Frequently Asked Questions

Degree-seeking students:

• 05 January for MSc Excellence in Analytical Chemistry

• 15 March for master's programmes

• 15 April for bachelor's programmes and Medicine

• 15 May for PhD programmes

• 15 Sept for MA Entrepreneurship in Economic Policymaking

• 15 Sept for MA Disinformation and Societal Resilience

No, we do not accept late applications. If you did not submit your online application by the deadline then your application will not be considered. In this case, we encourage you to apply again timely next spring.

Initially, all applicants to English-taught bachelor's and master's level programmes are expected to submit their documents only electronically, so sending hard copies is not required. If admitted, accepted students must arrange for their application package to reach the University within 3 weeks from the announcement of the admission offer (unless instructed otherwise by the admissions staff). NB! Be sure to check our country-specific document requirements. 

Applicants to Estonian taught programmes should make sure the whole application package reaches the University by 1 June.

Degree-seeking students: 

Bachelor´s and Master´s studies at the University of Tartu

PhD admissions

Applicants to degree programmes:

Student Admissions
University of Tartu
Ülikooli 18-133
50090 Tartu
Estonia

All the application documents must be submitted electronically, via DreamApply. Only accepted students are expected to mail their documents by regular mail. Documents sent by email will not be considered. Applicants to Estonian-taught programmes must send their documents both electronically and by regular mail by the stipulated deadline.

A certified/notarized translation is official translation of an original document into English done by a certified translator, confirmed by a notary or issued by the school who issued the original document.

International applicants to bachelor's and master's programmes must pay an application fee of EUR 100 which enables to apply to 2 programmes. Detailed information about the application fee is available here.

Admission notifications will be sent electronically through the DreamApply Estonia system. The Admissions Committee will announce admission results for English-taught master's programmes by 30 April and bachelor's programmes by 25 May at the latest. More information about application procedure and requirements can be found here.

Degree-seeking students must accept or decline the offer in DreamApply within 7 days.

New academic year starts in the beginning of September. There is an Orientation Course organized for international students at the end of August to introduce the university and the town. It is strongly recommended that you arrive by the Orientation Course.
 

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 Course 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.

Limited number of scholarships are available for international degree-seeking students. More information here.

Yes. Most applicants are required to prove their English proficiency by taking an international English language test. Information about the certificates we accept and the equivalent grades that are required.

There are some exemptions. 

No. Please see the international tests that we accept as a proof of English language proficiency.

University of Tartu does not provide a preparatory course of English as a foreign language. Applicants must have the required proficiency in English by the application deadline.

Tuition fees for the degree-seeking students at the University of Tartu are in the range of 4000-24,500 EUR per academic year. The same tuition fees apply to both domestic and international students.

Students admitted to the English-taught programmes either pay for their studies or may have received a tuition waiver student place. Please check whether a particular programme has tuition waivers or is fee based. Applicants do not have to apply for the tuition waiver separately, as tuition waivers will be distributed automatically to top-ranked applicants.

NB! All our English-taught bachelor's programmes are fee based. There are no tuition waivers.

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are requested to pay the fee for the first semester by 20 September after signing the tuition fee contract. Admitted students from other countries have to pay half of the first semester's tuition fee after they have been informed of the admission decision (May/June). Second part of the fee is due on 20 September after signing the tuition fee contract. More information on paying the tuition fee.

Limited number of scholarships are available, please see further information on the webpage.

No, unfortunately this is not possible. According to the current university rules the applicant who is enrolled into a fee based student place must pay for the studies during their whole study period. There is no later redistribution of tuition waivers.

The University of Tartu offers several degree programmes on Bachelor's, Master's and PhD level with instruction in English. There are also semester and summer academic programmes for short-term non-degree studies.

Degree-seeking students are allowed to take courses from different faculties. However, students have to make sure that these courses do not have complusory prerequisite subjects and the classes do not overlap with regular compulsory classes.

The University of Tartu offers international students courses of Estonian as foreign language in autumn and spring semester as well as in summer schools. 

The academic year begins in the beginning of September and the autumn semester runs until the beginning of February. The spring semester starts in the middle of February and runs until the end of June. The academic calendar can be found in the Study Information System. However, the exams are usually held in December/May (some can take place earlier, too).

