Bachelor of Arts (Art and Design), Design and Media

About the course

A multidisciplinary, English-taught design programme covering visual communication, industrial and digital design and the links between art, media and technology, taught through hands-on, collaborative project work; the third year allows specialisation and a thesis. The bachelor’s (180 ECTS) comes with the right to continue to a two-year MA (120 ECTS).

Entry requirements for Irish students

• Aalto accepts school qualifications from outside Finland if they give eligibility for university in the country where they were awarded, so a completed Leaving Certificate that meets Irish entry rules should make you eligible. No Leaving Cert grades, subjects or CAO points are used for selection here: places are decided on Aalto’s own assignments and interview. Confirm eligibility with Aalto admissions.
• Selection: preliminary assignments, then intake assignments for those who pass, then an interview (3 to 7 May 2027). No SAT or ACT is required.
• English: proof is required by 29 January 2027. Aalto accepts upper secondary education completed in English in an EU/EEA country (including Ireland), so ask your school for a letter confirming you were taught and assessed in English. Otherwise you need IELTS Academic 6.5, TOEFL iBT 92 (4.5 on the scale used from January 2026), PTE Academic 68 or Cambridge C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency grade C. Gaelscoil students should plan on a test.

How to apply

1. Prepare proof of EnglishAsk your school for a letter confirming you were taught and assessed in English, or book IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Cambridge in time for results by 29 January 2027.
2. Apply and submit preliminary assignmentsApply on Studyinfo.fi between 7 and 22 January 2027. Complete the preliminary assignments (published 17 December 2026) and upload them with school documents and ID by 29 January 2027, 15:00.
3. Intake assignments and interviewIf you pass, intake assignments arrive on 17 March 2027 and are due 31 March 2027. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed between 3 and 7 May 2027.
4. Results and final certificateResults by 28 May 2027. Submit your final Leaving Cert by 31 July 2027; ask Aalto in advance how to handle this, as Leaving Cert results normally come out in late August.

Costs

• No tuition fees for EU/EEA and Swiss citizens. Non-EU students pay 15,000 euro a year for the bachelor’s. Check Aalto’s admissions pages for any application fee (Aalto’s fee applies to non-EU applicants). An English test (if you need one) is at your own cost.

At a glance