Social Sciences, Sustainable Urban Development (Bachelor of Social Sciences)

About the course

The Social Sciences track of Tampere’s multidisciplinary, English-taught Sustainable Urban Development programme looks at societal change in relation to well-being, equity and environmental sustainability, with courses shared with the Administrative Sciences and Technology tracks. In challenge-based Urban Lab courses, students work on real projects with organisations such as the City of Tampere. Admitted students can continue automatically to the Master’s in Social Science Research.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• Tampere accepts foreign school qualifications that give eligibility for an equivalent university degree in the country where they were awarded, so a completed Leaving Certificate that meets Irish university entry rules should count. Tampere does not publish minimum Leaving Cert grades, subjects or Higher/Ordinary levels, and CAO points are not used. Confirm with Tampere admissions.
• Leaving Cert holders apply in Admission Group I, ranked on their total SAT (Reading and Writing plus Maths) or ACT (English, Reading, Maths) score from a single test date; superscores are not accepted. Only tests taken after 1 January 2025 count, and the last usable test date is December 2026. Minimum scores are on Studyinfo.fi. Group II (school grades) is only for the Finnish matriculation exam, IB, EB, and RP/DIA completed in Finland.
• English: applicants admitted on SAT/ACT scores do not need to prove English separately. Upper secondary education taught in English in an EU/EEA country is also listed as an exemption.

How to apply

1. Book the SAT or ACTSit the SAT or ACT by the December 2026 test date at the latest; only your best total from a single sitting counts.
2. Apply on Studyinfo.fiApply between 7 and 21 January 2027 (15:00 Finnish time), choosing the Social Sciences track and Admission Group I.
3. Upload documentsUpload your school documents and test scores by 28 January 2027 (15:00 Finnish time).
4. Results and final certificateGroup I results come by 15 April 2027; accept by 13 July 2027. If admitted conditionally, send your final Leaving Certificate by 23 August 2027.

Costs

• No tuition for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, including Irish students. Non-EU students pay EUR 10,000 a year for the bachelor’s (EUR 12,000 for the master’s) in 2027. Tampere’s application page mentions a EUR 100 application fee; in Finland this fee is aimed at applicants from outside the EU/EEA, so Irish citizens should not normally pay it, but check the email Studyinfo sends you. You pay for your own SAT or ACT test.

At a glance