Tuition fees and other costs
On this page, you will find information on tuition fees, the cost of materials, and prices, as well as details of whom these fees apply to.
Tuition fees at Helsinki Vocational College (Stadin AO)
A student of compulsory school age
If you are a permanent resident in Finland aged 18 or under, you are of compulsory school age.
Education is free of charge for people of compulsory school age, meaning that these students are not required to pay any tuition fees.
Free education for students of compulsory school age includes both tuition and the materials required for their studies, such as textbooks, workwear and equipment.
The right to free education continues until the end of the year in which the student turns 20 or completes their initial vocational qualification.
Who is required to attend compulsory education?
Compulsory education applies to all permanent residents of Finland under the age of 18. Education is free in Finland for young people of compulsory school age. A child under the age of 18 who has come to Finland with their family or guardian is subject to compulsory education in Finland once they have been registered as a resident of a municipality in Finland. They are therefore not required to pay school fees. The grounds on which a family reunification residence permit is granted are irrelevant.
Compulsory education ends when the person of compulsory school age turns 18 or when they have completed an upper secondary level qualification before this.
Please note
Minors from third countries who come to Finland to study are not subject to compulsory education. They are not entitled to free education.
An EU/EEA citizen who is not of compulsory education age
Education is free of charge for citizens of EU/EEA countries, meaning that students are not required to pay tuition fees; however, students must still purchase various study materials and supplies at their own expense, depending on their study programme.
Study programme specific guidelines on purchasing study materials are provided to students before the start of their studies or at the very beginning of their studies.
Students from outside the EU/EEA
If you start your studies on or after 1 August 2026 and are a national of a country outside the EU/EEA, you may have to pay tuition fees for vocational education and training.
For people already living in Finland, the grounds for their residence permit affect the tuition fee. Helsinki Vocational College checks the grounds for an applicant’s residence permit with the Finnish Immigration Service if the applicant is a national of a third country, i.e. a country outside the EU/EEA.
You must pay the tuition fee if:
- you are moving to Finland to study
- you have a residence permit (B or A) granted on the basis of studies
- your first residence permit in Finland was granted on the basis of studies
- you have obtained your residence permit on the basis of a family member’s studies.
The tuition fee must be paid before the start of the studies. The tuition fee applies to education and training provided in all languages.
You do not have to pay the tuition fee if:
- you are of the Finnish compulsory education age
- you have a permanent residence permit (P or P-EU)
- you have been granted international or temporary protection
- you are in Finland on an apprenticeship programme as part of vocational education and training, and you hold a residence permit granted on the basis of your employment
- you are an exchange student and are studying in Finland for up to one year
- you are a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Tuition fees for qualifications from 1 August 2026 onwards.
Please note that most of the Stadin AO qualifications are taught in Finnish. Only Initial Vocational Qualification in Tourism Industry and Initial Vocational Qualification in Restaurant and Catering Services are available in English.
| Helsinki Vocational College, qualification | Tuition fee, EUR per year Valid from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in the Motor Vehicles Sector | 11,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in the Motor Vehicles Sector | 15,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational qualification in Food Production, excluding the dairy sector | 15,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Special Diet Services | 19,800.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Stage and Theatre Technology | 13,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Performance and Theatre Technology (apprenticeship training) | 13,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational qualification in Dental Technology | 14,600.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Massage | 11,900.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Hairdressing and Beauty Care | 19,800.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Hairdressing and Beauty Care | 16,000.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Patient Immobilisation Treatment | 11,900.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Leadership and Business Management (apprenticeship training) | 25,400.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Education and Guidance | 11,900.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Education and Guidance | 14,600.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in the Transport Sector | 11,000.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Laboratory Technology | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in the Bakery Sector | 11,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in the Bakery Sector | 11,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Business (qualification units) | 7,900.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Logistics, transport service competence area | 22,700.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Logistics, other than transport service competence area | 16,000.00 |
| Initial Vocational qualification in Natural and Environmental Protection | 15,000.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in First-Level Management | 25,400.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Pharmaceutics | 14,600.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Land Surveying | 16,100.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in First-Level Management in the Hospitality and Catering Sector | 19,800.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Tourism Industry (available in English) | 16,000.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Media (apprenticeship training) | 13,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Media and Visual Expression | 14,400.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Mental Health and Intoxicant Abuse Welfare Work | 11,900.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Surface Treatment Technology | 15,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in the Process Industry | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Cleaning and Property Services (apprenticeship) | 19,800.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Cleaning and Property Services | 16,000.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in the Wood Industry | 15,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Construction, excavation machinery | 16,100.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Construction, other than excavation | 15,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Restaurant and Catering Services (available in English) | 16,000.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Restaurant Customer Service | 19,800.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Food Services | 19,800.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Social and Health Care | 14,600.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Electrical Engineering and Automation Technology | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Arts and Design | 13,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Arts and Design | 13,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Arts and Design | 14,400.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Building Construction | 11,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Building Maintenance Technology | 15,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Technical Design | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in the Textiles and Fashion Industry (apprenticeship training) | 11,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in the Textiles and Fashion Industry | 11,500.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in the Textiles and Fashion Industry | 15,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Health Care | 11,900.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Information and Communications Technology | 12,400.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Production Technology | 11,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Production Technology | 11,500.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Product Development | 11,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in the Security Sector (apprenticeship training) | 19,800.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in the Security Sector | 19,800.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in the Security Sector | 16,000.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Care for the Elderly | 11,900.00 |
| Initial Vocational Qualification in Equipment Maintenance | 14,600.00 |
| Specialist Vocational Qualification in Sustainability and Environmental Technology (apprenticeship training) | 11,500.00 |
| Further Vocational Qualification in Entrepreneurship | 25,400.00 |
The tuition fee for the first year is determined in accordance with the price list in force on the date of the start of studies. Payments for subsequent years will always be determined in accordance with the price list in force at the time.
