Applying with SAT scores

Applicants of the SAT application can be admitted if they meet eligibility requirements, submit a valid application, attach required documents and language certificates and successfully deliver the SAT scores by the deadline to Centria UAS. SAT-scores must be sent during the application period 1 November 2024 – 15 December 2024.

The next application period for degree programmes conducted in English for applicants who in their past have completed the SAT tests (new version taken after March 2016), will be arranged between 1 November 2024 and 15 December 2024. For applicants who have are accepted in this application round, the studies are set to begin in August 2025. 

This application is not part of the Joint application of Higher Education. For this reason, it is only possible to apply via the Centria / Direct application with SAT results to Bachelor’s degrees / year 2024-2025. The application process takes place at Studyinfo.fi when the application period is ongoing.

This application round is a rolling admission and eligible students will be accepted already during the application round on the first-come first-serve basis until all available places are filled if they submit all the required documents.

The application process is free of charge for all applicants. Applicants can be admitted if they submit a valid application, attach required documents, and meet eligibility requirements.

SAT-scores must be delivered during the application period 1 November 2024 – 15 December 2024. Only applications and SAT scores which have been delivered during the application period are valid.

Eligibility criteria

For this specific direct application round, the following education give applicants eligibility to apply for Bachelor´s programmes:

• the studies required for graduating from the Finnish upper secondary school or a Matriculation Examination
• International Baccalaureate (IB) degree;
• Reifeprüfung or Deutsche Internationale Abitur (DIA) degree completed outside Finland
• European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma
• 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 and Master´s degree

Centria University of Applied Sciences uses discretionary admission, which means that the applicant could be considered eligible even if he/she did not meet the general admission criteria. Discretion may come into question in the following situation:

• The applicant’s (who are not a citizen of an EU/EEA country) final certificate will not be available by the end of the application period, and therefore a photocopy of it cannot be sent by a set date. The applicant can further proceed in the application process if he or she can provide an official temporary certificate or statement of results which is given by the organization awarding degrees (for example in Nigeria or Ghana an official statement of results sent to Centria directly from WAEC or NECO or in Kenya statement of results sent directly from the KNEC). The certificate should also state the scope of the degree and estimated date of graduation.
• If the applicant is a refugee or in a refugee-like situation and formerly obtained qualifications cannot be proven through documentary evidence, Centria can excuse the applicant and he or she can proceed in the application process. In this case, an applicant must prove the refugee status by a decision made by a competent authority and send a copy of the decision (a decision on asylum or a residence permit granted by a need for protection) to the Admissions office by a set date.

Required documents of eligibility

Following page you can find answers to applicants’ most frequently asked questions related to eligibility requirements for the Bachelor Degree Programmes and required study certificates and documents by country.

Filling the application

Applicants start the application process by filling 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 a copy of the education certificate, 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.

One applicant can apply only for ONE programme. Only one application from an applicant will be taken into consideration.

The deadline for filling in the application and submitting it is 15 December 2024, 3 pm Finnish time. After submitting the application, applicants can still make changes to the application until the end of the application period. After that, it is still possible to attach documents to the application, but no other changes are possible. The deadline for submitting attachments is 22 December 2024, 3 pm Finnish time.

Admission criteria

Applicants can apply for all Bachelor programmes except the Nursing programme with the SAT results. Only results from the new SAT test (taken after March 2016) are acceptable.

• Centria UAS requires applicants to score a minimum of 500 points from evidence-based reading and writing and a minimum of 500 points from Mathematics. Essay results are not required.
• Score reports should be ordered electronically by applicants directly from the test center and need to be delivered to Centria UAS by 15 December 2024 at the latest.
• Reports printed or sent by the applicant him/herself are not acceptable.
• Centria´s designated SAT code is 7819.

Language tests

In this SAT application round all applicants are required to submit a proof of their english language skills. English language skills can be proved by the following documents:

1. 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)
2. National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) English: Grade 4 or higher on all the subtests (speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension)
3. 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
4. Upper secondary degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or the United States
5. 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 degree completed in English
   • 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
6. Applicants graduating in spring 2025:
   • If an applicant graduates in spring semester 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 apply through SAT application period. The final required proof of English language skills must be submitted by 10th 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

* IELTS Academic UKVI, IELTS Online, PTE Academic Online, PTE Academic UKVI and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are also accepted.

Admission results

The schedule for announcing the admission results will be published later.

All accepted applicants will be informed about their admission by first-come first-serve basis by e-mail. Acceptance letters will be sent already during the application period. It is essential to apply with a valid email address so the results are will reach the applicants. 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, 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.

Tuition fee payment

Please notice that some applicants are obligated to pay tuition fees. If you are not an EU/EEA- citizen or if you do not have a document that exempts you from paying the tuition fees, you are obliged to pay them.

Please note that Centria UAS uses Flywire to accept payments from international students worldwide. This is the only accepted way to pay the tuition fee. Centria does not approach students with any other payment methods. Please only use the payment link provided in the conditional offer letter.

More information about the tuition fees and scholarships can be found here.

Residence permit

Once a tuition fee is paid, we advise students to immediately start the residence permit process. The precondition for obtaining a residence permit is a letter of acceptance from the university, a tuition fee payment confirmation, a valid health insurance coverage with a reliable and solvent company or institution, as well as a proof of sufficient funds in order to be able to self-support a student life in Finland. Further information can be found on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Degree programmes included in the SAT application

Admissions Services

If you have further questions do not hesitate to contact Centria’s Admissions Services. If you are contacting the Admissions Services and you already have an application number, please state it in your email to ease the recognition process.

Contact information for Admissions Services