EDUFI Fellowships

The EDUFI Fellowships programme is open to young Doctoral level students and researchers from all countries and from all academic fields. Master's level studies or post-doctoral studies/research are not supported in the programme.

The primary target group in the EDUFI Fellowship programme are such Doctoral level students who will be doing their Doctorate (or Double Doctorate) at a Finnish university. Visiting Doctoral-level students and researchers who are doing their Doctorate degree at some foreign university can also be considered eligible, provided that the motivation letter of the hosting Finnish university department presents exceptionally good grounds for such an application.

The programme is open for candidates of all foreign nationalities. However, when decisions on scholarship are made, emphasis is given to applicants from Russia, China, India, Chile, Brazil and North America.

The scholarship period may vary from 3 to 12 months. The monthly allowance is 1500 euros. The scholarship is intended to cover living expenses in Finland for a single person. No additional allowance for housing is paid. Expenses due to international travel to and from Finland are not covered by the programme.

NB: the EDUFI Fellowship is a start-up grant rather than a full degree scholarship, so if you for example receive an EDUFI Fellowship for 12 months, after that period you should seek other sources for funding for the remaining period of your studies/research.

If you are already residing in Finland, please note that the Doctoral students/researchers for whom the Finnish universities can apply for an EDUFI Fellowship should not have resided in Finland for more than one (1) year prior to submitting an EDUFI Fellowship application.

If you have resided in Finland longer than that, please refer to the section Other sources of funding.

How to apply

The prerequisite for applying is that the visiting researcher must have established contacts with a Finnish host university. You are also advised to visit the Finnish universities' own websites for detailed information on the Doctoral level study and research options the universities offer.

If a Finnish university is willing to host you, then the Finnish university department wishing to host you can apply for the EDUFI Fellowship on your behalf. That is, only the hosting Finnish university can act as an 'applicant' in the EDUFI Fellowship programme.

The application form for the EDUFI Fellowship can be downloaded below. Additionally, the following attachments are required for a EDUFI Fellowship application:

  • A motivation letter from the applicant (the hosting university), max 1 page
  • Complete CV of the scholarship candidate
  • Research plan (3-5 pages)

Two printed and signed copies of the application with required attachments should be submitted to the following address: Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI), PO Box 380, 00531 Helsinki. Please mark the envelope with “EDUFI Fellowships”.

When to apply

There are no annual application deadlines in the EDUFI Fellowship programme. Applications may be considered at all times. However, applications should be submitted at least 5 months before the intended scholarship period. Decisions will be made within approximately 3 months after receipt of application.

Application form and detailed instructions

A detailed set of guidelines for a EDUFI Fellowship application is provided (in English) alongside the downloadable application form, see the link below.