Student Status
The Free Art School is a private institution and is not part of Finland’s official education system.
Student Benefits and Financial Aid
Our students are eligible for study-related benefits provided by Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland), with the exception of travel support.
Students may join OSKU ry, which entitles them to various student discounts, including those offered by HSL (public transport in the Helsinki region), VR (Finnish Railways), and Matkahuolto (long-distance bus services).
Partnership with Novia University of Applied Sciences
The Free Art School collaborates with Novia University of Applied Sciences on exhibitions, art projects, and the development of national and Nordic cooperation in the field of visual arts.
Students at the Free Art School can earn ECTS credits through Novia’s Open University of Applied Sciences while completing their studies at the Free Art School.
As the Free Art School is not part of Finland’s official education system, its studies are not recorded in national databases such as Opintopolku.fi or KOSKI. However, ECTS credits registered through Novia are official and internationally recognized academic credits.
Students from the Free Art School who continue their studies in Novia’s Swedish or English degree programmes in Fine Arts can have their prior studies accredited toward their degree.
Novia offers Bachelor’s and Master’s level programmes in Fine Arts, such as a 240-credit Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, which is internationally comparable to a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree.
Novia has campuses in Vaasa, Turku, Raseborg, and Pietarsaari. The university has approximately 4,500 students and 300 staff members.
For more information:
Novia University of Applied Sciences: Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts, Marika Holm, tel. +358 50 464 5663
The Free Art School: Administrative Director, Meri Karppanen, tel. +358 40 922 3171