Moi! I am George and I look after our Finnish students coming to the University of Essex. Each year we welcome a number of students from Finland to study various courses including Acting, Law, and Liberal Arts, and we are delighted that you are considering joining them. Below you'll find some country-specific information which I hope you will find helpful. Please do get in touch at europe@essex.ac.uk if you have any questions.
George Swain Finland country contact

Entry requirements

Undergraduate

Most of our Undergraduate Bachelor degree courses will consider an MMM average or above in Ylioppilastutkinto/Studentexamensbetyg. If you have achieved M in English we may not require a further English language test.

We also have a range of Foundation Programmes available if you do not meet these grades. Please visit our Pathways Department for details about our undergraduate degrees with a foundation year and the University of Essex International College for other undergraduate and postgraduate pathways.

Some courses have higher entry requirements as well as other admissions criteria. Please see individual courses for more information or email our admissions team admit@essex.ac.uk.

Postgraduate Taught

Many of our Postgraduate Taught Masters will consider applicants with 3/5 or 2/3 from Bachelor degree. Some courses and departments have higher entry requirements as well as other admissions criteria. Please see individual courses for more information or email our admissions team at pgadmit@essex.ac.uk.

We also have a range of Foundation Programmes available through our partner Kaplan International Colleges if you do not meet these grades. Please visit University of Essex International College for further information.

Postgraduate Research 

For entry to Research degrees, please refer to the entry requirements for the degree that you are interested in. 

An undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK 2:2 (see the grade information above), and a master's degree with a good grade is required for most PhD programmes, in addition to a well-developed research proposal in a field in which we can offer supervision. Please have a read through our information for research degree applicants and check the course details for your chosen programme for further information about entry criteria.

Funding your studies

Our Essex Global Talent Scholarship, worth 50% of the first year tuition fee, is available for international undergraduate or master’s students.

International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship offers £2,000 scholarships to students who start at Essex in 2025-2026 and achieve academic excellence in their International Baccalaureate. 

Our Undergraduate EU Scholarship offers £5,000 scholarships to undergraduate students from Finland. Please visit the link for further details about deadlines and eligibility.

Our Master (PGT) EU Scholarship offers up to £5,500 scholarships to master students from Finland. Please visit the link for further details about deadlines and eligibility.

You may be eligible to receive funding from KELA to fund your studies at Essex, both "Opintotuki" and "Opintolaina". Please visit KELA's website for further information.

Please visit our Scholarships pages for full terms and conditions and information about additional funding opportunities.

Our student societies

We’ve got over 100 clubs and societies at Essex, including our friendly Nordic society, where you’ll have the chance to:

  • Meet other Nordic students
  • Share Nordic cultures and languages with other students
  • Make and enjoy Nordic food
  • Partake in society socials

Explore the Nordic society

Meet us in Finland

We do not have any visits planned to your country in the near future.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your country contact named below with any questions.

If you’re applying to East 15 from Finland I can recommend the course for sure. I would tell you that it's probably quite different to the acting courses at universities in Finland because in East 15 there is a real sense of community. In the end it's all about what you take from the course and the people you share your time with. But in East 15 I know that there is a real possibility to learn and to develop as an actress, so the ingredients are there just waiting to be used.
Maarit Hara MA Acting (International)
I was originally studying at the University of Jyväskylä where you can take part in an exchange programme. I chose Essex because it is really near to London and all airports and the courses sounded good and interesting. I wanted to improve my English also during the exchange and Essex seemed the only option for that. The social life in Essex is really good and there are many options for spending your free time. Academically, studying in England is different than studying in Finland. Courses can last one term or a full year and teaching methods are also a bit different. I like the fact that the campus is like a little town - almost everyone you need is right here. I really like this atmosphere. Essex is a very international university so you cannot feel lonely here. If you want to know something about Asia, the USA or Australia for example you can always find somebody from there. If you’re from Finland and considering Essex then I say “just go for it!"
Elina Hölttä exchange student
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George Swain
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George Swain Finland country contact