Students
Students can get financial aid from Kela for post-comprehensive school education. This quick guide explains the types of financial aid that could be relevant for you.
Secondary education
- Extension of compulsory education
- Extension of compulsory education affects school transport subsidy and financial aid for students.
- Financial aid for students
- You can get financial aid for full-time study after comprehensive school.
- Supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials
- Supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials can be granted to upper secondary school students and students pursuing vocational qualifications. The earliest that you can get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials is when you are 15 or 16 years old.
- Student's age and parental income
- See how your age and your parents’ income affect your study grant, student loan and housing benefit.
- School transport subsidy
- You can get a school transport subsidy if your daily trip to school is at least 10 kilometres.
Higher education
- Financial aid for students
- If you are enrolled in a course of study leading to an academic degree, you are considered to be a full-time student and you can get financial aid.
- Making satisfactory academic progress
- We review your academic progress yearly to check that you earn enough credits. But what is enough?
- The effect of other income
- Make sure that any other income you earn in addition to financial aid does not exceed your annual income limit.
- Running out of eligibility months
- The maximum number of months that you can get financial aid depends on the extent of your study programme. It's a good idea to plan in advance how and when you wish to take out financial aid.
After graduation
- Student loan compensation
- If you take out a student loan and complete an academic degree within the target time, Kela pays back part of your student loan.
- Student loan tax deduction
- If you started your course of higher education study before 1 August 2014, you can get a student loan tax deduction.
- Interest assistance
- Kela can pay the interest on your student loan if you have low income.
