Apply to degree studies in Early Music (Bachelor + Master)
Admissions guide to the 5.5-year programme in Classical Music Performance (Early Music as a main subject). Admissions schedule, required certificates and advance assignments as well as information about participating in the entrance examinations.
Degree studies Early Music are a part of the Classical Music Performance programme.
The main instrument in the Early Music programme is one of the following period instruments:
- Wind instrument (Baroque oboe, recorder, or traverso);
- String instrument (Baroque cello, Baroque violin, or viola da gamba);
- Harpsichord; or
- Lute
Admissions schedule 2025
- Application period: Send your application in Studyinfo portal between 8 and 22 January 2025 at 3pm EET (Finnish time)
- Advance assignments and other required attachments: Submit the required attachments and possible advance assignments in Studyinfo portal no later than at 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025
- Eligibility for studies: Sibelius Academy confirms your eligibility to apply no later than on 7 March 2025
- General music skills test (online): 16 April 2025
- Open University selection group: Deliver your certificate of completed path studies no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 28 April 2025
- Second stage (held on site in Helsinki): between 5 and 7 May 2025 (one day per applicant)
- Submitting your language certificate: If you demonstrate your language skills with a language certificate, submit your test results no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 16 May 2025
- Admissions results: Sibelius Academy publishes admissions results 28 May 2025
- Accepting your study place: Confirm your study place no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 10 July 2025
- Officially accept your study place
- Register for the academic year
- If you’re admitted conditionally, submit the required degree certificate
- If you are are required to pay tuition fees, pay your tuition fee
- Waiting list procedure: Waiting list procedure ends at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 5 August 2025
- Starting your studies: New students’ studies begin with an orientation period in August 2025
Who can apply?
A person with the background education required for the degree programme in question and sufficient language skills may apply for studies.
Sibelius Academy will check every applicant’s eligibility before the entrance examination.
Candidates for the Finnish Matriculation Examination and other applicants who receive their degree certificate in the spring after the application deadline are deemed conditionally eligible to apply. The decision on the admittance of these candidates is conditional until the applicant submits a certificate of their completed degree or other studies required for eligibility. The certificate must be submitted to the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office no later than 10 July 2025 at 3 pm EEST (Finnish time). If the applicant fails to submit the certificate by said deadline, the study place will be cancelled.
The Sibelius Academy may, at its discretion, also accept a temporary certificate issued by the educational institution if it indicates that the applicant has completed all studies required for the degree and will receive the degree certificate later.
Students are admitted to the Sibelius Academy based on their performance in the entrance examination. Certificate-based admissions or quotas for first-time applicants are not in place.
Combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees (3 + 2.5 years)
A person who has completed at least one of the following is eligible to apply:
- The Finnish Matriculation Examination
- An International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma
- A European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma at a European School
- A Reifeprüfung or Deutsche Internationale Abitur diploma
- A Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification, a further vocational qualification, or a specialist vocational qualification defined under the Act on Vocational Education and Training (531/2017)
- A foreign degree or qualification that makes you eligible for corresponding higher education in the awarding country
- A Cambridge Advanced International Certificate (AICE)
- A degree at a Finnish higher education institution or a degree abroad corresponding to at least a bachelor’s degree.
In addition, a person who has been granted the right to study in a university in Finland is eligible to apply.
The applicant’s educability is also taken into consideration in student admissions. Programmes that begin at the bachelor’s level are aimed at applicants that do not have a prior higher education degree in the field in question. If the applicant is eligible to pursue studies leading to a master’s degree based on the admissions criteria, they are guided to apply directly to a master’s programme.
Other exceptions to eligibility
The applicant cannot apply for both 5.5-year and 2.5-year programmes of a single major subject or main instrument in the same year. However, if the applicant submits an application to both programmes, the Sibelius Academy will:
- take account of the application for the 2.5-year programme if the applicant is eligible for it; or
- take account of the application for the 5.5-year programme if the applicant is not eligible for the 2.5-year programme.
If the applicant has completed a higher education degree at the Sibelius Academy, they cannot apply for the same main subject again, or the same main instrument in the case of Classical Music Performance.
The student admission for bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes applies to applicants who do not have a valid right to study at Uniarts Helsinki at the beginning of the applied right to study. A degree student registered at Uniarts Helsinki may apply for a change of right to study within the Sibelius Academy or between academies. There are separate instructions for applying for a change of the right to study. More information about the rule of one study right can be found here.
Language requirements
The languages of tuition in the Classical Music Performance programme are Finnish, Swedish, and English. You must demonstrate your language proficiency in one of the abovementioned languages by the given deadline. However, the majority of group tuition at the Sibelius Academy is provided in Finnish or English.
