Student loan for adult students | Our Services | KelaSkip to content

Student loan for adult students

If you receive adult education allowance, you can get a student loan guarantee from Kela. The adult education allowance is available from the Employment Fund (tyollisyysrahasto.fi). Please contact the Employment Fund for details.

You can be paid the adult education allowance if

  • you have been employed or self-employed for at least 8 years
  • your current job or full-time self-employment has lasted at least one year
  • you are on study leave from your job and
  • you do not receive any other form of financial assistance for education

If you have received adult education allowance for the same studies before 1 August 2020, you can get an adjusted adult education allowance, in case your study leave lasts less than 2 months or you study part-time.

Apply to the Employment Fund for the adult education allowance.

Government proposes to end the adult education allowance scheme

The Government is proposing to end the adult education allowance scheme, including the student loan guarantees available under it. If the proposal is approved by Parliament, no new awards of adult education allowance or government loan guarantees will be made starting 1 August 2024.

Read more

Eligibility for the loan guarantee

You can get a loan guarantee from Kela if you receive adult education allowance for an uninterrupted period of at least 8 weeks. You can get the loan guarantee for months in which there are at least 18 calendar days for which you are paid adult education allowance. The loan guarantee can be granted on the basis of the data in the initial decision issued by the Employment Fund.

Your income or property do not affect your eligibility for the adult education allowance.

The loan guarantee for adult students is subject to the same conditions as the loan guarantee available under the financial aid system. Take a close look at the interest and repayment terms. You cannot get a loan guarantee if you receive other assistance that disqualifies you for student financial aid.

Amount

The full loan guarantee under the financial aid scheme for adult students will be EUR 650 per month. If you complete part of your studies abroad for example as an exchange student, the loan guarantee is EUR 800 per month.

How to apply

  1. Apply to the Employment Fund (tyollisyysrahasto.fi)for an adult education allowance.
  2. Apply online for a loan guarantee for adult students. Log in to the e-service (in Finnish and Swedish only) using your bank ID or a mobile ID.
  3. The Employment Fund informs Kela directly of your adult education allowance. Loan guarantee in connection with adult education allowance can be granted on the basis of the data in the initial decision issued by the Employment Fund.
  4. When you want to see if your claim has been decided, visit our e-service OmaKela.
  5. A written decision on your application will be sent to you by post. You can also view the decision on our e-service.

Alternatively, you can complete and print out the application form for a government student loan guarantee under the adult education allowance scheme, OT 12 (PDF, in Finnish). Send the application and any supporting documents by mail. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

Please do not apply for both an adult education allowance and regular student financial aid (i.e. study grant) at the same time. If you receive a decision from the Employment Fund denying you adult education allowance, you can apply to Kela for student financial aid. Tell in your application for student financial aid when you applied to the Employment Fund for an adult education allowance. Kela can grant you financial aid retroactively earliest from the beginning of the month in which you submitted an application for adult education allowance to the Employment Fund.

When to apply

The earliest that you can get a loan guarantee is the beginning of the month preceding your application. For example, if your application arrives at Kela in October, you can be get a loan guarantee from the beginning of August.

Different application deadlines for the adult education allowance and for student loans

You can apply to the Employment Fund for an adult education allowance retrospectively for six months from the date you file the application, but you must apply to Kela for the loan guarantee before that. A student loan guarantee for adult students can be granted from the beginning of the month preceding that in which your application is received.

For example, if you take an educational leave and begin a course of study in August, you have until January the following year to apply for the adult education allowance, but your application for the loan guarantee must reach Kela by the end of September of the current year. You cannot be given a decision on the loan guarantee until the Employment Fund has decided your application for the adult education allowance.

Other assistance for adult students

Besides the adult education allowance, you can finance your studies with

If you complete a university degree within the target time and you have taken out more than €2,500 in student loans, you can get a student loan compensation, if you started your first course of university study on or after 1 August 2014.

Read more