New study voucher opens doors to higher education for free for young people without a study place

The objective of this three-year trial, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Culture, is to offer easier access to higher education studies and to help young people find studies that suit them.

The study voucher is an electronic payment method valued at 30 study credits that a young person can use to pay for open Swedish- or Finnish-language studies at universities and universities of applied sciences in Finland. The voucher is available to under 29-year-olds who have completed their first upper secondary studies (matriculation examination or vocational qualification) after 1 December 2025 and applied for studies in the joint application process in spring 2026 but who did not get or did not accept a study place.

Risk-free way to try higher education studies

The study voucher gives young people the opportunity to explore different fields of science and experience higher education studies without any financial risk.

“Open university studies are a great way to see whether the field of study you’ve been aiming for is one you want to pursue in the future. It removes the financial threshold for completing open studies and allows students to keep up their study routine during a gap year. We wish all study voucher recipients a warm welcome to open studies here at Hanken”, says Johanna Lindqvist, manager at Hanken’s Open University.

The voucher is valid for two years after it has been activated and can be spent flexibly at the student’s own pace.

All services in one place: Opin.fi

Activate and use the study voucher through the Opin.fi service. Opin.fi is a joint service for Finnish higher education institutions that brings together the open study offerings from 37 universities and universities of applied sciences in one place. Thousands of courses are available through the service, allowing voucher recipients broad opportunities to try studies from different fields and higher education institutions.

You can check if you are entitled to a study voucher in the Opin.fi service starting from 5 August 2026. Logging in to the service is secure with Suomi.fi e-Identification, and those who are entitled to the study voucher can start using it immediately by activating it.  

Learn more about the courses and how to enrol at Opin.fi: 
Study voucher