Open Studies with Study Voucher
With the study voucher, young people who have completed an upper secondary qualification but did not gain admission to higher education can study up to 30 ECTS credits free of charge in an Open University of Applied Sciences.
Make the most of your gap year by studying or by gaining confidence in your field of choice! At Jamk, all open studies are parts of degree programmes, so you can later include them in your degree and speed up your graduation.
The study voucher is a 30-credit payment instrument for open higher education studies. The first study vouchers will be introduced in August 2026. The legislation concerning the study voucher is open for consultation until 10 April, so changes are still possible.
Current information about the Study Voucher: Opin.fi -service
What is the Study Voucher?
The study voucher is a payment method that you can use to pay for open studies at Finnish higher education institutions. With the study voucher, you can attend open studies worth a maximum of 30 ECTS credits in Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences, including Jamk UAS. The study voucher is valid for two years from the date on which all the results of the joint application are confirmed in August. You can use it at your own pace – you do not need to use the entire study voucher at once.
The study voucher is a temporary pilot project of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The first vouchers will be introduced in 2026.
Who can get the Study Voucher?
You can receive a Study Voucher in August 2026 if
- you have completed your first upper secondary qualification (matriculation examination, vocational upper secondary qualification or further vocational qualification) after 1 December 2025,
- you are under 29 years old on the day you graduate with an upper secondary qualification
- and you applied for a study place in the spring 2026 joint application process, but were not admitted or did not accept the place you received from a higher education institution
Check whether you are entitled to the Study Voucher and activate it in the Opin.fi service in August.
How does one get the Voucher?
If you are entitled to the study voucher, you can activate it in the Opin.fi service when the higher education admissions in the joint application process are confirmed and admission from waitlists has also ended on 4 August 2026. Identify yourself in the service using Suomi.fi e-Identification.
In other words: you do not need to apply for the study voucher separately, and its activation is not binding for you. You can choose which studies to register for and use it at your own pace – you do not need to use the entire study voucher at once.
For which studies can I use the Study Voucher?
From August 2026 onwards, you can use the study voucher as a payment method when registering for open higher education courses found in the Opin.fi service, for instance Jamk open studies mentioned on this page.
You can use the Study Voucher in its entirety or in smaller parts during its validity period. You can complete a total of 30 academic credits with the Voucher over a two-year period.
Some courses in open studies may only be available in universities’ own webshops. These studies cannot be paid with the study voucher.
Some higher education institutions also offer path studies to degree programmes, for which there is a separate application and admission procedure in the Studyinfo service. The study voucher cannot be used as payment method in Studyinfo.
How does the Study Voucher work?
The study voucher is a payment instrument with a total balance of 30 academic credits. You can use it as a payment method when registering for Jamk open studies that can be found in the Opin.fi service.
For how long is the Voucher valid?
The study voucher is valid for two years from the date on which the results of the joint application process are confirmed and admission from waitlists has also ended. You can find the joint application periods in Studyinfo. You can also check the validity of your study voucher in the Opin.fi service.
The sooner you start using your study voucher, the more time you have to make use of it in the two years. You can register for studies as long as your voucher is valid. However, you do not need to complete the studies during the validity period of the voucher.
To make sure you will find the best studies to choose with the Study Voucher, we will be presenting a collection of Jamk open studies on this website in the near future.
