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

Each year, when the results of the joint application process come out, some young people are left without the study place they applied for. A fixed-term study voucher trial will begin in Finland in August 2026 to bring relief to the situation and to offer youth more opportunities to make use of gap years.

The study voucher is an electronic payment method valued at 30 study credits that a young person can use to pay for open Finnish- or Swedish-language studies at Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences. 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 chance to explore different fields of study and, in general, try studying at a higher education institute without taking financial risks or worrying about running out of months of student financial aid.

– The study voucher is an excellent tool for a young person who is still searching for their field or wants to start pathway studies towards becoming a degree student. The University of Vaasa offers a wide range of courses through its Open University, and many students have found their own academic path through these studies. We warmly welcome all study voucher recipients to join the Open University courses at the University of Vaasa! says Tanja Risikko, Vice-Rector at the University of Vaasa.

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 young people entitled to the study voucher can start using it immediately by activating it. Students select and enrol in the courses covered by the study voucher directly in the service.

Registration for Open University studies at the University of Vaasa opens on 12 August 2026. A webinar about the study voucher will be held on 11 August 2026 at 17 in Finnish.