Tuition fees for partial qualifications are based on the tuition fee for the relevant qualification and the duration of the programme agreed in the personal competence development plan. The tuition fee is then divided by twelve, and the resulting figure is multiplied by the number of months agreed for the completion of the partial qualification.
For qualifications for which no organiser-specific cost data is available from the City of Helsinki, the tuition fee is determined based on the national average prices set out in a report issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education and Helsinki Vocational College’s estimate of organisational costs.
The City of Helsinki Education Committee delegates the authority to set tuition fees to the head principal of Helsinki Vocational College in cases where no provider-specific cost data is available for the City of Helsinki.
Amount of payment
The price lists for tuition fees are updated annually.
Tuition fees are invoiced for one year in advance, starting from the date on which studies start, in accordance with the price list for that year.
At Helsinki Vocational College, tuition fees are determined on a qualification-by-qualification basis in accordance with the current price list.
Making a payment
The fee for the first year of studies will be invoiced in a single instalment once you have accepted your study place.
Fees for the following years will be invoiced before the start of the new school year.
The term of payment for the tuition fee is 14 days from the date of the invoice. The invoice must be paid by the due date.
If the payment has not been received by the education provider by the day on which the student’s school year begins, the school will initiate the process of deeming the student to have discontinued their studies (section 97 of the Act on Vocational Education and Training, section 24 of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education).
Returns and refunds policy
The tuition fee will be returned in full if a student is unable to start their studies because they have been refused a residence permit. In this case, the school considers the student to have discontinued their studies (section 97 of the Act on Vocational Education and Training, section 24 of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education). Tuition fees that have been paid will not be returned if a student is deemed to have discontinued their studies for reasons other than a negative decision on their residence permit application.
The tuition fee will also be returned in full if a student is exempted from the obligation to pay tuition fees before the start of their first school year. Students must contact the school in good time and provide evidence of their exemption from the tuition fee, for example by presenting their residence permit card.
The tuition fee will be partially refunded if a student is exempted from the obligation to pay tuition fees or graduates during the school year. In this case, the fee will be refunded from the start of the next full calendar month, calculated as follows: (the amount of the tuition fee (EUR) / 12) x the number of full calendar months remaining in the school year.
The tuition fee will be partially credited against the following year’s tuition fee if a student temporarily suspends their right to study on the grounds specified in section 96 of the Act on Vocational Education and Training or section 23 of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education. The refund will be granted in proportion to the duration of the suspension, starting from the first full calendar month of the suspension. The amount of the refund is calculated using the following formula: (annual tuition fee (EUR) / 12) × the number of full calendar months remaining in the school year. The refund will be deducted from the tuition fees for the coming school year.
If the next school year starts whilst the student’s right to study has been temporarily suspended (section 23 of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education, section 96 of the Act on Vocational Education and Training), the fee for the following school year will be charged before the suspension ends. Any refunds for periods of suspension are taken into account in the tuition fee. The tuition fee must be paid in order to take part in the courses.
If the next school year starts during the student’s temporary suspension, the fees for the following school year will be charged before the end of the suspension period. Any refunds will be taken into account when calculating the tuition fee. The tuition fee must be paid in order to take part in the courses.
If you have not yet started your studies, the refund will be paid into the same account from which the tuition fee was paid.
If the course has already started, the refund will be paid into the account specified by the student.
Learn more:
On the Finnish Immigration Service’s website: Further information on student residence permits
On the Ministry of Education and Culture’s website: Questions and answers about tuition fees