Study in Estonia: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Estonia's universities teach dozens of degrees in English and charge students from outside the EU a yearly fee, mostly between EUR 3,800 and EUR 7,200 for a master's programme in 2026-27, with medicine and a few specialised programmes costing more. Applications open in winter and close in spring, usually 1 March to 15 April, every university charges a EUR 100 application fee, and a student residence permit comes with unlimited work rights and nine months to look for a job after graduating.

Verified 15 Sep 2026 Sources

Estonia is small, digital and unusually open to English-taught study. Three of its universities, the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and Tallinn University, together offer more than 50 bachelor's and master's programmes taught fully in English, from computer science, cybersecurity and engineering to semiotics, law, film and international relations. There is one intake a year, in September, and applications are made directly to each university through its own online system.

Tuition is charged to students from outside the European Union and EEA, and the old picture of free places for everyone has gone. From 2026-27 the University of Tartu no longer offers tuition waivers to newly admitted students from outside the EU and EEA. Fees are set per programme. At Tartu most master's programmes cost EUR 4,800 or EUR 7,200 a year and Medicine EUR 13,200. TalTech charges EUR 5,000 to EUR 7,000 for its bachelor's degrees and EUR 3,800 to EUR 8,400 for masters, with computing and cybersecurity at EUR 7,000. Tallinn University charges EUR 4,200 to EUR 5,400 for bachelor's and EUR 3,800 to EUR 6,000 for master's programmes. Non-EU students generally have to pay part of the first year before starting: half of the first semester at Tartu, the first semester at Tallinn University and the first year at TalTech.

The calendar is compact. For 2026-27, Tartu's master's applications ran from 2 January to 15 March and bachelor's and Medicine to 15 April, and TalTech's window for non-EU citizens ran from 1 February to 1 April. Tallinn University has already published autumn 2027 dates: 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027. All three universities charge a non-refundable EUR 100 application fee that covers two programmes.

English requirements are moderate and strictly listed. Tartu, TalTech and Tallinn University all accept IELTS Academic at 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each part, and ask for TOEFL iBT of 75, 75 and 72 respectively. None of the three accepts Duolingo. Exemptions are narrow: previous education completed in English in the EU or EEA, Switzerland, the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

After admission a student from outside the EU applies for a long-stay D visa and then a temporary residence permit for study, issued for up to five years. The Police and Border Guard Board requires legal income of EUR 880 a month in 2026. A student with that permit may work without a separate work permit and without an hourly cap, provided the work does not interfere with full-time study, and may stay nine months after graduating to look for work.