Important information for students: Apply now for financial aid for the summer months

Financial aid is granted for example for lecture courses, set book exams, on-the-job-training or for working on your final project or thesis. Financial aid is available in the form of a study grant and as a government guarantee for student loans. Students who have been granted general housing allowance will continue to receive the allowance regardless of whether they are studying during the summer or not. However, they must apply for a review of their allowance if they have earnings from a summer job.

Students who do not have earnings during the summer and who are not entitled to student financial aid can check whether they qualify for social assistance. Social assistance, or income support, is a last-resort form of financial assistance. Before applying, students must find out whether they could secure other income or qualify for other social benefits.

Eligibility for summer financial aid

For students in higher education, financial aid is granted for the specific period of time that the student applies for. However, they should be aware that any financial aid received in the summer will be deducted from the total number of months for which they can get financial aid. Any summer months for which students receive financial aid are also taken into account when monitoring their annual income and academic progress.

Students who are in vocational education can get financial aid for summer months in which they study for at least 18 calendar days.

Also students of upper secondary schools can get financial aid during the summer. To qualify, they must be completing studies that are part of the upper secondary school curriculum. Financial aid is available for months in which attend school for at least 18 days. Financial aid is not available for independent study, for example studying for the matriculation examination.

Applying online is easy

Applications for summer financial aid can be filed on the OmaKela e-service portal at www.kela.fi/asiointi (in Finnish) or www.fpa.fi/etjanst (in Swedish), or by filling in and printing out form OT 15e ‘Notification of changes, Financial aid for students’.

On the front page of the e-service, you can, at a glance, check if your application has been decided on and when the payment will be made. The service will also tell you if your online application has been delivered successfully and if there are any supporting documents missing. The service requires users to log in with their online banking credentials or a mobile ID.

Students in upper secondary education must enclose a certificate from their school detailing their summer studies. Other supporting documentation can also be sent online.

Additional information for customers

• Kela.fi: Financial aid for students
• The customer service number for inquiries related to financial aid is 020 634 2550. The service is open Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 16:00.
• Kysy Kelasta discussion forum: More questions and answers about summer financial aid (in Finnish)
• Student financial aid calculators: in Finnish and in Swedish
• Student financial aid on Facebook
• Kela on Instagram