Changes to the YKI tests on 1 January 2026

Advanced level YKI tests in Finnish and Swedish can be free of charge

From 1 January 2026 onwards, you can register for the advanced level YKI test in Finnish or Swedish free of charge if you meet at least one of the following conditions: 

• You have completed the Finnish matriculation examination or an equivalent qualification abroad. 
• You are currently studying for a university or university of applied sciences degree in Finland or abroad.   
• You have completed a university or university of applied sciences degree in Finland or abroad. 

If you meet the conditions for the free YKI test, you do not need to pay the test fee for the advanced level YKI test in Finnish or Swedish. You can register for the test free of charge a total of three times.

Only the advanced level YKI tests in Finnish and Swedish are free of charge. Basic and intermediate level YKI tests and all YKI tests in other languages are subject to a fee for everyone.

Conditions for test fee refund being simplified

If you cannot participate in a YKI test that you have registered for, you may apply for a refund of the test fee from the Finnish National Agency for Education. The Finnish National Agency for Education will refund your test fee if your application meets all the conditions laid down by law.

From 1 January 2026 onwards, the conditions for the test fee refund are as follows:

1. You cannot participate in the YKI test due to your own illness and you have proof of your illness, such as a medical certificate issued by a doctor or a certificate of illness issued by another health professional. If a doctor has given you sick leave, the sick leave must continue on the test day.
2. You cancelled your registration for the YKI test no later than 8:00 on the morning of the test day.
3. You sent your application to the Finnish National Agency for Education within two weeks of your test date.

Previously, the refund of the test fee was conditional on you not being able to participate in the next YKI test at the same test centre. Furthermore, you were allowed to cancel your registration for some other particularly weighty reason, not just an illness. 

The Finnish National Agency for Education has been receiving large numbers of test fee refund applications, and due to the strict conditions, the processing of the applications has sometimes taken a long time. With these changes, we want to make the processing of the applications clearer.