Benefits for students in upper secondary school and vocational education
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If you are a full-time student in upper secondary education (for instance upper secondary school, vocational school or folk high school), you can get
There are different criteria you have to meet to get these benefits and different criteria also apply to the benefit amounts. Read more on the pages for the different benefits.
Your income affects the number of months per year for which you can get financial aid for students. You must make sure that you do not exceed your annual income limit.
Terminology made easy
Upper secondary education is education after comprehensive school. You can get financial aid in the following situations:
- You attend a general upper secondary school.
- You complete a basic vocational qualification or qualification unit, a further vocational qualification, specialist vocational qualification, or other vocational education.
- You attend a course of study preparing you for degree-oriented education (TUVA)
- You attend a course of study preparing you for work and independent living (TELMA).
- You study in a folk high school, a sports institute, the Sámi Education Institute or the Snellman University College.
Some courses of study in private vocational schools (PDF, In Finnish) are counted as upper secondary education, and therefore you can get student financial aid for them. Financial aid is not available for other vocational courses in private educational institutions. Kela also does not provide assistance for tuition fees.
Studies to complete the upper secondary school curriculum constitute full-time study provided that they comprise at least 150 credits or 75 courses.
If you study in an upper secondary school for adults, your studies are considered to be full-time if you are entitled to free education or if you are completing a double degree (upper secondary school for adults and a basic vocational qualification).
If you study in a boarding school, such as a folk high school, your studies are considered to be full-time.
You are considered to be studying on a full-time basis in a vocational school if you are completing
- a basic vocational qualification or a qualification unit
- a course of study preparing you for work and independent living (TELMA).
Completing a basic vocational qualification, a specialist vocational qualification or a qualification unit is considered full-time studies, if the extent of the studies is on average 4.5 ECVET points for each month of active study.
Other vocational studies are considered to be full-time if it consists on average of 4.5 ECVET points or 3 credit units per month of active study, or of at least 25 weekly hours on average.
A course of study preparing for degree-oriented education (TUVA) is always considered full-time study.
Students in basic education for adults are usually granted student financial aid on the same conditions as students in upper secondary education.
In basic education for adults, you can
- complete the comprehensive school curriculum and earn a school-leaving certificate
- study individual subjects
- improve individual scores in your school-leaving certificate for primary education
- complete the first stage of basic education for adults either partially or from start to finish.
In contrast to upper secondary education, as regards basic education for adults, you are considered to study on a full-time basis, if the studies include at least 22 courses per school year. Basic education for adults also has own criteria for the number of months of financial aid during the school year and the maximum number of months of financial aid.
In other respects, student financial aid is granted for basic education for adults on the same conditions as for upper secondary education.
You cannot get student financial aid (opintotuki) in the following situations:
- You get financial aid from abroad or from the Åland Islands.
- You are in apprenticeship training or labour market training.
- You get earnings-related unemployment allowance (ansiopäiväraha) from an unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa) or general social security benefit (yleistuki) from Kela.
- You are paid a pension or a farm closure compensation/subsidy. However, it is possible to get both a survivors’ pension or a partial old-age pension along with financial aid, but the pension is considered as income for purposes of the financial aid income check.
- You are paid rehabilitation allowance for the same course of education.
- You are paid rehabilitation allowance on account of an accident at work or an occupational disease.
- You receive a full compensation for loss of income during a period of rehabilitation compensated on the grounds of an injury.
- You are in compulsory military or non-military service.
- You are serving a sentence of imprisonment and are studying while in prison.
- You are paid a sickness allowance, a partial sickness allowance or an allowance for organ donors.
If child benefit is paid for you, read more about student financial aid for persons under 17 years of age.
Family benefits
You can be paid a pregnancy allowance, parental allowance or child care allowance at the same time as financial aid for students.
Which benefits for students can you get?
In this section you find information about the benefits students can get in different life situations. There are also other entitlement criteria for the benefits. Read more about them on the pages for the different benefits.
