Apply to International Business (Joint application)

On this page you will find information on how to apply to the bachelor's degree programme International Business in the joint application.

All applicants who apply in the joint application have to have one of the following Finnish or international certificates/diplomas:

  • A Finnish Matriculation examination
  • Finnish vocational upper secondary education completed after 1 August 2015. NB: Competence-based qualifications are not taken into account in certificate-based selection.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma education
  • European Baccalaureate (EB) education completed at a European school
  • Reifeprüfung/Deutsches Internationales Abitur completed in Finland

Admissions process and threshold criteria

Student selection is based on the points for the Finnish Matriculation examination, IB, EB, Reifeprüfung/Deutsches Internationales Abitur or on the Finnish vocational certificate issued after 1 August 2015. Arcada UAS follows the scoring models found on the UAS webpage (in Finnish and Swedish). 

To be considered for admission applicants need to have a minimum total of 60 points.

  • Minimum grade in Mathematics:
    • Finnish vocational upper secondary education: 3 (scale 1–3) or 4 (scale 1–5) in Knowledge in math and science (sv. Kunnande i matematik och naturvetenskap, fi. Matematiikan ja luonnontieteiden osaaminen)

Applicants who do not meet the threshold criteria can apply in the separate application through the ACT, SAT or OMPT test. If you apply through one of those tests, please read more on our Separate application pages.

There are 25 study places, 20 for those applying with a matriculation examination and five for those applying with a vocational qualification. If either queue is not filled, places may be filled through the other queue. Applicants are admitted in order of scores. Results will be published by 31 May 2027. The waiting list is valid until 3 August 2027 at 3 p.m. UTC+3.

Admission of an applicant completing their degree in spring/summer 2027 is conditional and may be withdrawn if the applicant does not meet the requirements upon graduation. International Baccalaureate applicants need to attach their predicted grades or an equivalent document upon submitting the application.

Proof of English language skills

All applicants must also prove their English language skills in one of the following ways:

  • Finnish Matriculation examination: grade C (advanced syllabus). If the matriculation score does not meet the requirements, the applicant must submit another certificate of language proficiency.
  • Completed International Baccalaureate Education with the exception of career-oriented courses or DP results. Medium of instruction needs to have been English.
  • Completed European Baccalaureate Education with medium of instruction being English or a minimum grade of 6.00 in L2 English
  • Reifeprüfung/DIA diploma completed in Finland, with a minimum grade of 7 in advanced English
  • Finnish vocational education completed in English
  • High school, bachelor's or master's degree completed in English in an EU/EEA country, or in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand, excluding online degrees and offshore campuses. A minimum 60% of the degree must have been completed on location in one of the before mentioned countries.
  • ACT minimum score of 22 points in the English Language Arts (ELA) part
  • SAT minimum score of 480 points in the Evidence-based reading and writing part
  • Cambridge ESOL’s tests Cambridge Advanced (B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency. No other Cambridge language tests are accepted.):
    • minimum score 169
    • include your Candidate ID and Candidate Secret number when sending your results to Arcada
    • Test sections: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking
  • Pearson Test of English Academic or Academic online:
    • minimum score 51
    • results are accepted only when sent through the online PTE account
    • valid for two years
  • IELTS or IELTS online ; academic:
    • one skill retake test is accepted
    • minimum overall band score 6.0
    • valid for three years
  • TOEFL Internet-based or Home Edition test:
    • minimum score 67 or 3.5 according to tests completed after January 2026
    • test result must arrive directly from the Educational Testing Service
    • Arcada's TOEFL code 5724
    • valid for two years
  • Oxford ELLT Global or Oxford ELLT Digital
  • National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) English
    • Grade 4 or higher in all the subtests (speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension)
    • The unique identifier is not necessary, but the applicant must attach an electronic copy of the test result to the application for verification purposes.

Arcada strives to accept electronic copies of language certificates submitted directly from the testing organisation. Please request your score report to be submitted to Arcada UAS when you register for the Cambridge, Pearson or TOEFL tests. The language certificate must be verifiable in the database by 28 January 2027. Tests that can not be verified will not be accepted. 

Only students who have proven to meet the English language requirements can be offered admission.

