Apply now for student financial aid for the summer months | Kela
Kela – The Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Press release 14 May 2018
Students who will be studying in the summer should apply for financial aid now, so that the applications can be processed and decided on before the summer studies start. Apply for student financial aid for the summer months online.
Students can get financial aid in the summer, provided that they will be studying during the summer months. Financial aid is granted for example for lecture courses, set book exams, on-the-job-training or for working on your final project or thesis. As a rule, upper secondary school students are not granted financial aid for the summer months.
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.
Simplified application process for summer financial aid for students in higher education
To students in higher education financial aid for the summer months is granted in accordance with application. Financial aid is, in other words, granted 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.
Students in vocational education can get financial aid for summer study provided that the number of credits earned and the duration of the studies meet the requirements.
Applying online is easy
Students can apply for financial aid for the summer months by accessing Kela’s online customer service www.kela.fi/asiointi (in Finnish) or www.fpa.fi/etjanst (in Swedish), or by filling in and printing out form OT 15e ‘Notification of changes, Financial aid for students’.
On the front page of the online customer service, you can, at a glance, check if your application has been decided on and when the payment will be made. The service will also tell you if your online application has been delivered successfully and if there are any supporting documents missing. The service requires users to log in with their online banking ID or a mobile ID.
Students in general or vocational upper secondary education and students studying abroad must enclose a certificate from their school detailing their summer studies. Other supporting documentation can also be sent online.
More information:
- On the internet at www.kela.fi/students
- The customer service number for inquiries related to student financial aid is 020 692 209. The service is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.
- For more questions and answers about financial aid for the summer months, see https://kysykelasta.kela.fi/ (in Finnish) or http://www.kela.fi/web/sv/fragafpa (in Swedish)
- Student financial aid on Facebook: www.facebook.com/opintotuki (in Finnish only)