You can use the calculator for student financial aid (including housing supplement), school transport subsidy and housing allowance to find out which benefits you may have the right to. If you are under 18 years of age and you live independently or you are cohabiting or married, indicate in the calculator of housing allowance that you are an adult.
Your age affects the amount of the study grant. If you are under 20 years of age, you will be paid an increase to the study grant as from the start of the month when you turn 20 years of age. For instance, if you were born in October, you will get a larger study grant as from the start of October. However, when you reach the age of 17, you will not be paid a larger study grant until the beginning of the calendar month following your birthday.
Did you move to Finland from another country to study? Check if you qualify for student financial aid if you are not a Finnish citizen.
You cannot get study grant, because your parents are paid child benefit for you until the end of the month when you turn 17. You cannot get study grant and child benefit at the same time. If the child benefit has been cancelled, you can get study grant already before reaching the age of 17.
You can get supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials to the study grant, if the incomes of your parents are low. However, if you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance.
If you live with your parents, their incomes may reduce the study grant.
If you live independently and the incomes of your parents do not exceed the income limit, you can get a government guarantee for student loan. You can get a government guarantee for student loan even if child benefit is paid for you.
You can be paid a housing supplement if you study and you live in rented or right-of-occupancy housing. You can also get a housing supplement if you study in Finland in a fee-based programme at a folk high school or sports institute, and you live in a school dormitory.
If you live with your parents, you can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan, if the incomes of your parents are low.
If you live independently, you can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan.
You can be paid a housing supplement if you study and you live in rented or right-of-occupancy housing. You can also get a housing supplement if you study in Finland in a fee-based programme at a folk high school or sports institute, and you live in a school dormitory, or if you live abroad or in the Åland Islands.
You can get supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials to the study grant, if the incomes of your parents are low. It is not relevant, whether you live independently or with your parents. However, if you are entitled to free education, you cannot get the supplementary allowance.
You can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan.
If you live with your parents, their incomes affect the amount of the study grant. If you do not have the right to a free education and the incomes of your parents do not exceed the income limit, you can also get supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials to the study grant.
If you live independently, you can also get a housing supplement. You can also get a housing supplement if you study in Finland in a fee-based programme at a folk high school or sports institute, and you live in a school dormitory, or if you live abroad or in the Åland Islands.
If you live independently, you cannot get supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials.
You can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan.
If you live independently, you can also get a housing supplement. You can also get a housing supplement if you study in Finland in a fee-based programme at a folk high school or sports institute, and you live in a school dormitory, or if you live abroad or in the Åland Islands.
If you live with your parents and the incomes of your parents are low, your study grant may be higher.
If you live with your spouse or independently, you can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan. You can also get a provider supplement to your study grant and a housing supplement. If you live with your child or your spouse’s child, you can get general housing allowance.
If you live with your parents, you can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan on the same conditions as when living independently. However, housing allowance must be applied for at the same time for the whole household.
A registered partnership affects benefits for students the same way as a marriage.
If you live independently, you can get study grant and a government guarantee for student loan. You can also get general housing allowance. If you live and study abroad, you can get a housing supplement. You can also get a housing supplement if you study in Finland in a fee-based programme at a folk high school or sports institute, and you live in a school dormitory.
If you live with your parents, you can get study grant and a student loan on the same conditions as when living independently. However, housing allowance must be applied for at the same time for the whole household.
If you become ill
If you fall ill and you cannot study, you can take sick leave. If your sick leave lasts more than 10 working days and you are at least 18 years old, you can get sickness allowance.
Read more about illness during your studies.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you need support with achieving your goals?
If your daily life feels challenging and you need support with your studies, you might benefit from rehabilitation. What kind of rehabilitation can you get?
Are you unable to study due to illness or issues with your mental health?
If your daily life is a struggle due to illness or issues with your mental health, you can get help. Find out what kind of rehabilitation and financial assistance you can get.