Important to know

All summer course participants are signed-up in our study information system as continuing education learners or visiting student (the same status for everyone, also if you are a student at another university). Regarding any possible restrictions and regulations related to continuing education and Covid-19, we abide by the rules currently set in Estonia. All the information is available here at www.kriis.ee 

In case a student is a citizen of an EU country, the US or Canada, no entry visa is required to enter Estonia. There are many other countries whose citizens do not need an entry visa. If you are not certain whether you need a (multiple) short-term Schengen visa, please check the official page of foreign affairs.

NB! Before you apply for the visa, be sure to have a valid travel document which is issued within previous 10 years, contains at least two blank pages for visa(s) and is valid at least 3 months after the expiration date of the visa.

Application Steps for the Summer School and Short-Term Schengen Visa

Fill in online application with additional documentations as soos as possible. After your application is accepted by us, you will receive the written Conditional Acceptance and invoice of the programme fee and you are required to make the full payment of the programme fee. After receipt of the payment, the university will issue an official Acceptance Letter which enables you to obtain the visa from the nearest (Estonian) Embassy. Please note that the process of getting a Visa may take more than a month.

In case you need additional information about the procedure, please contact the staff of ISU or your nearest (Estonian) Embassy.

Who can apply?

• Students of Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programs (the student must be at least 18 years old)
• Adults who wish to take the course but are currently not studying. 

Which programme to choose?

Please see the list of available programmes on our front page. On each programme´s website, you will find a full overview of the programme, the specific requirements for applying and an application guide.
 

When can I apply?

Application for admission 2023 (with studies starting on 31 July) is open during the following period:

15 January – 30 April 2023

Can I apply for more than one programme? 

It is possible to apply for up to two programmes. In that case you will only need to pay the application fee (25€) once and fill in two separate application forms (you will need to present different motivation letters). Please note that you can only take part in one program at the time as all of the courses will be happening at the same time. 

How do I apply? 

To attend a course, learners have to register according to the instructions given in the description of the course. Generally, registration is done through the registration link at the description of the course. If this fails for some reason, one can register with the contact person of the ISU team by telephone or e-mail.

Do I need to have any qualifications?

Usually, there are no limitations for attending continuing education courses, but sometimes earlier training, work experience, working in a concrete position, etc. may be required; therefore, additional documents can be asked at registration. In such cases, this is written in course information.

What is included in the course fee?

• Study materials (online and on-site)
• 7 days of academic work with lecturers
• up to 4 ECTS 
• Info session and closing reception
• 5 cultural events in the evenings + museum tickets

Which personal information do I need to present?

At registration we collect the following data on the learner (they are processed according to the Data Protection Policy of the university):

• learner’s name and personal code
• phone, e-mail address, contact address and postcode
• study institution or place of work (if necessary, e.g. for courses of educational staff)
• data of the payer (name of the person/institution, personal/registry code and address)
• emergency person's information

Receiving feedback

Submitted applications will be reviewed by the ISU team and course leaders and you will receive feedback from the ISU team. If the application is complete, you will either be accepted to the course or not, based on the documents you presented in your application. If your application is not complete, you will receive feedback regarding the missing documents (including the deadline for submitting them). You can send the missing documents through email. If you have been accepted to the program, you will receive an email. 

Refusal to allow to attend studies

The university can refuse to approve the applicant if the person does not meet the requirements set in the continuing education programme or the syllabus of the course, the maximum number of learners has been reached, or the person owes the university the tuition fee.

Cancellation of studies

If you find after registration that you cannot attend the course, we ask you to inform the contact person of the course by e-mail immediately.

Formation of the study group

Conditions for forming the study group, i.e. the minimum and maximum number of learners are given in the information on the continuing education programme. The group is formed in the order of registration. Please note that the University of Tartu can cancel the course, if after the application deadline there are not enough participants to open the course. 

The university can interrupt the continuous education learner’s studies at its own initiative if the learner:

• does not follow the legal acts of the university, generally recognised norms of behaviour and good practice, including if s/he has committed academic fraud.
• has not fulfilled the requirements for completion of the continuing education programme or syllabus of the degree course.

If the learner wishes to have the proof of participation after being removed from the course, s/he will need to present a written request. If the participants has not completed the course, s/he will receive a proof of participation (not a certificate) according to the days/hours s/he attended the course. This document will only be given out upon request.

Completion of studies and issuing of final documents

The studies are considered completed if the learner has fulfilled all the requirements for completion of the continuing education programme. The results of the learner's studies are recorded in the Study Information System and the learner is issued a certificate of completion.

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 of the course.
 

Educational certificates

You will need to present a transcript of your academic records. It can be a scanned document.  

Copy of Passport 

In order to apply, you will need to upload a copy of your passport or ID-card issued to you by your country. You can upload a simple scanned document.

Motivational Letter

Motivation letter (up to 1 page) that demonstrates the applicant’s motivation to participate, his/her expectations about the programme, how participation in the summer programme relates to his/her studies and interests, and how the applicant plans to use the gained experience and knowledge in the future.

To take part in University of Tartu Summer University courses, it is recommended to have at least B2 level of English. You do not need to present any proof of English proficiency. However, as all of the courses are held in English, having lower level than B2 might lead to not being able to complete all of the tasks which are required to complete the course. 

If you do not know the level of your English proficiency, you can take a free online test. 

The basis for establishing the tuition fee and invoicing is Procedure for Establishing, Invoicing and Exempting from Tuition Fees for Continuing Education.

Paying for continuing education

As a rule, continuing education courses at the University of Tartu are paid courses. The price of the continuing education programme is shown in the programme information; the tuition fee for individual degree courses is based on the price of the credit point. The tuition fee is paid to the current account of the University of Tartu according to the invoice issued by the university. The invoice is issued when the learner has been accepted for the course. Please find all of the payment details on 
course fee payment website.

Adding of VAT to the tuition fee

VAT is not added to the tuition fee.

Refunding of tuition fees in the case of cancellation or interruption of studies

If the person registered for continuing education cannot attend the continuing education course for some reason, s/he has to submit an application to the university in a format which can be reproduced in writing.

Terms of Cancellation and Refund

• If you wish to cancel your participation, you must inform the ISU team by writing to email: isu@ut.ee.

• 90% of the programme fee will be refunded if you cancel participation and apply for refund at least 30 days before the start of the programme.

• If you inform of your cancellation less than 30 days before the start of the programme, no refund is made.

• If the University of Tartu has to cancel the programme due to unforeseen circumstances, you will be informed of that within one week after the application deadline at the latest. We will fully refund the programme fee or offer a substitute programme. Please note that the university cannot take any responsibility for covering personal travel costs. Thus we recommend getting an insurance coverage.

• The university reserves the right to claim the programme fee in accordance with the above-mentioned terms if you have received a Letter of Acceptance from the programme director and cancel the participation without a written notice.

NB! The same policy applies if you are forced to cancel because you did not receive a visa.

Management of the Refund

• To apply for the refund, please send a written request with the relevant bank data via e-mail, fax or letter to the programme director.

• Refund will be made to the person/institution who paid the programme fee.

Please note that the in case there are not enough participants for the course (exact minimum number of participants can be found on the course's webpage), the University of Tartu will have to cancel the course. In this case, the person who made the payment will receive a full refund.

Resolving of disputes

Disputes arising from paying the tuition fee are resolved by negotiations. If an agreement cannot be reached, the dispute is resolved in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Estonia. The university is entitled to assign debt claims arising from unpaid tuition fees to debt collection companies.

Please note that some social events are not included in the course fee. In order to participate in the events, which are not provided in the tuition fee, you must choose to participate in the cultural part in a separate form sent to you after you have been accepted to the course. Within 7 days from your form submission, you will get an invoice with the fee of the social program. Please be informed that you are expected to fill in the form even if you do not wish to participate in the events, in that case, choose the option "will not participate in neither of the events" in the form. Please note that VAT (20%) is included in the event fee. 
Cultural event fee payment

International candidates are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of EUR 25. An application (including education documents) will only be processed after the University has received the fee. 

You can pay the application fee by bank transfer with the following bank details:

ACCOUNT HOLDER: University of Tartu
ADDRESS: Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu, Estonia
IBAN (account no): EE281010102000234007
DESCRIPTION: WDDIC, applicant´s first and last name (as it appears in passport and in online application), name of the programme
AMOUNT: €25
BANK NAME: SEB Pank AS, Tornimäe 2, 15010 Tallinn
SWIFT/BIC: EEUHEE2X

You can pay the application fee by credit card on the following link: Application fee payment

Important to know before paying the application fee

• make sure you are able to submit all required documents by the application deadline before paying the application fee
• paying the application fee alone does not grant the right to enter into competition, all other necessary documents must be submitted by the given deadline as well
• paying the fee of EUR 25 enables to choose two study programmes at maximum. In order to apply for two programmes, you must fill in the application form twice (for each course separately). All applicants are expected to give careful attention to the chosen programme(s)’ admission requirements prior to making the payment.
• the university will not refund payments made in error
• unsuccessful applications which are resubmitted in the following admission period are not exempt from the requirement to pay the application fee
• you can pay by credit card or bank transfer

Read more about the Application fee payment

University of Tartu offers scholarships for motivated students. All of the students can apply for partial tuition fee coverage of 150 EUR as well as Estonian National Scholarship. There are more scholarships available for the students from the University of Toronto and ENLIGHT partner universities. 

Please visit our scholarship page for more information. 

These rules apply for both course fee payments and cultural event fees.

Terms of Cancellation and Refund

• If you wish to cancel your participation, you must inform the ISU team by writing to e-mail: isu@ut.ee.

• 90% of the programme fee will be refunded if you cancel participation and apply for refund at least 30 days before the start of the programme.

• If you inform of your cancellation less than 30 days before the start of the programme, no refund is made.

• If the University of Tartu has to cancel the programme due to unforeseen circumstances, you will be informed of that within one week after the application deadline at the latest. We will fully refund the programme fee or offer a substitute programme. Please note that the university cannot take any responsibility for covering personal travel costs. Thus we recommend getting an insurance coverage.

• The university reserves the right to claim the programme fee in accordance with the above-mentioned terms if you have received a Letter of Acceptance from the programme director and cancel the participation without a written notice.

NB! The same policy applies if you are forced to cancel because you did not receive a visa.

Management of the Refund

• To apply for the refund, please send a written request with the relevant bank data via e-mail: isu@ut.ee.

• Refund will be made to the person/institution who paid the programme fee.

Please note that the in case there are not enough participants for the course (exact minimum number of participants can be found on the course's webpage), the University of Tartu will have to cancel the course. In this case, you will receive a full refund.

Each programme combines lectures, seminars, study-trips and independent study.

Responsibility for the content of each course lies with the respective university department and the responsible professor for the course. Each course meets the academic requirements of the University of Tartu.

Students will receive course materials in the form of printed handouts or via e-mail during the lectures. Students are expected to work independently with the course materials as directed by the professors. If the course requires readings to be completed prior to the start of the programme, reference to the materials will be sent in advance to each participant.

Each participant will be awarded a certificate if he/she fulfils the attendance requirements and if required, passes tests or/and submits the written assignment.

Credits and ECTS - European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

Upon successful completion of the chosen ISU programme students will receive the Certificate of Completion and an Academic Transcript awarding the official academic credits by the University of Tartu. The certificate will be given out on paper.

According to the European academic credit system applied by the University of Tartu, 1 ECTS credit equals 26 hours of study, which includes contact hours with the instructor in lectures and seminars, independent work and practical studies. In addition to the classroom work the participants of the summer programmes are required to participate in the afternoon meetings and field-trips designed by the programme managers - which constitute part of the required study. Typically one week of studies at the summer programme awards 2 ECTS credits. There are some programmes which may award more credtis for studies in case the student submits a research paper. In that case the requirements are given in the respective programme description.

The Academic Transcript will indicate pass/fail option. If the participant wishes to receive a letter grade, he/she needs to notify the University two weeks in advance. The participant will be assigned a research paper which needs to be submitted within two weeks after the end of the programme.

As Estonia is part of the European Union, all the University of Tartu credits are fully transferable to any university in the world recognising university studies within the European Union. Each student needs to check with their university study abroad advisor prior to arrival how ECTS credits transfer into their national system of credit points.

Two weeks prior to the start of the programme will be sent to all participants. This file contains the daily schedule and relevant contact information of the programme managers.

Please note that participants of the summer programme are responsible for their travel arrangements to the city where the programme starts as well as departure from the city where the programme ends. Please check the arrival and housing information to Tartu.

Participants of the programme are expected to notify programme managers as soon as they have finalised their travel arrangements regarding their time and place of arrival.

Organised travel during the programme is covered by the programme fee and organised by the programme managers. Students are asked to follow the travel arrangements provided by them. Travel inside of the cities is the responsibility of the students via designated public transportation, unless charter service is provided.

Please contact us if you have any questions or doubts. Please be advised that the International Summer University (ISU) organisation team does not provide information about flights to Estonia. For that, please consult the airport websites. 

Kristel Pedassaar
Senior Specialist for International Cooperation
International Cooperation and Protocol Office
University of Tartu
Ülikooli 18, Tartu, Estonia
Ph +372 737 6115, +372 5047716
kristel.pedassaar@ut.ee
www.ut.ee

Lotta Saadla
Specialist for International Summer University
International Cooperation and Protocol Office
University of Tartu 
Ülikooli 18, Tartu, Estonia
+372 59033574
lotta.saadla@ut.ee
www.ut.ee