Disinformation and Societal Resilience

The motivation letter (in English, 700-1000 words) explains the candidate’s motivation to study in the programme and reflects on previous experience in the field. The letter of motivation may be accompanied by a letter of recommendation (not mandatory) from a representative of your organisation, a partner organisation or a national authority, for which a maximum of 5 additional points may be awarded.

Cover letter components:

• What are the candidate’s qualifications and motivation to enter the programme? (Give a short overview of your work experience and/or disinformation-related challenges encountered.)
• What is the problem the candidate wants to solve, and why? How does the candidate intend to practically apply the competencies acquired in the programme in the future (e.g., in a specific job, organisation, community)? How will the candidate’s studies benefit the candidate’s native country or local community?
• How does the candidate assess his/her general and professional competencies (oral and written communication skills in English, ability to find and read academic texts, teamwork skills, online collaboration skills, ability to create audio-visual materials, international collaboration skills, experience in social science research, data analysis and interpretation skills)? When evaluating their competencies, please provide examples of their application and an assessment of whether they are excellent, good, satisfactory or insufficient. Candidates do not need to be experienced or competent in all of the above – the self-assessment will help us to plan support seminars.
• Which stakeholders will help the candidate to solve the central problem of his/her motivation letter? Visualize the relevant stakeholders who should be involved in solving the candidate’s problem. Drawing, sketch or visualisation, up to half an A4 has to be uploaded as a separate file in your DreamApply application. Submitting the visualisation is optional, but if it is not provided, the candidate will lose 20 points.

Evaluation of the letter:

The motivation letter will provide an insight into the candidate’s professional readiness and motivation to study in the programme. The motivation letter will be assessed based on the following criteria in a 100-point system:

• relevance of previous studies and professional profile (20p);
• thoroughness of the reasoning behind the professional problem and solution and the meaningfulness of the mapping of the parties in the diagram (20p);
• ability to reflect on own learning motivation and needs (20p);
• the benefits of learning for the learner and society (20p);
• coherence, logical structure and argumentation of the motivation letter (20p).

If the candidate uses the help of AI when preparing the motivation letter, the letter must include an explanation of how and for what purpose the AI was used.

To be admitted to the interview, the motivation letter must score 51 out of 100 points.

The admission interview will take place on April 7, 2026, with the admissions committee and will aim to assess:

• the professional motivation of the candidate in an exchange of views;
• the candidate’s analytical, reasoning and reflection skills;
• professional competences (expression and presentation, ability to apply the competences acquired);
• awareness of social issues and ethical sensitivity.

The interview will last up to 30 minutes and will be conducted online via Zoom.

Evaluation of the interview

The interview will be assessed on a 100-point system based on the following criteria:

• motivation to study and work in the field (20p);
• motivation and motivation to work and study in the field (20p);
• ability to analyse, reason and generalise (20p);
• ability to apply creativity and problem-solving (20p);
• professional prerequisites (expressive and presentational skills, coping under pressure, etc.) (20p).

To pass the admission interview, a score of 51/100 points is needed.

General information regarding the online admission interview

The University of Tartu uses different video communication programmes to conduct an online interview (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Big Blue Button). The admissions committee will notify you, which software programme will be used and when does the interview take place.

The applicant needs the following for the online interview:

• a computer or smart device. The computer or smart device must have a web camera, earphones and microphone (built-in or separate). As the applicant must be visually identified at the interview, the use of the web camera is mandatory, not recommended.
• The internet connection with a speed of at least 1 Mb/s (upload/download) is recommended for the video call.

At the online interview:

• the applicant must have an identity document;
• the applicant has to ensure that the room where they stay is free from other persons or background noise;
• the applicant must take into account that they are not allowed to save the interview.

