Tampere universities join national 30‑ECTS study voucher pilot

Tamperelainen reports.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has launched a three‑year pilot issuing an electronic voucher worth 30 ECTS for Finnish- and Swedish‑language open studies at Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences. Eligible applicants are those who completed their first upper secondary qualification after 1 December 2025 and who applied in the spring 2026 joint application but did not receive or accept a study place. The voucher must be activated via the Opin.fi service from 5 August. It is valid for two years after the joint application results are final and can be used to pay for open courses. Studies completed within the open university of applied sciences can later be credited toward a degree.

The pilot follows the government's earlier voucher announcement to give unplaced graduates 30 ECTS of free open‑university and UAS study the government's May voucher announcement.

Jaana Muttonen, development manager at Tampere University, said the voucher will let young people try different academic fields and higher education without financial risk. Katja Komulainen, deputy rector responsible for education at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, said the scheme offers a low‑threshold way to explore UAS studies and build credits that can count toward a future degree.