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Metropolia offers a wide range of study opportunities and competence development paths for immigrants. You can strengthen your Finnish language skills, prepare for higher education studies, update your professional expertise or complete additional studies to qualify for regulated professions in Finland. There are also flexible Open UAS options and services that support your career planning, job search and integration into Finnish society.

Finnish language and preparatory studies

Business and administration

  • Career Boost in Business Accounting

    Career boost for business accounting is suitable for professionals who wish to update their knowledge and learn about their field in Finland.
    Studies

Health and social care – qualification and top-up studies

Qualification training and top-up degree programmes both help internationally educated professionals continue their careers in Finland, but they serve slightly different purposes.

Qualification training is aimed at professionals who have completed their degree outside the EU/EEA and have been given an individual requirement for additional studies by the Finnish Supervisory Authority (e.g. Valvira). The studies are mainly in Finnish and are completed according to a personal study plan so that you can obtain the right to practise your profession in Finland.

Top-up degree programmes are English‑language Bachelor’s degree programmes for applicants who already have a suitable prior qualification. In a top‑up programme you complete the remaining studies needed for a Finnish Bachelor’s degree and graduate as, for example, a nurse or physiotherapist in Finland.

Qualification training (in Finnish)

Top-up degree programmes (in English)

  • Nursing Top-Up Degree

    Nursing top-up degree is aimed for those who have prior education in the field of Nursing. Studies take 1,5 - 2 years.
    Studies

  • Physiotherapy top-up degree

    The Physiotherapy top-up degree consists of 1-2 years of studies based on recognition of prior physiotherapy studies, minimum of 3 three years.
    Studies

Open UAS studies

Open University of Applied Sciences (Open UAS) at Metropolia offers flexible higher education studies for different goals and life situations. You can:
- take individual Open UAS courses to learn something new, update your professional skills and study online or on campus alongside work or other commitments
- complete Diplomas of Higher Education (60 ECTS) and study modules (10–30 ECTS) – ready-made packages designed with labour market needs in mind, giving you higher education level competence without committing to a full degree
- start as a path student, studying the first-year degree studies (Bachelor 30–60 ECTS, Master 15–30 ECTS) together with degree students and later apply for a full study right via Metropolia’s separate application based on Open UAS studies.

Open UAS is suitable if you want to boost your career, test studies in a new field, study purposefully during a gap year or prepare for later degree studies – without immediately applying through the regular joint application.

Metropolia’s degree programmes

In addition to the study opportunities presented on this page, Metropolia offers a wide range of degree programmes in different fields.

  • Bachelor's Degrees conducted in English

    Our focus is on student whose learning we support. Motivational learning environment inspires students to learn and innovate new things.

  • Master's Degrees

    Master's studies have high quality, pragmatic study contents. We teach what we have proven best in your industries.

Bilingual degree programmes at Metropolia

At Metropolia, we also offer bilingual degree programmes in which studies in the Finnish language are integrated into the subject-specific curriculum. Students start learning and using Finnish from the very beginning of their studies, in parallel with their professional courses, with the goal of achieving sufficient Finnish language skills to work in Finnish working life.

For example, bilingual degree programmes have already produced graduates in nursing who have learned Finnish as part of their studies and found employment in the Finnish labour market. This model aims to address labour shortages and to strengthen international students’ opportunities to stay in Finland after graduation.

The degree programmes currently implemented in a bilingual model are:

Services and options for Ukrainians

  • For Ukrainian refugees

    In response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine, universities and The Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland offer services and study opportunities for Ukrainians.

Study options and ways to further develop your skills

Below you will find different options if you want to study in Finland, update your skills or move towards higher education studies. Here you can find information about both full degree studies and individual courses.

How can I complete a degree in a Finnish educational institution?

Information about studying, available degrees and how to apply

In the Studyinfo (Opintopolku) portal, maintained by the Finnish National Agency for Education, you can find information about your study options, how to apply for studies, and studying in different institutions in Finland.
If you have moved to Finland recently, please also have a look at International House Helsinki’s Newcomers’ Guide.

Recognition and accreditation of prior learning (AHOT)

If you are studying at a higher education institution in Finland, you can apply for recognition and accreditation of your prior learning, regardless of where or how you have acquired it, as long as it corresponds to the learning outcomes of your degree programme.

This can mean, for example:

  • credits from previously completed studies being accepted as part of your degree
  • recognising competence gained through work or other experience

The higher education institution where you are completing your degree is responsible for AHOT. The aim is to support continuous learning and to ensure that you do not have to study again what you already know.

Please note that higher education institutions do not make binding decisions on credit transfer in advance. Decisions are made only after you have been offered a study place and have started your studies. Career and guidance services also cannot promise in advance which courses will be accredited for you.

Preparatory education for higher education studies for immigrants

At Metropolia, you can study in preparatory education for higher education studies designed for immigrants.

  • The education is offered in different fields and as multidisciplinary programmes.
  • The studies strengthen your study skills and introduce you to the field you are interested in.
  • At the same time, you develop the professional Finnish language skills needed to study in the field.
  • The language of instruction is Finnish, and the minimum entry requirement is Finnish language proficiency at level B1.

Other higher education institutions also offer similar preparatory programmes. More information is available on each institution’s website and in the Studyinfo (Opintopolku) service.

How can I complete individual courses? What is an open university of applied sciences / open university?

Open higher education – study individual courses flexibly

Open studies at universities of applied sciences and universities are usually open to everyone, regardless of background (educational background, work experience, age). The typical languages of instruction are Finnish, Swedish or English.

  • Open higher education studies are often subject to a fee.
  • At Metropolia, the fees for open UAS (AMK) studies have been 0–45 € per credit.

Read more about Metropolia’s Open UAS studies.

Information on open UAS or open university studies is available on each higher education institution’s own website. Please note that each institution has its own enrolment and payment practices. You can also search for open studies offered by different higher education institutions in the national Opin.fi service, which brings together open study offerings from many institutions across Finland.

More information about open higher education studies

Studyinfo (Opintopolku): Open studies
National Opin.fi service – open studies from higher education institutions across Finland

Also see the Frequently Asked Questions section on Metropolia’s Services for immigrants page.

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