Language skills requirements in Uniarts Helsinki: Demonstrating your language skills in Finnish
Finnish language requirements for the 2027 admissions at the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Studies at the University of the Arts (Uniarts) Helsinki require sufficient proficiency in Finnish, Swedish, and/or English. To be admitted as a degree student, you must be proficient in the language of instruction used in the degree programme you are applying to. You must demonstrate your skills with a successfully completed language proficiency test, your previous qualifications, or with other prior studies. If the degree programme is offered in multiple languages, you are only required to demonstrate your skills in the language in which you intend to complete your degree.
The programme-specific admissions guides indicate whether you must meet language skills requirement A or B. Please check the admissions guide for the programme you are applying to in order to determine which language skills requirement applies to you. The application instructions can be found on our website at: https://www.uniarts.fi/en/admissions-guides/.
The language requirements for Swedish and English can be found on a separate page. Read more about how to demonstrate your language skills in Swedish or English:
Language skills requirement A
Demonstrating language skills with prior studies
If you demonstrate your language skills with prior studies, the language of instruction must be clearly stated in the degree certificate, its appendix, the transcript of records, or another official document issued by the institution in question. If the documents are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English, you must include an official translation of the documents.
You can demonstrate your Finnish skills in one of the following ways:
1) A school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education completed in Finnish (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
2) A passing grade for the Finnish language and literature syllabus or for the Finnish as a second language and literature syllabus as part of the subject of mother tongue and literature on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
3) A passing grade for the mother‑tongue‑level syllabus in Finnish on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education completed in Swedish (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
4) Matriculation examination completed in Finnish
You can demonstrate your language skills in the following ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination:
- A minimum grade of approbatur (A) in the mother tongue and literature test in Finnish or in the Finnish as a second language and literature test completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
- A minimum grade of eximia cum laude approbatur (E) in the Finnish as a second language test of the advanced syllabus level completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
- A grade of laudatur (L) in the Finnish as a second language test of the intermediate syllabus level completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
5) Initial vocational qualification completed in Finnish
6) Further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification completed in Finnish
7) Other qualification that gives eligibility for higher education and that has been completed in Finnish
8) A degree from a higher education institution with Finnish as the language of instruction
You can demonstrate your language skills in the following ways also without completing the whole degree at a higher education institution:
- A written final project completed in Finnish at a Finnish or foreign higher education institution for a degree, with the bachelor’s degree being the minimum degree level
- A study module comprising a minimum of 60 ETCS cr / 35 cu according to the old Finnish credit system in the subject of Finnish language (or a corresponding subject) completed at a Finnish or foreign higher education institution
- An approved maturity test completed in Finnish at a Finnish higher education institution
- A language proficiency test in Finnish completed as part of a degree at a Finnish higher education institution or language studies that demonstrate oral and written skills in Finnish (as a second national language), with a minimum grade of good
9) International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma:
- Minimum grade of 2 for A-level, A1-level, or A2-level Finnish; or
- Minimum grade of 3 for B-level Finnish
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
10) European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma:
- Passing grade in Finnish as the L1 or L2 language (minimum grade of 4.00 completed in or before 2020, or minimum grade of 5.00 completed in or after 2021)
- Minimum grade of 8.00 in Finnish as the ONL language
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
11) Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) Diploma awarded by Deutsche Schule Helsinki:
- Passing grade (minimum grade of 4) for the written Finnish as a mother tongue test; or
- Minimum grade of 5 for Finnish as a second language on the CEFR level B2
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
12) A successfully completed special qualification in accordance with section 23 of the Basic Education Decree (852/1998), in which you have demonstrated that your knowledge and skills correspond to the knowledge and skills given by the comprehensive education syllabus either in the subject Finnish language and literature or Finnish as a second language and literature
13) A passing grade for studies completed in Finnish (in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018)) corresponding to the mother tongue and literature syllabus on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education somewhere else than in Finland. If correspondence with the mother tongue syllabus is not indicated on the school-leaving certificate, it must be stated in other documents provided by the school.
