If you are completing more than one course of study in higher education

If, after you have earned a university degree, you continue another course of study in a university, you may be entitled to additional months of financial aid. You can use them as well as any months of financial aid remaining from your earlier degree towards post-graduate or other university studies. This does not apply to completing a bachelor's degree if you have been admitted to school to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree. More information about the maximum period of financial aid for bachelor's and master's level university degrees.

For all courses of study in higher education, you can get a total of

• 54 months of financial aid if you begin a new course of study on or after 1 August 2017
  • However, if you are completing one or more university degrees where the studies started on or after 1 August 2017 and the extent of the degree or the total extent of the degrees is at least 360 credits, you can be granted financial aid for a total of 57 months, maximum.
  • However, if you are completing one or more degrees or qualifications at a foreign higher education institution where the studies started on or after 1 August 2017 and the expected duration or total expected duration of the studies is at least 6 academic years, you can be granted financial aid for a total of 57 months, maximum.
• 64 months of financial aid if you began a new course of study between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2017
• 70 months of financial aid if you began a new course of study before 1 August 2014

You cannot get more financial aid than what is the maximum eligibility period for the new degree.

Discontinuation of studies

If you do not complete your first degree, you do not qualify for additional months of financial aid. You can use as many months of aid as are available for the new degree, minus any months of aid you have already used.

Even if you discontinue your studies, your maximum period of eligibility for financial aid depends on when you began your first course of higher education study.

When are 54, 64 or 70 months of financial aid available to you?

You can get financial aid for 54, 64 or 70 months in the following situations:

• You have previously completed a degree at a university of applied sciences or a master's level university degree.
• You have been admitted to complete a separate master's degree, for example as part of a master's programme.

The maximum period of eligibility for a separate master's degree is equal to the maximum eligibility period based on the extent of the degree programme.

For example, if you are completing a 120-credit master's degree as part of a master's programme, you can get financial aid

• for 21 months if you began your first course of study in higher education on or after 1 August 2017
• for 21 months if you began your first course of study in higher education between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2017
• for 21 months if you began your first course of study in higher education before 1 August 2014.

However, 54, 64 or 70 months of financial aid are not available if you have not previously completed a degree in higher education and you are completing a licentiate degree in medicine or dentistry, which is not preceded by a separate bachelor's degree.

If you have previously completed a bachelor's level university degree you can get 54, 64 or 70 months of financial aid in the following situations:

• You seek financial aid for a course of study in a university of applied sciences.
• You seek financial aid for a higher education degree in some other line of education.
• You have completed a bachelor's level university degree abroad and will continue your studies in Finland.
• You have completed a bachelor's level university degree in Finland and will continue your studies abroad.
• You were admitted to school to complete a bachelor's degree only.

Any months of financial aid you have used earlier towards higher education study are deducted from the 54, 64 or 70 months.

If you have earlier completed a bachelor's degree, you cannot get 54, 64 or 70 months of financial aid if you were originally admitted to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree and you continue to study towards these degrees in the same line of education. In that case, your maximum eligibility for financial aid is determined based on the combined extent of the bachelor's and master's degree programmes.

Examples

A student has previously completed a degree at a university of applied sciences or a bachelor's level university degree. She has used 30 months of financial aid. She begins to study towards a 120-credit master's degree as part of a master's programme.

A student has previously completed a degree at a university of applied sciences or a master's level university degree. She begins a new course of study in higher education.

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