Apply to degree studies in Early Music (Bachelor + Master)
First joint application to higher education, spring 2026. Admissions schedule, required certificates and advance assignments as well as information about participating in the entrance examinations.
Degree studies Early Music are a part of the Classical Music Performance programme.
The main instrument in the Early Music programme is one of the following period instruments:
- Wind instrument (Baroque oboe, recorder, or traverso);
- String instrument (Baroque cello, Baroque violin, or viola da gamba);
- Harpsichord; or
- Lute
Admissions schedule 2026
- Application period starts on 7 January 2026 at 8:00 and ends on 21 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time)
- Fill in and send your application in Studyinfo portal
- Submit the required supporting documents and possible advance assignments in Studyinfo portal no later than on 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time)
- If you demonstrate your language proficiency with a language test taken in spring 2026, the test must be completed no later than 2 March 2026
- Submit a certificate of participation in the language test no later than 2 March 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time)
- Submit the final test result that meets the language requirements as soon as possible, but no later than 31 March 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time)
- Sibelius Academy will confirm your eligibility to apply no later than on 6 March 2026
- Sibelius Academy publishes admissions results 27 May 2026
- Confirm your study place no later than on 9 July 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time)
- Officially accept your study place
- Register for the academic year
- If you’re admitted conditionally, submit the required degree certificate
- If you are are required to pay tuition fees, pay your tuition fee
- New students start their studies with an orientation period in August 2026
Note! Programme-specific entrance examination schedules will be published no later than the end of November 2025.
Who can apply?
You are eligible to apply if you meet the degree programme’s educational requirements and have sufficient language skills.
The Sibelius Academy will verify each applicant’s eligibility before the entrance examination.
Students are admitted to the Sibelius Academy based on their performance in the entrance examination. Certificate-based admissions or quotas for first-time applicants are not used.
Required educational background
You are eligible to apply for education leading to both a Bachelor and a Master of Music degree (3 + 2.5 years) if you have completed at least one of the following:
- The Finnish Matriculation Examination
- An International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma
- A European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma at a European School
- A Reifeprüfung or Deutsche Internationale Abitur diploma
- A Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification, a further vocational qualification, or a specialist vocational qualification defined under the Act on Vocational Education and Training (531/2017)
- A foreign degree or qualification that makes you eligible for corresponding higher education in the awarding country
- A Cambridge Advanced International Certificate (AICE)
- A degree at a Finnish higher education institution or a degree abroad corresponding to at least a bachelor’s degree.
In addition, a person who has been granted the right to study in a university in Finland is eligible to apply.
Your educability is also taken into consideration in the admissions process. The new degree must provide you with sufficient new competence. Bachelor’s programmes are intended for applicants who do not already hold a bachelor’s degree in the field in question. If you already have a degree of the equivalent level, we primarily encourage you to apply directly to a master’s programme.
Your eligibility if you graduate after the application deadline
Candidates for the Finnish Matriculation Examination and other applicants who receive their degree certificate in the spring after the application deadline are deemed conditionally eligible to apply. In this case, the decision on your admittance is conditional until you submit a certificate of your completed degree or other studies required for eligibility. Submit the certificate to the Sibelius Academy no later than on 9 July 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time). If you fail to submit the certificate by the given deadline, the study place offered to you will be cancelled.
The Sibelius Academy may, at its discretion, also accept a temporary certificate issued by the educational institution if it indicates that you have completed all studies required for the degree and will without a doubt receive the degree certificate later.
Language requirements
The languages of instruction in the Classical Music Performance programme are Finnish, Swedish, and English. You must demonstrate your language proficiency in one of the above-mentioned languages by the given deadline. However, most of the group instruction at the Sibelius Academy is taught in Finnish or English.
Other exceptions to eligibility
You cannot apply for both the 5.5-year and the 2.5-year programmes in the same main subject or main instrument in the same year. However, if you do submit applications to both, the Sibelius Academy will:
- consider the application for the 2.5-year programme if you are eligible for it; or
- consider the application for the 5.5-year programme if you are not eligible for the 2.5-year programme.
If you have completed a higher education degree at the Sibelius Academy, you cannot reapply to study the same main subject (or, in the case of Classical Music Performance, the same main instrument) from which you graduated.
Student admissions to the bachelor’s and master’s programmes are intended for applicants who do not have a valid right to study at Uniarts Helsinki at the time the new study right begins. Separate instructions are available for applying for a change of study right. More information about the rule of one study right can be found here.
How to apply
Fill in and submit the electronic application form in the Studyinfo portal
Complete the electronic application form during the spring’s 2026 first joint application period, between 7 and 21 January 2026 by 15:00 EET (Finnish time), in the Studyinfo portal. Please note that you do not need to register in the Studyinfo portal before filling in the application form. More information on how to fill in the application form can be found here.
You may only submit one application form during the application period. If you submit multiple applications, only the most recent one will be considered, and all previous applications will be cancelled. The Sibelius Academy will not notify you of cancelled applications.
