Funding Living Expenses During the Second Year of Master's Studies in Finland

“If you want to do research at the university, contact a professor early on and then follow up when summer applications open. I used my Fulbright professor contact and believe this greatly influenced me getting the job.” -Master’s Grantee on finding employment during their study period.

While your Fulbright Grant would still cover the tuition fees for your second year of study, it does not include stipend for the second year living costs. To provide information on how previous grantees have funded their second year living costs, the Foundation gathered data during spring 2022 via a survey of recent graduates in Finland on the theme. Some of the survey data and recommendations from the previous U.S. student grantees are below.

The majority of respondents (87.5%) supported the living costs of their second year of study, at least in part, via employment during their program. Commonly given advice by the alumni was to look for employment early and to use your contacts and network at the university to find employment. Note that the difficulty in finding employment during the program can vary depending on which city you pursue your studies in.

Others were able to attain additional scholarships or grants from their university of study based on factors such as their academic achievements during their first year. Since the scholarships awarded by each university are unique, it is recommended that you research your prospective university to see what potential awards are available and ask about these opportunities directly from the university.

Half of respondents said they also relied on previous savings to support living costs during the second year of their study. This was especially true when the alumni talked about personal costs like travel and going out with friends.

While you wish to have some sort of a plan for managing the second year of study expenses, the survey shows that you don’t need to stress too much about it ahead of time. 75% of alumni respondents reported having only a tentative to vague plan for how they would manage funding themselves during this time period. Reaching out online to some Fulbright Finland Foundation alumni from these programs is also likely to be helpful for providing you with firsthand, direct advice regarding your situation.

“...the importance of being very proactive in the job search if you want to use that as a source of funding. I started job searching already the first month I arrive with summer in mind and after 4 months of discussions with a company, I was offered a part-time role that became full-time in summer with a startup. Try to use your background to your advantage, for example, I found a startup planning to enter the U.S. market and did sales outreach for them…” -Master’s Grantee on finding employment during their study period.