Assessment of academic results of students in subjects or parts of subjects is conducted using the following six-point scale of letters (with accompanying verbal counterparts and short definitions): grade A or 'Excellent' ; grade B or 'Very good' ; grade C or 'Good' ; grade D or 'Sufficient' ; grade E or 'Poor' ; grade F or 'Fail'. The system of credits in use (ECTS) is a cumulative calculation of credit points based on the workload of a student. It is a student-centered credit system to measure the workload required to achieve the objectives and learning outcomes of a curriculum. One credit point corresponds to 26 hours of studies (lectures, seminars, practice, homework or independent work, assessment of learning outcomes) performed by a student. ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System) are allocated to course units and are awarded to students who successfully complete the course by satisfying the assessment requirements.

Degree-seeking students: the volume of a curriculum per one official standard academic year is 60 credits in the European credit transfer system. Degree students have to gather at least 75 per cent of the credits of their curriculum (45 ECTS) in order to get transferred to the next academic year of the respective full-time or stationary programme.
However, in order to study without paying the tuition fee, a student on a tuition-waiver study place cannot fall more than 6 ECTS short of the nominal study load per semester (30 ECTS).

NB! Students who need to apply for the Temporary Residence Permit for their stay in Estonia must meet the full-time enrollment requirement (take at least 22.5 ECTS per semester).

There are several possibilities to enter Estonia for the purpose of studying at the University of Tartu (UT). The options usually depend on student's country of origin and the level and duration of studies to be pursued at UT. Please read the information carefully from the following website: Visa and Residence

Information on student housing in Tartu and Viljandi

Tartu Welcome Centre is a team of local advisers providing support and guidance in the process of getting settled in Estonia, in Tartu.

International students are accommodated in the following dormitories: Raatuse 22, Narva mnt 25, Narva mnt 27, Pepleri 14, Purde 27. Dormitories mainly consist of twin rooms with shared bathroom and kitchen (usually 2-3 rooms share a bathroom and kitchen). Limited number of single rooms are available.

Students should bring (or rather buy in Tartu) their own linen, blanket, pillows and cookware. It is also possible to buy a blanket, pillow or bed linen from the Student Village.

Tartu bus terminal is situated near the centre of town and is close to the student dormitories. When first time in Tartu, we still suggest the best way to get to the dormitory is to take a taxi.

Getting to Tartu information

If you have a question that you would like to ask from an international student who is currently studying in the University of Tartu, please contact one of our International Student Ambassadors. There is also a possibility to ask information from Estonian students: all international students will be assigned a tutor and it is possible to get in contact with your tutor already before arrival.

EU citizens may work in Estonia without work permit, but it is the responsibility of the student to make sure that work does not interfere with studies.

Non-EU students who have been issued a residence permit for studies are allowed to work when it does not interfere their studies. Students holding temporary residence permit must study full-time (at least 22.5 ECTS per semester).

It is possible but most places require that you speak Estonian.

Useful information about working and volunteering can be found from Tartu Welcome Centre website.

Non-EU students whose TRP for study has expired on regular basis have legal right to stay in Estonia for the period of 270 days following the expiry date of the period of validity of the TRP. Further information is available on the Visa and Residence webpage. 

Estonia has a temperate climate, with comparatively warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures range from a summer average of 21°C (70°F) to a winter average of-8°C (18°F). Being close to the Baltic Sea, the country is subjected to sea breezes and humidity, and its northern latitude means long summer daylight hours (the longest summer day stretches to 19 hours), and dark winters when daylight sometimes lasts only six hours.
The cold winter does not necessarily mean constant snow; in fact snowfalls are few and far between. When it falls it stays though, and there tends to be a layer of snow constantly on the ground between December and March. Summertime brings unexpected rain showers, so an umbrella and light raincoat are recommended.

The character of Estonians has inevitably been shaped by their country's history and its natural environment. It's the long, dark winters that have most likely fostered their self-absorbed and silent manner. At the same time, this dreary season has inspired an abundance of folktale and song that may well provide insights into the nature of the contemporary urbanized Estonian. Ernest Hemingway has written that in every port in the world, at least one Estonian can be found; this speaks volumes about the nation's enterprising spirit.

Estonians are third-generation city people at most, so almost all families have relatives living in the country. Childhood memories will undoubtedly include summers spent in the country. The somewhat grim and reserved Estonian of the winter months undergoes a significant change in summer: he will ask friends out for a picnic, meet new people, and rather than glaring at anyone causing a disturbance in the street, he will burst into merry laughter.
A foreigner is well advised to bear in mind that in human relations, Estonians try to avoid sentimentality. Much of what other nationalities voice without hesitation, Estonians may reveal only once they know a person quite well.

English and Russian are widely spoken in Estonia. You do not need to speak Estonian in order to live and study here. However we encourage international students to take Estonian as an elective course during their studies to feel more comfortable in the country and understand better Estonia and Estonians.