For international applicants

The next application to the Nursing TopUp bachelor's degree programme for studies beginning in August 2026, will be carried out as part of the joint application from 7–21 January 2026, closing at 3 pm (UTC+2) on the last day. The application will be carried out once a year. The deadline for most attachments is 28 January 2026 at 3 pm (UTC+2).

The Nursing TopUp programme is aimed at those who already have a Nursing degree completed outside of Finland, work experience (desirable) and language skills in Finnish and English.

Application should be submitted through Studyinfo . You can access the programme site on Studyinfo and also move on to the application form by clicking on the link.

Eligibility

This application is for you who have:

• a degree in Nursing completed outside of Finland; Bachelor of Nursing; Diploma of Nursing; GNM (General Nursing & Midwifery); PCL (Proficiency Certificate Level); or Technical level Nursing studies of a minimum 3 years
• Finnish language skills
• English language skills

Registration for the Pre-admission and Finnish Course 

If you live outside Finland or the EU/EEA, you should do the pre-admission course to be considered for the TopUp programme. The course also includes a Finnish course. Applicants who live in Finland can also choose to apply through the pre-admission course.

Registration for the pre-admission course has now ended! Registration closed 16 November 2025. The course needs to be completed between 3 November 2025 and 2 March 2026. By the time of application half of the course should have been completed. There will also be a Finnish course 

The pre-admission course consists of the following two courses:

• Working as a Nurse in Finland
• Nursing in Finland: Clinical Competence, Legislation and Patient Safety

The pre-admission course costs €225. Enrollment is binding and the course fee is non-refundable. You must enrol in the pre-admission course by 16 November 2025 and pay the fee at the same time.

The Finnish course will be organised online 2–3 times/week from March until July. Completion of the course is mandatory for those who wish to be admitted to the programme unless the applicant can prove their Finnish skills in another acceptable way.

Please note the following:

• Registration for the course is binding and the course fee is non-refundable.  
• You will be required to pay the fee before you are allowed to enrol for the course.
• The pre-admission course must be completed by 2 March 2026.
• You must also submit an application through Studyinfo during 7–21 January 2026 in order to be considered for admission.

You are expected to submit a certificate of course completion to your application. The certificate should show that at least 50% of the course has been completed by the time of the application.

Work experience

Work experience is not mandatory, but highly desirable and will give additional points in the admissions process.

Work experience is only counted after the date when the Nursing certificate/diploma was awarded, and needs to be proven by a work certificate. Work experience gained before or during your bachelor studies cannot be counted towards the work experience minimum requirement. Work experience can be counted up to 31 July 2026.

Part-time work is converted to full-time work so that 150 hours or 20 full-time working days (a minimum of seven hours per day) are equal to a month. The work experience does not have to be continuous or from the same employer. Practical training or on-the-job learning is not counted as work experience if it forms a part of the degree used for applying.

Language requirements

Application must have suffice skills in Finnisha and English.

Finnish language requirement

All applicants must have Finnish language skills at a minimum level of A2 on the European framework before the start of studies. Applicants who are applying through the pre-admission course will complete their Finnish course online between March and July of 2026. 

You can prove your Finnish language skills with one of the following:

• National Certificate of Language Proficiency
• Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate
• Certificates or verification from established educational institutions that offer language instruction and can be verified by Arcada

Finnish language proficiency can not be proven with language courses such as Duolingo.

Applicants must attach proof of skills in Finnish or proof of participation in accepted Finnish course to their application by 28 January 2026 by 3 pm (UTC+2). If the applicant is pursuing a Finnish language course aiming at level A2 result, they must submit a copy of a final certificate by 30 June 2026.

An applicant who is completing Finnish studies at the time of application can be conditionally admitted but must provide a Finnish language certificate at minimum level A.2 by 30 June 2026.

English language requirement

Applicant can prove their skills in English with one of the following:

• Bachelor or Master studies in English, which includes a thesis written in English
• 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
  • test result must arrive directly from the Educational Testing Service
  • Arcada's TOEFL code 5724
  • valid for two years
• 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
• Cambridge ESOL’s tests B2 First (First Certificate in English) Cambridge Advanced:
  • minimum score 170
  • include your Candidate ID and Candidate Secret number when sending your results to Arcada
• OET (Occupational English Test )
  • minimum score C
  • valid for two years
• Oxford ELLT Global :
  • from 1 July 2023 onwards: minimi score 6.0 (Test sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking)
  • Digital Oxford ELLT Global also accepted
• Certificates or diplomas from verified educational providers that can be verified by Arcada

Please note that if you have a diploma you are required to prove English language proficiency through an English language test, since your studies did not include a thesis. 

English language proficiency can not be proven with language courses such as Duolingo.  

The OET, TOEFL and Pearson certificates are valid for two years. IELTS is valid for 3 years. Applicant must attach proof of skills in English by 28 January 2026 at 3 pm (UTC+2).

Please ensure that you have allowed your language test result to be verified by Arcada. Test results that can not be verified will not be accepted.

The applicant's English language skills will also be assessed in the entrance exam.

Admissions process and interview

Applicants applying with the pre-admission course will be required to pass an online interview.

Online Interview

All of those applicants who have completed half of the pre-admission course and who meet the eligibility criteria at the time of the application, will be invited to the online interview. 

The interviews will be held online through Teams between 11–12 February 2026.

The interview will focus on the pre-admission course content. It will test applicants' communicative skills based on the material from the pre-admission course. It does not require any other preparation than completing the pre-admission course, so the further applicants are in the pre-admission course at the time of the interview, the better. The invitation will contain all the necessary information.

Applicants who are admitted through the pre-admission course + interview will be accredited the courses as part of their studies.  

Applicants are ranked and admitted in order of points for the pre-admission course, points for work experience, interview and language skills.