Upload the required attachments to your application
Submit the required supporting documents to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal as PDF files no later than 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time).
If your certificates are in a language other than Finnish, Swedish, or English, you must also include an official translation in one of these languages. Accepted translations include those made by an authorised translator or an official certificate attachment issued by the institution (such as a Diploma Supplement). Self-made or other unofficial translations will not be accepted.
If you are a refugee, in a refugee-like situation, or an asylum seeker and are unable to provide documentary evidence of your qualifications, you may still be deemed eligible to apply. More information can be found on our website here.
All applicants must submit the following documents:
1) Degree certificate and transcript of records from your prior education
If your degree will be awarded only after the application period has ended, it is sufficient to submit a copy of your degree certificate to the Sibelius Academy no later than 9 July 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time). However, all applicants must submit a transcript of records no later than 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time).
You do not need to submit a certificate of your prior education (degree certificate, transcript of records) if:
- you have completed the Finnish matriculation examination in 1990 or later; or
- you have completed a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification in 2017 or later; or
- you have completed a Finnish further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification in 2018 or later.
In the above cases, your information will be retrieved from the electronic qualification register. The matriculation examination results of Finnish upper secondary school graduates in spring 2026 will also be checked from the register. If necessary, the Sibelius Academy will contact you by email for additional information.
In case of a foreign degree, the Sibelius Academy may request further clarification regarding the status of the degree within the education system of the awarding country.
2) Certificate demonstrating language skills
If you demonstrate your language skills with your prior studies, the degree certificate or its appendix must clearly indicate the language of instruction. The degree used to demonstrate your language skills must be completed no later than 9 July 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time).
If you cannot demonstrate your language skills with your prior studies, you must submit a language test result that meets the Sibelius Academy’s language requirements. The language test must be completed no later than 2 March 2026 to be considered in the spring 2026 admissions. Submit a certificate of participation in the test to the Sibelius Academy no later than 2 March 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time). Submit the final test result that meets the language requirements to the Sibelius Academy as soon as possible, but no later than 31 March 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time).
3) Official proof of identity
Attach a copy of your passport, EU identity card, or Finnish driving license to your application. This document will be used to verify your identity in the parts of the entrance examination conducted remotely or via video recordings.
Applicants who are applying to study in English are also required to submit:
4) A document exempting you from tuition fees
If you are applying to study in English, you will be considered liable to pay the tuition fee until you submit a document exempting you from the fee to the Sibelius Academy. More information on tuition fees can be found here.
Submit any advance assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal
If the programme you are applying to requires advance assignments, this will be indicated separately in the entrance examinations section of this page. Submit the required advance assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal no later than 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time).
Your name and the programme you are applying to must be clearly indicated in the advance assignments.
Advance assignments should be uploaded to the portal as early as possible. Large files may take several hours to upload.
You must follow good scientific and artistic practices. All documents related to the admissions process must be your own work and must not present the ideas, information, words, images, works, or other materials of others without proper citation. Improper use of artificial intelligence may be considered misconduct, and your submission may be rejected.
Advance assignments submitted by email or as email attachments will not be processed. Do not submit any assignments to the Sibelius Academy other than those specifically requested in the admissions guide.
Pay the application fee (if applicable)
Applicants from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland are required to pay an application fee in order to apply to higher education studies. If you are from outside the aforementioned area and are applying for a bachelor’s or master’s degree programme in Finland, you must pay the application fee.
The application fee is 100 euros, and it is collected by the Finnish National Agency for Education.
Paying the application fee ensures that your application will be processed as described in this admission guide. However, paying the fee does not guarantee admissions to studies.
More information on the application fee can be found here.
Taking part in the entrance examinations
You may be invited to the entrance examinations if:
- You have submitted your electronic application and the required attachments to the Studyinfo portal by the given deadline; and
- the Sibelius Academy has deemed you eligible to apply based on the documents you have submitted.
Your eligibility will be assessed based on your application, certificates, possible advance assignments, and other submitted documentation. If your application and its required attachments meet the minimum requirements, it will proceed to academic evaluation.
The implementation of the entrance examinations for each programme is described in the programme’s admissions guide. Entrance examination schedules for different programmes may overlap. If you have applied to multiple programmes, you will need to choose which examination to attend in such cases.
A programme’s entrance examination may consist of several stages, each of which may include multiple sub-tests. If you do not submit all the required entrance examination assignments, fail to successfully complete all compulsory sub-parts included in the examination, or your entrance examination assignments or performances do not meet the requirements, you cannot be admitted as a student.
The Sibelius Academy will send applicants instructions for participating in the entrance examinations along with the entrance examination invitation. Exact times for individual entrance examinations will be confirmed no later than the morning of the examination day. Individual examination times can only be changed for compelling reasons beyond the applicant’s control. Such reasons include the Finnish matriculation examination (or an equivalent event), as well as accidents or sudden illness (a medical certificate is required). In these cases, rescheduling is only possible within the working timetable of the Entrance Examination Board.
