Grants for students of Academy of Fine Arts
As a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, you can apply for the academy’s general grant, a materials grant or a thesis grant.
Students of the Academy of Fine Arts can be granted three different grants: Foundation’s general grant, Academy of Fine Arts’ materials grant and a thesis grant.
Grants will be primarily awarded for bachelor’s and master’s degree studies.
No grants will be awarded for wages, remunerations or daily allowances. Neither will they be awarded for covering living expenses. The grounds for and limitations of awarding a grant are described in more detail under each grant.
The University of the Arts Helsinki Foundation’s grant
Purpose of application: networking internationally or in Finland, artistic activities. Primarily for purposes related to bachelor’s or master’s degree studies.
For whom: Academy of Fine Arts students progressing in their studies within the normative study time will be prioritised. For others, the grant must contribute to the completion of their studies.
Application period
The grant can be applied for two times a year
- in the spring, 23 January 2023 by 16:15
- in the autumn, 20 September 2023 by 16:15
Grounds for grant-giving
The amount of the grant is discretionary.
The grounds for awarding the grant are discretionary, and the following affect them:
- the grant budget available to the academy
- previous Academy of Fine Arts’ or the foundation’s grants awarded to you
- external funding for the same purpose that you have received or applied for.
As a rule, general grants will not be awarded for the following expenses:
- wages, remunerations or daily allowances
- general living expenses
- purchasing equipment or tools
- rents of gallery or exhibition spaces
- travelling expenses to the Academy of Fine Arts’ own residencies
- any expenses that can be covered by a materials or thesis grant
- expenses related to a bachelor’s thesis or a BA exhibition.
How can I apply for a grant?
You can apply for a grant via an electronic form (to be sent by email via students emailing list).
Justify your application carefully and tell us how the intended purpose of the grant is related to your studies (for example, artistic work or development as an artist). Describe the supporting documents clearly, including any visual material.
Further information:
Foundation grants in general and grants schedules: Foundation Officer Sarri Vuorisalo-Tiitinen
Grant purposes and application form: International Relations Coordinator Ulla Tissari
email: kuva.apurahat@uniarts.fi
Academy of Fine Arts’ materials grants
You can apply for a materials grant for the following purposes:
- bachelor-level or master-level students’ independent artistic work
- Praxis master’s programme students’ curatorial projects
No materials grants will be awarded for the following expenses:
- wages, remunerations, travelling or daily allowances
- general living expenses
Who can apply for a materials grant?
Attending bachelor’s and master’s degree students and exchange students can apply for this grant.
No materials grants will be awarded to:
- students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in History and Theory of Contemporary Art
- BFA or MFA degree students from the Academy of Fine Arts, Uniarts Helsinki who are in exchange during the semester
- any student in the 1st autumn term of bachelor’s degree studies, i.e., at Mylly
- in the spring term of master’s degree studies when the student participates in Kuvan Kevät
- bachelor-level and master-level students that have studied for over 5.5 years
- those who have studied for a separate master’s degree for over 2 years with no statutory absences
Amount of the grant
The amount of the grant is € 100 per term.
Application method
You can apply for a grant via an electronic form below. Please read instructions carefully on the application. More detailed application times will be sent via students emailing list.
Present the intended use of the grant briefly and clearly.
Bachelor’s and master’s thesis grant
You can apply for the Academy of Fine Arts’ bachelor’s and master’s thesis grant to cover costs arising from creating your thesis. You cannot use the thesis grant to cover general living expenses.
The amount of the grant for bachelor’s degrees is € 200, and for master’s degrees € 500.
Application period
Grants are paid two times a year, in the autumn and in the spring. Applying periods will be informed via e-mail separately. After applying the grant will be paid on a specie payment date into your bank account once your thesis plan has been approved. You need to present a plan on how you will use the money before the grant is paid to you (for example, the distribution of costs).
How to report on the use of the grant
Report on how the grant was used before the public exhibition of the thesis project ends. Make the report based on the plan you presented on the use of the grant. Your report should include an account (in writing and in numbers) of what the thesis grant was used for and the actual distribution of costs. You don’t need to send the receipts with your report, but you need to keep them and present them if requested. Keep all the receipts until you have received your degree certificate. Deliver your report as one PDF file to Producer by e-mail kuva.tuottajat@uniarts.fi .
The Academy of Fine Arts has the right to recover the thesis grant paid to you if you have used it for purposes other than the one specified or if you have not provided a report on the use of the grant as instructed.
Retroactive payment of thesis grants
Paying the thesis grant directly into your bank account may affect any social assistance or Kela’s annual income limit. In this case, you may receive your thesis grant retroactively in the form of cost compensations by presenting the receipts.
You may receive the thesis grant payment retroactively if you so wish:
- When applying for the grant please start that you wish to have the grant reimbursed.
- Deliver the receipts to the producer with a one-time supplier form as one PDF file. You can deliver the receipts for costs up to € 200 at a time.
- The receipts must be dated after the approval of your thesis plan and before the public exhibition of your thesis project.
- Deliver the receipts by the end of the public exhibition. If you have worked on the artistic part over multiple years, deliver each year’s receipts by the end of November.
- You can also ask the producer or technicians about the possibility of ordering materials with a purchase permit (min € 100) or through the school, in which case the invoice for the procurements will be sent directly to Uniarts Helsinki. Always make an agreement beforehand. Staying within budget is your responsibility.
Ask about the Academy of Fine Arts’ thesis grant from Production services: kuva.tuottajat@uniarts.fi.
Printing cost grant
A maximum of € 120 per student may be granted for printing fees of master’s theses. Ask for more details from a study coordinator at the student office.