International Applicants
Are you interested in studying business in Finland?
This page is for you if you are a non-EU citizen and need a residence permit for your studies. HELBUS is a private business school in Helsinki that offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in business and management in partnership with the University of Northampton in the UK. We welcome applications from suitable candidates around the world.
If you are a Finnish citizen or a citizen of an EU or EEA country, or if you already have a residence permit in Finland for other reasons, please click here for further information.
About the Dual-award programme
In order to be eligible for a residence permit in Finland, all international applicants from non-EU countries apply to the dual-award programme: (1) an official UK degree programme (Bachelor’s or Master’s) conferred by the University of Northampton (UoN) and (2) a Further Vocational Qualification in Entrepreneurship awarded by the Finnish Institute for Enterprise Management (SYO). The studies are delivered fully in English.
Although HELBUS students live and study in Helsinki, Finland, their final degree certificates are awarded by the University of Northampton, in the UK. The vocational Entrepreneurship qualification will be achieved in part through your studies at HELBUS, and in part through online activities organised by SYO, related to the learning outcomes of the Entrepreneurship qualification.
Getting started:
- Choose the programme you are applying for. Read more about the Bachelor’s programme here. If you already have an undergraduate degree, find out more about our MBA here.
- Read the application instructions and start filling in your application.
- For the Bachelor’s degree programme: After your application has been reviewed and you fulfil our requirements, you will be invited to an online interview. In the interview, we will further assess your competencies to study our programme.
For the MBA programme: After your application has been reviewed, it will be sent to the University of Northampton for pre-approval. The University of Northampton will make the final decision regarding your admission. - If your qualifications fulfil our requirements, you will be admitted to the programme. You will receive your Provisional Acceptance Letter and more information about the studies. You will need to decide whether you accept or reject the offer by the date mentioned in your offer letter.
- The New Student Letter will be sent to you and will contain important information about your arrival and the first few weeks of study. We will send you a thorough “Welcome kit to studying in Finland”, which will help you prepare.
- After you have accepted your study place, you will receive the Student Agreement and payment instructions for the first invoice.
- As a condition for residence permits, the first year’s tuition fees must be paid before applying for the residence permit. Please check the fees for the Bachelor’s programme here and the MBA programme here. Please note that there are no scholarships.
- After you have paid your tuition fee, you will receive the Official Acceptance Certificate with which you can apply for a residence permit from Finnish Migration Services Migri. Ensure your passport is valid for the entire duration of the studies and if needed, renew your passport before applying for the residence permit. Our friendly admissions staff will support you throughout the process. It may take several months before your residence permit application is processed. An appointment to visit the Finnish embassy in your country is normally required.
- Please do not make any other financial commitments before receiving your residence permit.
- Please note that HELBUS will only reimburse the tuition fee that you have paid, if the Migri decision on your residence permit application is negative and if you send us evidence of the negative residence permit decision. No refunds for paid tuition fees are given for any other reason. HELBUS will not be responsible for any financial losses that may result from a negative residence permit decision. HELBUS will not reimburse any costs related to the application for a residence permit.
- To find out more about studying in Finland, explore our New Students page.