The entrance examination is a closed event attended by the applicant, the Entrance Examination Board, and designated assistants (such as an accompanist, a rehearsal choir, a board assistant, or the applicant’s assistant). Entrance examination performances may not be recorded.
If you wish to cancel your participation in the entrance examination, please notify the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office by email as soon as possible.
Individual arrangements in the entrance examination
If you require special arrangements in the entrance examination because of a sensory or physical disability, illness or other corresponding reason, you must apply for individual arrangements by filling in a separate application form.
If you require special arrangements in the entrance examination due to a sensory or physical disability, illness, or another comparable reason, you must apply for the right to individual arrangements by filling in a separate application form.
More information on individual arrangements can be found here.
Early Music entrance examinations
Note! Programme-specific entrance examination information will be published no later than the end of November 2025.
Admissions results
For each degree programme, the Entrance Examination Boards will rank the applicants according to their performance in the entrance examination. The final decision on students admitted to the programmes and those placed on the waiting list is made by the Dean of the Sibelius Academy.
Applicants with the highest scores who meet the admission criteria will be offered a study place. Those ranked next, based on their scores, may be placed on a waiting list should a study place become available later. In Early Music programme all applicants who are placed on the waiting list are placed on the same shared waiting list.
A study place may become available to an applicant on the waiting list only if a selected applicant for the programme (or group) declines the offered study place or a conditionally admitted applicant fails to submit the required certificate by the deadline. If no applicants were placed on the waiting list at the time of the admission decision, it is not possible to place anyone on the waiting list later during the same admission round, even if some admitted applicants do not accept their study place.
If no applicants meet the admission criteria, some programmes may choose not to admit new students. If a degree programme does not admit any new students, no applicants can be placed on a waiting list.
Announcement of results
Admission results will be published on the Uniarts Helsinki website and will include the names of the applicants who have given the permission in their application to have their names published online. In addition, you can view your situation in the Studyinfo portal.
Admitted applicants and those placed on the waiting list are informed of the results by e-mail. Other applicants will not be notified of the results by e-mail.
Feedback
You may request feedback on your entrance examination performance. The feedback provides you with information on how the evaluation criteria stated in the admission criteria were applied in the assessment of your entrance examination. Instructions for requesting feedback will be published on the Uniarts Helsinki website in connection with the publication of the admission decision.
Rectification procedure
If you believe that the Sibelius Academy has acted contrary to its admission criteria, you can request for rectification to the student admission decision from the Sibelius Academy in writing within 14 days of the publication of the admission results.
The purpose of a written request for rectification is to give you the possibility to request for rectification if there is a reason to believe that there has been an error in the decision-making process. The admission decision can be corrected only if the Sibelius Academy has made an error in the selection procedure and the error justifies the correction of the admission decision.
The rectification procedure is not intended as a means for receiving feedback, asking for further information about the admission or requesting unjustified re-evaluation.
More information on the rectification procedure can be found here.
Accepting the offered study place and starting your studies
You must accept your study place no later than on 9 July 2026 at 15:00 EEST (Finnish time). If the confirmation arrives late, it will not be considered.
Accepting an offer of admission is a binding choice, which cannot be changed or cancelled later on. If you want to give up your study place after first accepting it, you are still considered to have accepted the study place for the semester in question (for more information, see ‘one study place per term’ provision).
Tuition fees
Uniarts Helsinki charges an annual tuition fee to students who come from countries outside of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland and are studying for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in a foreign language. At the Sibelius Academy, tuition fees apply to applicants applying to study in English.
More information on tuition fees at Uniarts Helsinki can be found here.
Starting your studies
First-year studies begin in mid-August with an orientation period that is compulsory for all new students. New students are sent more detailed information on the start of their studies attached to their letter of acceptance.
You must register as attending at the Sibelius Academy according to the instructions provided in your letter of acceptance. You can register as absent for the first year of studies only under certain statutory circumstances. Apply for the right to be absent in writing before the end of the registration period. Include documentation supporting your right to be absent with your application. More information on registering as absent for the first year of studies can be found here.
Questions or comments?
You can contact us via e-mail at siba.admissions@uniarts.fi.
If you have any questions, please check first if your question has been already answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Please note that in principle we do not explain the entrance examination assignments. The instructions are in the admissions guide.
If you have any questions regarding student life at the Sibelius Academy or in Helsinki, you can contact our Student Ambassadors at siba.student.ambassadors@uniarts.fi.
The Sibelius Academy Admissions Chat
Thinking of applying to the Sibelius Academy? Save the date and join our interactive Admissions Chat on the Sibelius Academy Instagram Live on Wednesday, 26 November 2025 at 7 PM (Finnish time). You will meet our students and staff, explore our study options, learn how to apply – and get answers to your most important questions in real time.
More info: 👉 https://www.instagram.com/sibeliusacademy/