The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) awards scholarships to Master’s students in Finno-Ugric universities in Russia for studies in Finnish universities for a maximum of six months.

Students can continue to apply for a scholarship for kindred peoples.

A man and a woman working together
Photo: Satu Haavisto

What are Master's level scholarships for kindred peoples?

The Master's level kindred peoples scholarship is intended

  • for the later stages of your Master’s studies in a Finnish university or
  • for gathering material in Finland for your Master’s thesis (that you do for your home university).

The scholarship period is for a maximum of six months. You can also apply for the grant for two or more shorter periods if this is more appropriate for your final thesis, as long as the total number of months does not exceed six.

If a part of the scholarship period is during a time when there is no tuition at the university and teachers are not available, please let us know how you plan to use that time for your Master’s studies.

The scholarship amount is €800/month.

N.B. INCREASE IN GRANTS FROM 1.1.2023 ONWARDS. The decision applies to applications that are submitted on 1.1.2023 at the earliest. The grants that have been applied before 1.1.2023 will remain on the previous level (800 € per month), even if the grant period would start or continue in 2023. The new grant will be 1 000 € per month.

There is no separate grant for travel costs. You should arrange and pay for your accommodation yourself.

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Who can apply for the scholarship?

You can apply for a Master's level scholarship for kindred peoples if

  • you are studying in a university in the Finno-Ugric region of Russia or in another university outside Finland, and
  • you are a native or near-native speaker of one of the Finno-Ugric languages in Russia 
  • you are studying Finno-Ugric languages and/or cultures of Russia, and
  • you are at final stages of your Master’s studies, or you are gathering material for your Master’s thesis in your home university.

Priority will be given to applicants who are native speakers of Finno-Ugric languages in Russia studying in universities in the Finno-Ugric regions of Russia.
 

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How to apply for the post-graduate scholarship for kindred peoples?

Before applying for the scholarship, make arrangements with a Finnish university to make sure that you are able to complete your planned studies there. Your application should include the name of the Finnish host university, the teaching unit hosting you, and the name of a contact person there.

There are two application deadlines per year:

  • by 31 March for the autumn term (selection results by 10 April)
  • by 31 August for the spring term (selection results by 10 September)

Please send your application form with required annexes to hakemukset_skk [at] oph.fi. Write ”Master's level scholarships for kindred peoples" in the subject field.

Annexes to application

  • CV
  • Transcript of study records
  • study/research plan (the most important annex)
  • a letter of recommendation from a Finnish language teacher in your home university, including an assessment of your proficiency in Finnish, and
  • a letter of acceptance from the Finnish host university.

We need your personal information for the scholarship selection process only. The information will only be given to the host university, nobody else.

Attachments
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Reporting

At the end of the scholarship period, you should send a free-form report to the contact person for the programme at EDUFI. Please detail the main results of the scholarship period in your report.

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Contact us

Contact person

Riitta Uotila, riitta.uotila [at] oph.fi
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