Bachelor's and master's studies at the University of Tartu

Who can apply?

• To apply for bachelor's programmes, secondary education or a corresponding qualification is required. 
• To apply for master's programmes, a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is required. 

Please see our country-specific requirements for additional information regarding the required qualification and educational certificates.

Please be aware that citizens of the Russian Federation or Belarus who, under the legislation of the Republic of Estonia, cannot apply for a long-stay visa or residence permit to study or do not have a valid legal basis to stay in the Republic of Estonia until the end of the curriculum’s standard period of study are not eligible to apply to the University of Tartu in the 2024/2025 academic year.

NB! All applicants must also submit a proof of English language proficiency – please see the acceptable tests and exempt categories.

In addition to the above-mentioned general requirements each programme also has programme-specific admission criteria which might require a result in a specific subject (for bachelor´s programmes) or prerequisite courses (for some master´s programmes) in previous studies. Please see the admission requirements of the programme of your interest to learn more.

My graduation is after the application deadline, can I still apply?

Depending on the country where you are graduating and/or the study level you are applying for, it may be possible to apply with your most recent grades/transcript.

• For bachelor's programmes: you can apply if you are graduating in the upcoming spring/summer in the member countries of OECD, CIS (СНГ), in Ukraine, Georgia or in Moldova, IB Diploma programme or graduating with A-level exams. Graduation certificates must be submitted by the end of July at the latest. Applicants from other countries can only apply if they have already received their final graduation documents by the application deadline. 
• For master's programmes: applicants graduating in the upcoming spring/summer can apply with the most recent transcript. Graduation certificates must be submitted by the end of July at the latest.

NB! Please see our country-specific requirements for further details on the required documents.

Which programme to choose?

Please see the list of available study programmes. On each programme´s website, you will find a full overview of the programme, the specific requirements for applying and a step-by-step application guide.
 

When can I apply?

Application for admission 2024 (with studies starting on 2 September) is open during the following periods:

5 Nov - 5 Jan for MSc Excellence in Analytical Chemistry
2 Jan - 15 March for master's programmes
2 Jan - 15 April for bachelor's programmes and Medicine

Application period for programmes with studies starting 10 Feb 2025:
1 Sep - 15 Sep for MA Entrepreneurship in Economic Policymaking and MA Disinformation and Societal Resilience

Can I apply for more than one programme? 

It is possible to apply for up to two programmes.

Do all students have to pay the tuition fee?

Students admitted to our English-taught programmes either have to pay for their studies or may receive a tuition-waiver student place. Most of our English-taught study programmes (but not all) offer tuition-waiver student places. A tuition-waiver student place means that the student receiving this student place does not have to pay the tuition fee if they complete a full-time study load. There is no separate application for a tuition-waiver. All tuition-waivers are distributed together with the student place offers to the top ranking applicants according to the general ranking list. Please check the website of the programme of your interest to find out whether a programme has tuition-waiver student places. NB! There are no tuition waivers on English-taught bachelor's programmes.

Can I apply for scholarships?

In the Estonian education system there are very few additional scholarships available for applicants and students, especially on bachelor's level. General information on scholarships can be found here. On master´s level there are some programme-specific scholarships available. Please check the website of the programme of your interest to find out about other possible stipend offers. 

The candidate has to upload electronic copies of all required documents to their online application. Only complete online applications will be considered by the Admissions Committee.
 

Which documents do I need to submit?

Before submitting your online application please make sure which documents need to be submitted and when by consulting the requirements and the step-by-step application guide at the website of the programme of your interest. 
 

Educational certificates

All copies of educational documents must be officially certified, i.e. certified copies. Certified copies are documents bearing the original signature and seal of the authority which certify that these are true copies of the original documents. The documents can be certified 1) by an authorized official of the issuing institution, 2) by a notary, or 3) with an Apostille attached. We do not accept simple copies made on the basis of already certified copies. NB! Some special country-specific requirements may also specify the way documents must be certified.
 

What happens if the documents submitted were either fraudulent or do not grant access to higher education?

The University of Tartu reserves the right to withdraw or amend any offer or revoke the enrolment of a student if it becomes evident that the application contains fraudulent information, the qualification does not provide access to the chosen study programme or the student is found to have omitted key information from the application. Should such circumstances occur, the university will not be liable for any material or immaterial loss which the student may suffer as a result.
 

International candidates are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of EUR 100. 

Applicants are exempt from the application fee if:
1) they have Estonian citizenship or
2) they have completed the previous study level in Estonia or
3) they have been admitted to the same study programme and sent hard copies of their application to UT in 2023 or 
4) they have been enrolled in the same study level in the academic year 2021/2022 or later.

 An application (including education documents) will only be processed after the University has received the fee. Read more about paying the application fee.