Demonstrating language skills with a language test
14) National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) in Finnish awarded by the Finnish National Agency for Education:
- A proficiency level of 3 attained for all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) of a test completed at the intermediate level
- Alternatively, a minimum of three subtests passed for a test completed at the advanced level (proficiency levels 5 and 6)
- Results from different test occasions may be used
15) The skill level satisfactory for the oral skills test and the written skills test completed in Finnish for a Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate (VKT)
16) A combination of a National Certificate of Language Proficiency and a Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate:
- A proficiency level of 3 attained for the reading comprehension and writing subtests of the National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI test and the grade satisfactory attained in the oral skills test of the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate test; or
- A proficiency level of 3 attained for the listening comprehension and speaking subtests of the National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI test and the grade satisfactory attained in the written skills test of the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate test
Language skills requirement B
Demonstrating language skills with prior studies
If you demonstrate your language skills with prior studies, the language of instruction must be clearly stated in the degree certificate, its appendix, the transcript of records, or another official document issued by the institution in question. If the documents are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English, you must include an official translation of the documents.
You can demonstrate your Finnish skills in one of the following ways:
1) A school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education completed in Finnish (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
2) A passing grade for the Finnish language and literature syllabus or for the Finnish as a second language and literature syllabus as part of the subject of mother tongue and literature on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
3) A passing grade for the mother‑tongue‑level syllabus in Finnish on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education completed in Swedish (studies in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018))
4) Matriculation examination completed in Finnish
You can demonstrate your language skills in the following ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination:
- A minimum grade of approbatur (A) in the mother tongue and literature test in Finnish or in the Finnish as a second language and literature test completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
- A minimum grade of eximia cum laude approbatur (E) in the Finnish as a second language test of the advanced syllabus level completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
- A grade of laudatur (L) in the Finnish as a second language test of the intermediate syllabus level completed as part of the Finnish matriculation examination
5) Initial vocational qualification completed in Finnish
6) Further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification completed in Finnish
7) Other qualification that gives eligibility for higher education and that has been completed in Finnish
8) A degree from a higher education institution with Finnish as the language of instruction
You can demonstrate your language skills in the following ways also without completing the whole degree at a higher education institution:
- A written final project completed in Finnish at a Finnish or foreign higher education institution for a degree, with the bachelor’s degree being the minimum degree level
- A study module comprising a minimum of 60 ETCS cr / 35 cu according to the old Finnish credit system in the subject of Finnish language (or a corresponding subject) completed at a Finnish or foreign higher education institution
- An approved maturity test completed in Finnish at a Finnish higher education institution
- A language proficiency test in Finnish completed as part of a degree at a Finnish higher education institution or language studies that demonstrate oral and written skills in Finnish (as a second national language), with a minimum grade of good
9) International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma:
- Minimum grade of 2 for A-level, A1-level, or A2-level Finnish; or
- Minimum grade of 5 for B-level Finnish
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
10) European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma:
- Passing grade in Finnish as the L1 or L2 language (minimum grade of 4.00 completed in or before 2020, or minimum grade of 5.00 completed in or after 2021)
- Minimum grade of 8.00 in Finnish as the ONL language
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
11) Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) Diploma awarded by Deutsche Schule Helsinki:
- Passing grade (minimum grade of 4) for the written Finnish as a mother tongue test; or
- Minimum grade of 8 for Finnish as a second language on the CEFR level B2
- You can demonstrate your language skills in the above-mentioned ways also without completing the whole matriculation examination
12) A successfully completed special qualification in accordance with section 23 of the Basic Education Decree (852/1998), in which you have demonstrated that your knowledge and skills correspond to the knowledge and skills given by the comprehensive education syllabus either in the subject Finnish language and literature or Finnish as a second language and literature
13) A passing grade for studies completed in Finnish (in accordance with the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (629/1998; 714/2018)) corresponding to the mother tongue and literature syllabus on a school-leaving certificate issued for comprehensive education or for general upper secondary education somewhere else than in Finland. If correspondence with the mother tongue syllabus is not indicated on the school-leaving certificate, it must be stated in other documents provided by the school.
Demonstrating language skills with a language test
14) National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) in Finnish awarded by the Finnish National Agency for Education:
- A proficiency level of 4 attained for all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) of a test completed at the intermediate level
- Alternatively, a minimum of three subtests passed for a test completed at the advanced level (proficiency levels 5 and 6)
- Results from different test occasions may be used
15) The skill level good for the oral skills test and the written skills test completed in Finnish for a Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate (VKT)
16) A combination of a National Certificate of Language Proficiency and a Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate:
- A proficiency level of 4 attained for the reading comprehension and writing subtests of the National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI test and the grade good attained in the oral skills test of the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate test; or
- A proficiency level of 4 attained for the listening comprehension and speaking subtests of the National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI test and the grade good attained in the written skills test of the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate test