester in 2026.

If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, you are normally required to have a residence permit in Finland.

The university has no authority in immigration matters and cannot assist with residence permit questions. The tuition fee is refunded in full if you are not granted a residence permit. A family member must have sufficient financial resources to be issued a residence permit.

Aalto suits applicants who can post a strong SAT or ACT score or an IB diploma, want an English-taught Bachelor in business, technology or design, and can fund €12 000 per academic year or win a scholarship.

• Apply 7 to 22 January 2027, with round A on SAT or ACT results and round B on certificate grades.
• No English test: no official proof of English skill level is required for science, technology, business and economics.
• Keep the gates in mind: SAT 1350 or ACT 29 for Science and Technology, SAT 1200 or ACT 25 for Economics, Finance and International Business.

Aalto decides alone; an accepted offer is binding.

Official pages of Aalto University, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.

https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/apply-to-bachelors-programmes-in-english · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/english-taught-bachelors-programmes-i-am-applying-with-a-high-school-diploma · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/bachelors-admissions-frequently-asked-questions · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/scholarships-and-tuition-fees · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/english-taught-bachelors-programmes-i-am-applying-with-an-ib-diploma · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/english-taught-bachelors-programmes-in-science-and-technology-or-business-and-economics-admission · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/admission-statistics · https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/delivering-sat-and-act-test-scores · https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/student-benefits-and-cost-of-living · https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/housing-for-students

Photos: Aalto yliopisto Otaniemi 2018: photo Aatu Dorochenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons