The next joint application period for degree programmes conducted in English will be arranged between 8 January and 22 January 2025. For applicants who will be accepted in this application round, the studies are set to begin in August 2025.
In 2025, Centria UAS will be part of the first Joint application of Higher Education, Spring 2025. The application process takes place at Studyinfo.fi. Centria University of Applied Sciences uses the following student selection methods during the first joint application 2025:
International University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Exam: 75% of study places
Certificate-based selection (Finnish Matriculation Examination, IB, EB, RP/DIA): 25% of study places
Please bear in mind that the instructions below are tailored for the joint application round of January 2025. The instructions are always updated before each application round.
OPTION 1 – CERTIFICATE-BASED SELECTION (Finnish Matriculation Examination, IB, EB, RP/DIA)
It’s possible to be selected through certificate-based student selection if you have:
- A minimum grade C in advanced English (degree programmes in the field of business and engineering)
- A minimum grade C in advanced English and basic syllabus grade C or advanced syllabus grade A in Mathematics (degree programmes in the field of engineering)
If you have one of the above, then all you need to do is to apply during the application round via Studyinfo.fi (fill in your personal details and attach required certificates).
More information concerning can be found here – INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM – CERTIFICATE-BASED SELECTION
OPTION 2 – INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM
Applicants can be admitted if they:
- submit a valid application
- attach required eligibility documents (high school diploma or other from the list of accepted diplomas)
- attach a valid passport or ID card
- attach required language certificate
- pass the entrance exam
Eligibility criteria
For this specific application round, the following education will give applicants eligibility to apply for Bachelor´s programmes:
- the studies required for graduating from the Finnish upper secondary school or a Matriculation Examination;
- an International Baccalaureate (IB) degree;
- a European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma;
- a Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsche Internationale Abitur (DIA) degree;
- a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification covering 120 credits or 180 competence points or a corresponding earlier Finnish vocational degree covering at least 80 credits;
- a Finnish post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma;
- a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification or a further or specialist vocational qualification as a competence-based qualification, or a comparable previous qualification;
- a foreign qualification that provides eligibility for higher education studies in the country in question*;
- Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree.
Please notice, that eligibilities are going to be checked during and after the entrance examination and therefore it is possible for an applicant to take part in the online entrance exam even if she/he is not eligible to apply for higher education at Centria UAS. However, only eligible applicants can be accepted as new students.
Filling the application
Applicants start the application process by filling in an online application form during the application period at Studyinfo.fi. The application is publicly accessible to everyone via the internet, and the admission process follows predefined admissions criteria. Therefore, no stakeholders outside the institution can have influence over the selection process itself. When filling the application form, applicants are advised to double-check if the given postal address is up to date and the given email address is functional.
A functional email address is particularly important in order to be able to be contacted later on with decisions and further guidelines. The email address provided in the application form will be taken as the official channel of communication and will not be changed later in the process. Once the application has successfully been registered, including required attachments, applicants receive an application number. If an application number is received, applicants do not have to contact Centria´s Admissions office to confirm that the application has arrived.
The deadline for filling in the application and submitting it is 22 January 2025 at 3 pm Finnish time (UTC +2). When you are submitting your application, you need to attach the required documents:
- eligibility documents (high school diploma or other from the list of diplomas mentioned in the eligibility section above)
- passport or ID card
- language certificate (one from the list of accepted English language certificates mentioned below)
After submitting the application, applicants are still able to make changes in the application or attach additional documents to it. The deadline for making changes and submitting attachments is 29 January 2025 at 3 pm Finnish time.
Identification documents
A valid identification document needs to be attached to the application submitted at Studyinfo.fi. The following documents are accepted as proof of identity:
- Passport (preferred option)
- The passport can be either biometric or non-biometric
- If you have a passport, use it, as valid passports are always accepted as proof of identity
- Passports from all countries are accepted as proof of identity
- Biometric EU/EEA identity card
- If you do not have a passport but you have a biometric identity card from an EU/EEA country, it is accepted as proof of identity
- The EU/EEA identity card must have a biometric symbol, as shown below
No other forms of identification documents are accepted. For example, residence permit cards or non-biometric EU/EEA identity cards will not be accepted.
You must be identifiable from the photo on your passport or identity card. Note this especially if it has been a long time since the passport or identity card was issued.
The passport/identity card has to be valid until 20 March 2025.
Please, check the complete guidelines concerning the acceptable ID documents here – INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM – ID DOCUMENTS.
Language requirements
The applicants have to prove their English language skills either by an internationally recognized language test or previous studies. A valid language certificate needs to be attached to the application submitted at Studyinfo.fi.
English language skills can be proved by the following documents:
- 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)
- TELC (The European Language Certificate) English B2-C1 university qualification, completed on or after 1 October 2021: minimum of B2 level (Test sections: Listening/Reading/Language Elements, Writing and Speaking)
- Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test), completed on or after 1 July 2023: a minimum total score of 6.0 (Test sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, 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, or a doctoral thesis completed in English in any country. Please note that your degree must be taught and assessed entirely in English**.
- Upper secondary degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States. Please note that your degree must be taught and assessed entirely in English**.
