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Universities in Scandinavia With the Lowest Tuition Fees

Sabrina Collier

Updated Mar 15, 2021

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Introduction
Norway
Finland
Denmark
Sweden
Iceland

Universities in Scandinavia With the Lowest Tuition Fees main image

Find out which scholarships you can get to study in the Nordic countries

Scandinavian countries are increasingly popular with international students, with thousands attracted to living and studying there by the region’s strong academic reputation and extremely high quality of life. In fact, the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report, is currently Finland, followed by Denmark.

Unfortunately, studying in such a paradise is expensive, as living costs are very high. Also, tuition in most Nordic countries is only free for EU students, which might put you off if you’re looking to study in Scandinavia and are from outside the EU.

However, there are ways to come and study here without being filthy rich. Here’s our guide to the universities with the lowest tuition fees for international students, allowing you to study at a top Scandinavian university without breaking your budget.

Norway

This one is a bit of a cheat, since all students, regardless of nationality, can study for free at any public university in Norway, at all study levels. You will need to pay a small semester fee, however, which is typically only NOK 300-600 (~US$38-76). Tuition fees may be charged for some specialized postgraduate programs.

Norway’s four entrants in the QS World University Rankings® are all public, with the University of Oslo ranked highest (and consistently in the global top 150). The language of instruction is normally Norwegian, but an increasing number of English-taught programs are available, particularly master’s degrees.

Finland

Until recently, Finland was also free for all students, but it’s now introduced tuition fees for non-EU students. While students from the EU/EEA/Switzerland can study in Finland for free, non-EU students need to pay tuition fees of at least €1,500 per year (~US$1,840). However, most students will pay between €4,000 and €20,000 (approx. US$4,380 – 21,905) depending on their course.

You can find links to the exact non-EU tuition fees for your chosen university and read about the scholarships they have available on this page on the official Study in Finland website.

Some universities in Finland with low tuition fees are:

Aalto University – English-taught bachelor’s degrees cost €12,000 (approx. US$13,030) with master’s programs around €15,000 (approx. US$16,288) per year.
Arcada University – Bachelor’s programs range from €5,000 to €8,500 (approx. US$5,429 to US$9,229) per year, with master’s programs ranging from €10,000 to €11,000 (approx. US$10,858 to US$11,944)
Tampere University – English-taught programs are available at all levels of education, with fees ranging from €6,000 to €12,000 (approx. US$6,515 to US$13,030) per year
University of Eastern Finland – English-taught masters programs fees range from €8,000 to €15,000 (approx. US$8,687 to US$16,288)
University of Helsinki (UH) – Non-EU students pay around €13,000 (approx. US$14,116) per year, but Swedish and Finnish taught programs are free for international students.
University of Oulu – Has 21 programs taught in English, with fees ranging from €10,000 to €13,000 (approx. US$10,858 to US$14,116)
University of Vaasa – Tuition fees range from €10,000 to €12,000 (approx. US$10,858 to US$13,030) per year. The university offers 50-100 percent fee waivers for exceptional students.

There is good news, however. Non-EU PhD students can continue to study in Finland for free. Also, those adept at languages can study in Finnish or Swedish for free at all levels. To get your language skills up to scratch, you might be able to travel to Finland on a short-term visa to take part in a language course before your main studies.

Denmark

Like Finland, free tuition only applies for EU/EEA/Swiss students, so if you’re a non-EU student you’ll pay tuition fees of around €6,000-16,000 per year (approx. US$6,490 – 17,306). The University of Southern Denmark is one of the cheaper Danish universities, with fees of €6,500 (approx. US$7,050) per year for a bachelor’s level business or social sciences degree, or €8,500 (approx. US$9,230) at master’s level. At the University of Copenhagen, Denmark’s highest-ranked university, English-taught master’s degrees start at DKK 40,000 (approx. US$5,820) per year.

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Sweden

EU/EEA/Swiss students can also study in Sweden for free, while non-EU students pay fees around SEK 80,000-140,000 (approx. US$8,171 -14,300) depending on the course. As is typical at most universities around the world, tuition fees for medical degrees are among the most expensive, with the prestigious medical university Karolinska Institute charging from SEK 165,000 (~US$20,600) upwards per year for its programs.

Lund University, the highest-ranked university in Sweden, is comparatively cheaper, with courses such as a BSc in Development Studies or International Business available for 100,000 SEK (approx. US$10,210) per year. Or, you can choose to study at Stockholm University, where non-EU students currently pay fees of 90,000 SEK (approx. US$9,192) per year at the university’s business school for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in addition to an application fee.

Iceland

Not (geographically speaking) part of Scandinavia, but certainly culturally similar, the most affordable way to study in Iceland is by studying at one of the country’s four public universities: the University of Iceland, the Agricultural University of Iceland, Hólar University College and the University of Akureyri. There are no tuition fees for any students at any of these public universities, but you will need to pay an annual registration fee of ISK 75,000 (approx. US$520). If you’re from outside the EU/EEA, you’ll also need to pay a small application fee. Tuition fees are charged at private universities and will be higher for non-EU/EEA students.

This article was first published in January 2018 and most recently updated in June 2020.

Related Categories:

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Nordic countries

Europe

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Written by

Sabrina Collier

The former Assistant Editor of TopUniversities.com, Sabrina wrote and edited articles to guide students from around the world on a wide range of topics. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University and grew up in Staffordshire, UK.