In order to apply for the University of Tartu the candidate has to submit an online application in Dream Apply Estonia by the application deadline. The list of required documents to be uploaded with the application is specified on each programme´s website.
 

Submitting the application

All candidates must create an account in the online application system. The application can be edited over a longer period of time and submitted once the application is complete. The application must be submitted by the application deadline at the latest. Submitted applications can not be edited. It is only possible to upload new documents (e.g. graduation certificates).

Guide to submitting electonic application on DreamApply.
 

Receiving feedback

Submitted applications will be reviewed by the University and you will receive feedback from the Admissions Office. If the application is complete, you will receive positive feedback and your application will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee for evaluation (happens after the application deadline). If your application is not complete, you will receive feedback regarding the missing documents (including the deadline for submitting them). You can reopen the submitted application to add the missing documents and resubmit the application.

Applicants will receive all notifications through the DreamApply system and to their e-mail (used for registering in DreamApply) as well. 

If necessary and fixed in a programme's admission requirements, the applicant must also take an entrance examination. Please check the website of the chosen programme for possible examinations and their requirements. Examinations will be carried out via Skype or other electronic channels.

The Admissions Committee will announce admission results for English-taught master's programmes by 30 April, bachelor's programmes by 25 May, MA Entrepreneurship in Economic Policymaking and MA Disinformation and Societal Resilience  by 10 October at the latest.

Evaluation of applications

Students are admitted according to ranking lists formed on the basis of entrance requirements set separately for each programme. The admission procedure is regulated by the. The admission procedure is regulated by the University of Tartu's Admission rules for I and II level programmes. 

See further information on assessing candidates' academic performance and calculating admission scores.
 

How do I find out about the results and when do I have to notify the University of my decision?

Admission notifications will be sent electronically through the DreamApply Estonia application system. All admitted candidates must accept or decline the offer in DreamApply within 7 days.
 

How can I contest the admission decision?

If you think that your application was not treated fairly even though you met all the requirements and followed all the guidelines, you can contest the decision of the Admissions Committee. To do so you have to send your written contestation to your coordinator at the Admissions Office within one week from the announcement of the decision. The admissions coordinator will then forward the contestation to the chair of the Admissions Committee for review in the Disputes Committee. You will be informed of their decision within 3 working days.
 

Can I postpone my studies to the next academic year?

Students accepted to the University of Tartu cannot postpone the beginning of their studies to the next academic year.

NB! Please be aware that those students who have been enrolled to the University of Tartu and would like to apply and be re-enrolled to the same programme in the following two years cannot study free of charge. Thus, it is of utmost importance that the students starting their studies at the university would inform the university early enough to make sure that their admission could be cancelled before the enrolment and the beginning of an academic year.

Accepted candidates are required to mail the printed and signed application form with the rest of the required documents to the University within 3 weeks from the announcement of the offer (unless instructed otherwise by the admissions staff). After accepting the admissions offer please post the documents to: Student Admissions, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18-133, Tartu 50090, ESTONIA. If your application documents do not reach us in 3 weeks, the University of Tartu has a right to withdraw the admission offer.
 

Paying the tuition fee (applicable to applicants who received a fee-based study place offer)

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to pay the fee for the first semester once they arrive in Tartu (by 20 September at the latest after signing the fee contract, please read more here).
• Admitted students from other countries are required to pre-pay half of the first semester's tuition fee. The invoice along with the pre-payment deadline and payment details will be sent to applicants via DreamApply after they have accepted the admission offer and the University has received the hard copies of the application documents. Second part of the fee is due on 20 September. NB! The official admission letter (necessary for visa application) will only be issued once the University has received the pre-payment.

Once you have been offered a fee-based student place, be aware that it will not be changed into a fee waiver student place. Also, by transferring the pre-payment to the university, you confirm that you have informed yourself about the process of the visa and temporary residence permit application and you are able to arrive in Estonia by the start of the academic year. If you have any questions concerning visa or residence permit please contact studentvisasupport@ut.ee.

Admission letter

The official admission letter will be sent to admitted students electronically via DreamApply only after the Admissions Office has received and reviewed the hard copies of the application documents and received the tuition fee pre-payment (if a pre-payment was required).

For entering Estonia, non-EU citizens need to apply for a long term visa (D type visa) in an Estonian embassy abroad in person. Once they are in Estonia, a temporary residence permit (TRP) application process can be started (if applicable). To apply for a visa you will need the official admission letter that you received via DreamApply (the electronic document will suffice, there is no need for a hard copy). Please see more information about applying for the visa.

Registration upon arrival (non-EU citizens)

NB! Admitted students who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland need to make sure they obtain the Estonian long-term visa on time in order to be able to participate in the orientation programme for international students held in the last week of August. They are also required to visit the Admissions Office in person to complete their arrival registration by September 2, 2024, at the latest. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their admission decision and visa.