Required attachments and their deadlines

The following attachments should be uploaded to the application no later than 28 January 2027 by 3PM (UTC+2):

  • English proficiency certificate other than Finnish Matriculation examination completed after 1990
  • Copy of Finnish Matriculation examination if it was completed before 1990
  • Passport copy or official Identity card from EU/EEA country if not a Finnish citizen

The following attachments should be uploaded to the application no later than 1 April 2027 by 3 PM (UTC+3):

  • EB/IB Diploma applicants graduating in 2027 need to submit predicted grades

The following attachments should be uploaded to the application no later than 28 April 2027 by 3 PM (UTC+3):

  • Applicants graduating in 2027 with a Finnish DIA need to submit final grades

The following attachments should be uploaded to the application no later than 13 July 2027 by 3 PM (UTC+3):

  • EB/IB Diploma applicants graduating in 2027 need to submit final grades through IBIS. If an applicant does not graduate with an EB/IB diploma the offer of admission will be withdrawn as they are no longer eligible to be accepted through certificate-based admission.

Supporting documents – Joint application

Here you can find detailed information on which supporting documents to submit when you apply to Arcada in the joint application.

If you do not complete your application with the required documents by the set deadline, you cannot be admitted.

Please see the list below to find detailed information on which supporting documents to submit.

Translation to Swedish, Finnish or English

All educational certificates in languages other than Swedish, Finnish or English must be translated. All certificates in other languages have to be translated into one of these languages by an officially certified translator. A copy of the original document (in original language) shall also be submitted. The translation shall bear the stamp and signature of the translator.

How to submit documents

When you fill in the application form, you are at the same time requested to upload application documents that are needed for processing your application.

If you wish to upload your documents at a later time, you can do that through the link found in the application confirmation email you received when you applied. If you have Finnish bank codes, you can also log in to MyStudyinfo to access your application.

List of supporting documents:

Qualification completed in Finland

If you apply with a qualification completed in Finland, you do not in general need to send in a copy at the time of application.

If you are completing your qualification in Finland, i.e. the Matriculation examination or a vocational degree, the qualification must be completed and a copy of the final certificate submitted in July 2027 or when you accept your study place.

NB! If you completed your Finnish Matriculation examination prior to 1990 you should submit a copy as soon as possible. Deadline for submitting a copy is 28 January 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+2).

Higher education degrees (bachelor's or master's degrees) completed in Finland can be checked in the application register and do not need to be submitted as proof of eligibility.

International Matriculation examination (IB, EB, RP)

If you apply with an International Matriculation examination, i.e. the International Baccalaureate (IB), European Baccalaureate (EB) or Reifeprüfung (RP), copies of the completed diplomas and their official translations should submitted by 28 January 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+2).

If you are completing your diploma/degree during the application in spring/summer 2027 you should send in your Predicted Grades or Equivalent. IB diploma graduates of summer 2027 need to submit their predicted grades by 1 April at 3 PM (UTC+3). A copy of the final certificate of applicants who complete an IB or EB diploma during the application period (Transcript of Grades for those completing an IB diploma) must be delivered by 13 July 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+3) or when you accept your study place if later than the deadline. IB applicants are required to send their final scores through IBIS for verification.

Qualification taken outside Finland

If you apply with a qualification obtained outside of Finland, the following applies to you:

If you have completed your upper secondary/high school/12-year education you should submit a copy of the final degree certificate/diploma, together with an official translation as soon as possible. Deadline for submitting a copy is 28 January 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+2).

If you are completing your upper secondary/high school/12-year education during spring/summer 2027, you should submit a certificate/statement issued by the school stating that you are graduating in spring/summer 2027, along with a document showing your predicted grades.

Proof of English language skills

You can prove your English language skills either by a minimum grade or English language certificate. Learn more about the English language requirements on the page of the programme you are interested in, found here.

Documents proving refugee or similar status

Decisions to grant asylum or residence permits issued on the basis of a need for protection of refugees or applicants in a refugee-like situation should be submitted as soon as possible. Deadline for submitting a copy to be exempt from application fees is 28 January 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+2). Deadline for submitting a copy to be exempt from tuition fees is 13 July at 3 PM (UTC+3).

Proving citizenship and/or exemption from application and/or tuition fees

In addition to the application documents, you should submit a copy of passport or residence permit document proving possible and/or exemption from application and/or tuition fees:

Valid proof of identification

All applicants are required to submit a valid proof of identification unless they have Finnish citizenship. 

  • Passport
  • National identity card issued in an EU/EEA country
  • Finnish identity card
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