Study grant
- your age
- what type of school you attend
- whether you live independently or with your parents
- You are considered to be living with your parent if the two of you live in the same flat or house.
- whether you are married
- whether you have children.
In certain situations, also your parents’ income may affect the amount of your study grant.
The study grant does not count as income for the recipient for purpose of the financial aid income check.
Study grant and child benefit
If you are under 17 years of age, you can receive a supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials to the study grant. However, if you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance. You cannot get any other kind of study grant because child benefit is paid for you. When you reach the age of 17, you can be paid a study grant from the beginning of the calendar month following your birthday.
The child benefit can be cancelled on the request of the recipient of the child benefit, i.e. your parent. If no child benefit is paid for you, you can receive study grant. However, please note that if you live with your parents, their income may however reduce your study grant or prevent you from getting it. You can estimate your student financial aid with this online calculator (in Finnish).
Students in secondary education
| Students | Amount of study grant, EUR per month | Is the study grant affected by parental income? |
|---|---|---|
| Provider of a minor child | 421.01 | no |
| Married | 279.38 | no |
| Lives alone, aged 18 or over | 279.38 | no |
| Lives alone, aged 17 or younger | 113.57 | may increase the study grant: EUR 113.57 - 279.38 per month |
| Lives with parent, aged 20 or over | 90.85 | may increase the study grant: EUR 90.85 - 204.42 per month |
| Lives with parent, aged 19 or younger | 43.15 | may increase or reduce the study grant: EUR 0 - 161.26 per month |
| Aged under 17 | You may qualify for a supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials of EUR 52.24 per month if the combined income of parents does not exceed EUR 41,100 per year. If you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance. |
The maximum amount includes a supplementary allowance of EUR 52.24 per month for the purchase of study materials. If you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance.
You qualify for an age-based increase to your study grant from the beginning of the month in which you reach a specific age. However, reaching age 17 does not begin to affect financial aid until the beginning of the following month.
Parental income may reduce or increase your study grant or prevent it from being paid altogether. Read more about the effect of parental income on the study grant.
Students in higher education
| Students | Amount of study grant, EUR per month | Is the study grant affected by parental income? |
|---|---|---|
| Provider of a minor child | 421.01 | no |
| Married | 279.38 | no |
| Lives alone, aged 18 or over | 279.38 | no |
| Lives alone, aged 17 or younger | 113.57 | may increase the study grant: EUR 113.57 − 227.14 per month |
| Lives with parent, aged 20 or over | 90.85 | may increase the study grant: EUR 90.85 − 204.42 per month |
| Lives with parent, aged 19 or younger | 43.15 | may increase the study grant: EUR 43.15 − 109.02 per month |
You qualify for an age-based increase to your study grant from the beginning of the month in which you reach a specific age.
The smallest study grants for higher education students can only be increased by parental income. Read more about the effect of parental income on the study grant.
Supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials
Starting 1 August 2023, the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials is EUR 52.24 per month.
You are eligible if you meet the following requirements:
- you are a student, unmarried and have no children
- your parents' combined income does not exceed 41,100 euros per year
- you live with a parent and are under 20 or live independently and are under 18.
- you are not entitled to free education
The supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials is available to students pursuing vocational qualifications or attending upper secondary school. It is not available to higher education students, those attending basic education for adults, or those enrolled in a liberal adult education programme.
Kela awards it automatically to current financial aid recipients. If you do not yet receive any financial aid payments (study grant, government guarantee for student loan or housing supplement for students), file an application for financial aid. Also students who are 15 or 16 can get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials even though they are not eligible for the study grant as such.
If you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance. You are entitled to free education if you meet both of the following requirements:
- You leave comprehensive school in 2021 or later.
- You were born in 2004 or later.
However, you can get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials if you attend a study programme which is not free of charge to you. Such studies include:
- vocational or upper secondary school studies abroad or in the Åland Islands
- periods of foreign study that are part of Finnish vocational or upper secondary school studies
- vocational studies in a private educational institution
- vocational education which does not come under the authority of the education administration.
For example, if you attend a Finnish institution of vocational education and do not yet receive financial aid, apply for the aid when you leave Finland to complete a period of study abroad.
Provider supplement to the study grant
If you are the guardian of a child under 18 years of age, you may receive a provider supplement of EUR 141.63 per month (as from 1 January 2024) to the study grant of EUR 279.38. How many children you have or whom they live with does not affect the provider supplement.
It is not possible to apply for the provider supplement. Instead, Kela will grant it automatically along with the study grant as soon as information about the provider status has been registered in the population information system.
- The earliest starting time for the provider supplement is the beginning of the month following your guardianship of the child.
- The provider supplement will be discontinued at the latest at the end of the month your youngest child turns 18 or when guardianship is discontinued for other reasons.
Exceptions
The amount of your study grant is the same as for students living with their parents if both of the following conditions are met:
- you live in a home owned by or rented from your parent
- your home is part of the same property as your parent's permanent residence.
- The same property means for example the same housing corporation or lot.
You cannot get the study grant if you receive a daily allowance from your school for the duration of your studies. This applies to those who pursue a Bachelor’s degree in military sciences at the National Defence University, the basic course for border guards at the Border and Coast Guard Academy during the first part of the training, or the one-part course for border guards. However, you can get a government loan guarantee for a student loan. You can be paid general housing allowance if you are unable to live in a school dormitory for a specific reason.
Indexation of benefits
The amounts of the study grant are usually adjusted annually on 1 August in line with the National Pensions Index, in other words, according to the change in prices. However, the amounts of the study grant will not be adjusted during the years 2024–2027. The amount of the study grant will thus stay the same during these years. You can check the amount of the study grant payable to you by logging in to the OmaKela e-service. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish.
Payment date
Kela deposits the study grant into your bank account on the 4th day of the month or on the immediately following business day. For example, if the 4th day of the month is a Saturday, the study grant is paid on the following Monday.
Kela sends the data on financial aid for students allowances paid out to the national incomes register within five days of the date of payment.
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