EDUFI encourages everybody to go on exchange

Special needs grants are intended to enable international mobility in circumstances when an injury, impairment, illness, learning difficulty or other special need causes additional costs that are not covered by other sources. The individual arrangements for each participant make studying and everyday life in the destination country easier. The grant is paid on top of the normal exchange grant.

Accessible exchange – an injury, impairment, illness or other special need is not an obstacle

Each year the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) reserves a separate budget for special need grants. Special need can be an injury, impairment, physical or psychological illness or learning difficulty. In case of psychological special need, the participant can get support for example for therapy costs during the exchange.

- With these videos we want to raise awareness of special need grant and its possibilities, says Sofia Lähdeniemi, the Programme Manager from International Higher Education Cooperation.

- Each year a part of the budget reserved for special needs grant is left unused.

Application for grant is easy

In the videos students who have received special need grant, Sanna and Katja, share their experiences and encourage others to apply for the grant and go for an exchange.

- Applying for the grant was made really easy. All you needed was a doctor’s statement that specified your special needs, says Katja from the JAMK University of Applied Sciences. I recommend to check this possibility so that a health restriction won’t stop you from going on an exchange.

Sanna from Aalto University also encourages everyone interested to go on an exchange.

- For others with special needs planning an exchange I highly recommend to apply for the grant!

Watch the videos on Youtube