FAQ: language proficiency

If you are required to take a language test, we strongly recommend that you schedule one at your earliest convenience. The number of test dates and seats is usually quite limited.

Please check the test dates and locations near you by visiting the web page of the test organiser:

• TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, and TOEFL iBT Paper Edition
• IELTS Academic
• PTE Academic
• PTE Academic Online
• Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE)
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE)
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) (Please book the test of the required level)

Whether you are required to take a language test depends on 

1) the programme(s) you are applying to, 

2) the country in which you completed your previous education and its language of tuition. 

For this reason, please check the admission criteria of the programme(s) in question. 

Each applicant, even native speakers of English, must prove their language proficiency in one of the ways described in the programme-specific admission criteria.

Each applicant, even native speakers of English, must prove their proficiency in English in one of the ways described in the programme-specific admission criteria. You can find the admission criteria on each programme's web page.

No waivers to the language requirements are given.

Find your programme

The accepted methods vary depending on the programme. That's why it is important to read the language requirements of each programme on their own page. Language test is not always the only way to prove your language proficiency.

List of programmes

You can prove your English skills with a higher education degree completed or being completed in Finnish or Swedish in a higher education institution in Finland if the degree includes command of English as a foreign language as stipulated by one of the following decrees:

• Valtioneuvoston asetus yliopistojen tutkinnoista (794/2004), i.e., Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004)
• Valtioneuvoston asetus ammattikorkeakouluista (1129/2014), i.e., Government Decree on Universities of Applied Sciences (1129/2014)

The Government Decree must be mentioned in your educational documents issued by the awarding institution. For example: ”Tutkinnon suorittanut on osoittanut yliopistojen tutkinnoista annetun asetuksen (794/2004) mukaisen vieraan kielen taidon englannin kielessä.”

If your degree is still incomplete at the time of application (i.e., you graduate after 8 January 2025), the degree must be the same you use to demonstrate your eligibility for the programme. In this case, we recommend contacting the awarding institution beforehand to check whether your degree will meet the government decree's requirements. 

 For detailed instructions, please see: 

How to prove your English skills