- One of the following grades in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, European Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, or Reifeprüfung/DIA completed in Finland:
- Finnish Matriculation Examination: English advanced syllabus with a minimum grade C
- The whole International Baccalaureate diploma completed in English
- DP Course Results or IB certificate completed in English (at least six subject groups)
- International Baccalaureate final examination: English A HL/SL or English B HL/SL with a minimum grade 4
- European Baccalaureate: at least grade 6.00 in L2-level English
- Reifeprüfung/DIA diploma completed in Finland: at least grade 7 in advanced English
- Applicants graduating in spring 2025:
- If an applicant graduates in spring 2025 and it is not possible to obtain a required proof of English language skills (mentioned in point five or Finnish vocational basic qualification conducted in English) during the application period, they can still be invited to the International UAS exam. The final required proof of English language skills must be submitted by 10 July at 15.00 Finnish time. The possible student selection is conditional until the certificates are verified. If the language requirement is not met, the selection will be revoked. The exception applies to those completing the following degrees and graduating in spring 2025:
- Finnish matriculation examination
- International Baccalaureate
- European Baccalaureate
- Reifeprüfung/DIA completed in Finland
- Finnish vocational basic qualification conducted in English
- If an applicant graduates in spring 2025 and it is not possible to obtain a required proof of English language skills (mentioned in point five or Finnish vocational basic qualification conducted in English) during the application period, they can still be invited to the International UAS exam. The final required proof of English language skills must be submitted by 10 July at 15.00 Finnish time. The possible student selection is conditional until the certificates are verified. If the language requirement is not met, the selection will be revoked. The exception applies to those completing the following degrees and graduating in spring 2025:
* IELTS Academic UKVI, IELTS Online, PTE Academic Online, PTE Academic UKVI and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are also accepted.
**The language of instruction must be clearly stated on official documents. You can also document this by submitting a certificate/letter from your university in addition to your official study documentation.
More details and updated list can be found here – INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM – LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS.
Selection criteria
Applicants are selected based on their performance in the International UAS Exam.
International University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Exam
International UAS Exam is a joint digital entrance exam of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), used for selecting students to English-conducted study programmes leading to a Bachelor’s degree. The entrance examination assesses the applicants’ abilities to study at UAS. The entrance examination does not contain any pre-reading materials or pre-tasks. Regardless of how many study programs you’re applying for, you only need to participate in the International UAS Exam once.
The International UAS Exam is organized on 1 April 2025 from 12 am onwards (Finnish time, UTC/GMT+3).
Every applicant must submit a document of the English language skills and a valid identification document on the Studyinfo’s application form in order to be invited for the pre-identification and the UAS exam itself. Please check the approved required documents at INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM page.
Please note, the UASinfo.fi-website is being heavily updated during December 2024.
Pre-identification
Before the exam, you have to perform the pre-identification in the Candour ID mobile application by 20 March 2025 at 15:00 Finnish time (UTC/GMT+2). You will receive an invitation to the pre-identification to the email address provided on your Studyinfo application form on 18 March 2025. The email will be sent only once so please make sure that you have space in your inbox. If necessary, also check your spam and other folders.
Only those applicants who have submitted an acceptable proof of English language skills, an approved identification document via the Studyinfo application form, and paid the application fee (if required) by the deadline will be invited to the pre-identification.
The pre-identification has to be performed on 20 March 2025 at 15:00 Finnish time (UTC/GMT+2) at the latest. If you do not perform the pre-identification within the given timetable, you cannot be invited to the International UAS exam, and you cannot proceed in the exam selection process.
Before starting the pre-identification, download the Candour ID application to your mobile phone. If you already have the application installed, make sure it is updated to the latest version. During the pre-identification process, follow the instructions provided by the Candour ID application. Please note that the pre-identification process varies slightly depending on your phone type and the identification document you are using.
Step-by-step guide concerning the pre-identification process in the Candour ID application can be found here – INTERNATIONAL UAS EXAM – PRE-IDENTIFICATION INSTRUCTIONS.
ADMISSION RESULTS
The results for the first Joint application in spring 2025 will be published by 16th of April (International UAS Exam). All accepted applicants will be informed about their admission by e-mail. It is essential to apply with a valid email address so the results are will reach the applicants. Results can also be viewed in Oma Opintopolku service. After being admitted, in order to be able to start their studies, applicants still have to accept the study place by logging into Studyinfo.fi and accepting the offered study place. The deadline for accepting the offered study place is 10 July 2025, 3 pm Finnish time. If applicants have problems using the Internet and accessing the Studyinfo.fi, a pdf form can be provided by the Admissions office. By accepting the study place (and paying the tuition fee if required), applicants also register themselves as a present for the first academic year. If applicants wish to register as absent, they have to check the Enrolment section of Centria’s website to see if they are eligible to apply for such status and consult it further with the Admissions office.
In case an applicant believes a mistake has been made in student selection, they may file a claim for adjustment after the publication of the student selection results.
Claims for adjustment have to be filed within 14 days after the publication of results. Appeal based on personal circumstances will not be considered as valid reason for appeal. Student admission decision can be changed only in those cases where it is clearly shown that the UAS has not followed the student admission criteria. Therefore, the claim of adjustment must be well-grounded and it should contain accurate information on where the UAS has not followed the criteria.
Claim for adjustment can be delivered via email to admissions@centria.fi or by post
Admissions Office
Centria University of Applied Sciences
Talonpojankatu 2
67100 Kokkola
FINLAND
Admissions Services
If you have further questions do not hesitate to contact Centria’s Admissions office. If you are contacting the Admissions office and you already have an application number, please state it in your email to ease the recognition process.