The application system opens on 2 January and closes on 15 March. The following documents must be submitted electronically via DreamApply by 15 March:

1. online application
2. motivation letter
3. official certified copies of bachelor's or master's diplomas and diploma supplements (bachelor's and master's transcript/mark sheet, including the description of the grading scale) in the original language. Please read our country-specific requirements for submitting your educational documents.
4. official translations of the bachelor’s and master's diplomas and diploma supplements (transcripts) into English, translation certified.
5. proof of English language proficiency
6. copy of the passport page stating the applicant’s personal particulars
7. confirmation/receipt of application fee payment (if applicable). All international applicants are required to pay the application fee EUR 100, unless they have completed the previous study level in Estonia. An application will only be processed after the fee has been received by the UT
8. curriculum vitae

Submitted applications can not be edited. It is only possible to upload new documents (e.g. graduation certificates). Applicants will receive feedback and notifications through the DreamApply system to their e-mail. Incomplete applications or those submitted by e-mail will not be considered for admission.

Guide to submitting an electronic application on DreamApply.

NB: The University of Tartu has no official partnerships with agents or educational representatives. We strongly recommend applying directly to the university without the help of unauthorised third-party entities. Should you use such a service, please ensure that your application's contact information is your personal details (your e-mail, phone number, etc.).

The evaluation of applications will be made based on the electronic copies added to DreamApply. A general ranking list will be formed based on the electronically submitted applications and admission results (including offers) will be announced to all applicants personally via DreamApply by April 30 at the latest. Admitted candidates are expected to accept or decline the offer in DreamApply in 7 days. If the decision is not communicated to UT via DreamApply by the stipulated deadline, UT reserves the right to withdraw the admission offer.

NB! It is not possible to postpone the beginning of studies to the next academic year.

Terms and conditions of the admission offer

Admission offers are conditional. This means that there are conditions in the offer which the applicant needs to fulfil in order to be admitted (e.g. sending application documents by post; obtaining the required level of education). If the conditions are not met, UT has the right to withdraw the offer. Also, UT reserves the right to withdraw or amend any offer or revoke the matriculation 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, UT will not be liable for any material or immaterial loss which the student may suffer as a result.

Once the admission results have been announced, all admitted students are required to send the application documents by post to: Student Admissions, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18-133, Tartu 50090, ESTONIA.

The documents are expected to be mailed only by those receiving the admission offer (unless instructed otherwise by the admissions staff). The documents must reach the university within 3 weeks from the announcement of the offer. If the application documents do not reach us by the deadline, the university has the right to withdraw the admission offer. Applicants will be informed when their documents have arrived.

Requirements for educational documents

All copies of educational documents (diplomas and Diploma Supplements/transcripts) must be officially certified. By certified we mean that the copies should bear an original signature and seal of the authority certifying that these are true copies of the original document(s). The copies can be certified either 1) by an authorised official of the issuing institution, or 2) by a notary, or 3) with an Apostille attached. NB! Country-specific requirements may also specify the way documents from certain countries must be certified.

Please note that UT does not accept simple copies made on the basis of already certified copies (primary copies are needed).

Paying the tuition fee (applicable to those receiving a fee-based study place offer)

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to pay the fee for the first semester 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 admissions 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 of Tartu has received the pre-payment.
• By transferring the pre-payment to the university, you confirm that you have informed yourself about the process of the visa application and you are able to arrive in Estonia by the start of the academic year. If you have any questions please contact [email protected].

The official admission letter will be sent to admitted students electronically via DreamApply only after the admissions office has received and reviewed hard copies of the application documents, and received the tuition fee pre-payment (if a pre-payment was required, please see step 3 for more details).

NB! The electronic admission letter is also sufficient for non-EU students for applying for visa at an Estonian embassy.

Once the admission letter is issued, accepted students may proceed further with arranging their arrival. All non-EU students should first consult information on the process of visa and temporary residence permit application to be sure, as where and when the relevant documents need to be applied.

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 August 31, 2026, at the latest. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their admission decision and visa.

Note that housing at the UT dormitories can be applied during a limited period of time, unless specified otherwise on the website. For housing alternatives please find further information on Tartu Welcome Centre website.
Travel information can be found here.

Based upon common queries, the most important information has been summarised into a pre-arrival information website UT Getting Started.