According to the Finnish Social Security Institution (Kela), students in Finland can get financial aid in the summer, provided that they will be studying during the summer months. Applications for student financial aid for the summer months can be made online now.
Financial aid is granted for example for lecture courses, set book exams, on-the-job-training or for working on final project or thesis.
Kela says financial aid for the summer months is available in the form of study grant and 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. Recipients of housing allowance must, however, remember to request a review of the allowance for example for summer earnings.
Students who will have no earnings during the summer and who are not entitled to student financial aid payment can look into whether they qualify for social assistance. Social assistance, or income support, is a last-resort form of financial assistance.
Upper secondary school students
Starting with the summer of 2020, also students attending an upper secondary school can get financial aid for the summer months. To qualify, they must be completing studies that are part of the upper secondary school curriculum.
The period of studies arranged by the educational institution must last at least 18 calendar days of formal study in each month for which they apply for financial aid. Financial aid is not available for independent study, for example studying for the matriculation examination.
Students in vocational education can get financial aid for the summer months if they have at least 18 calendar days of study in each month for which they apply for financial aid.
To students in higher education financial aid for the summer months is granted in accordance with application for the specific period of time that the student has applied for.
Higher education students must, however, keep in mind that taking out financial aid for summer study counts towards their total eligibility for financial aid, which is calculated in months.
Any summer months for which a student receives financial aid are also taken into account when checking the student’s annual income and monitoring their academic progress.
Apply online now
Students can apply for financial aid for the summer months by accessing Kela’s online customer service.
Or they can do it also by filling in and printing out the form OT 15e ‘Notification of changes, Financial aid for students’.
Students in general or vocational upper secondary education must enclose a certificate from their school detailing their summer studies.
On the front page of the online customer service, students can check if their applications have been decided on and when the payments will be made. This service requires users to log in with their online banking ID or a mobile ID.
Other supporting documentation can also be sent online.
For more information on student aid, loans or social rights, click HERE