How to apply
Submit your application in the spring’s first joint application period from 8 to 22 January 2025 by 3pm EET (Finnish time) in the Studyinfo portal. Please note that you do not need to register in Studyinfo portal before completing the application form. More information on how to fill in the application form can be found here.
You can only submit one application form in this joint application. If you submit several application forms, only the newest one will be taken into consideration and all others will be deleted. Sibelius Academy will not inform applicants about deleted applications.
Submit the supporting documents and any advance assignments in accordance with the instructions provided. You must comply with the responsible conduct of research and good artistic practices. Admissions-related documents must be made by you yourself, and they cannot present other people’s ideas, information, words, images, works or other material without a sufficient reference. An improper use of artificial intelligence may be interpreted as misconduct, in which case the admissions assignment may be discarded.
Application fee for non-EU and non-EEA applicants
Information on a potential application fee for non-EU and non-EEA applicants will be updated here later, if needed. The implementation of application fees is dependent on a change of Finnish Universities Act.
More information on application fees can be found here.
Supporting documents
Submit the required supporting documents via the Studyinfo portal as PDF files no later than 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025.
If your certificates are in a language other than Finnish, Swedish, or English, in addition to the original certificates, you must also submit authorised translations of them in one of those languages (a translation made by an authorised translator or an official attachment to your certificate issued by the institution in question, e.g. a Diploma Supplement). Translations made by you yourself or other unofficial translations will not be accepted.
Documents required from all applicants:
- Degree certificate of the background education and a transcript of study records
- If you complete your degree after the end of the application period, it is adequate to submit the degree certificate no later than 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 10 July 2025. However, all applicants must submit a transcript of records during the application period.
- You do not need to submit a certificate of your prior education (degree certificate, transcript of records) if:
- you have completed the Finnish matriculation examination in 1990 or later; or
- you have completed a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification in 2017 or later; or
- you have completed a Finnish further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification in 2018 or later.
- In the above cases, we will receive your information from the electronic qualification register. If necessary, the Sibelius Academy will ask you for further information by e-mail.
- In case of a foreign degree, the Sibelius Academy may request clarification on the degree’s status within the awarding country’s education system.
- Certificate demonstrating language proficiency
- If you demonstrate your language proficiency based on your previous studies, the degree certificate or its appendix must clearly indicate the language in which the degree was completed. The degree demonstrating language proficiency must be completed no later than 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 10 July 2025.
- If you are unable to demonstrate your language proficiency on the basis of your previous studies, you must submit an international language test certificate compliant with the Sibelius Academy’s language requirements. The deadline is stated in the admissions guide for each programme.
- Official proof of identity
- Attach a copy of your passport, EU identity card, or Finnish driving licence to your application. The ID is used to verify the identity of the applicant in the parts of the entrance examination carried out remotely or via video recordings.
Applicants who are applying to study in English are also required to submit:
- A document exempting from tuition fees
- If you apply to study in English, you will be liable to pay tuition fees unless you submit a document indicating that you are exempt.
- More information on tuition fees can be found here.
Refugees, persons in a refugee-like situation and asylum seekers
If you are a refugee (you have been granted a residence permit on an asylum basis) or in a refugee-like situation (you have a residence permit based on subsidiary protection or you have been granted temporary protection) and you are unable to submit documentary evidence of your qualification, you may still be deemed eligible to apply.
Submit to the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office:
- a reliable report on the completed degree that grants you eligibility to apply and an additional report explaining why the documents are not available; and
- an official statement of refugee status from authorities (a decision on refuge, residence permit based on subsidiary protection or a certificate of temporary protection).
Submit the required documents by email to siba.admissions@uniarts.fi no later than 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025.
The Sibelius Academy will make a decision on your eligibility based on the submitted report. The decision is made based on unofficial documents provided by you or a report on one’s educational background requested from you. The aim is to verify the information provided by you by appropriate means considering the situation.
Applicants with refugee status must provide proof of their language skills required for the studies in one of the ways specified in the selection criteria.
Advance assignments
Advance assignments, if any, will be listed in the admission criteria for each degree programme. The advance assignments must be submitted as attachments to the application no later than 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025.
The advance assignments must clearly state your name and the programme to which they relate. Do not submit any other advance assignments than the ones requested. Upload the materials to the Studyinfo portal as early as possible. Large files may take several hours to upload.
Advance assignments sent by email or as an email attachment will not be processed.
Entrance examinations
You can be invited to the entrance examinations if:
- You have submitted your electronic application and the required attachments to the Studyinfo portal before the given deadline; and
- Sibelius Academy deems you eligible based on the submitted documents.
The implementation of the entrance examinations for each programme is described in the programme’s admission criteria. The entrance examination schedules of separate programmes may overlap. If you have applied for multiple programmes, you must choose which examinations you’ll attend in case of overlaps.
A programme’s entrance examination may consist of several stages and contain multiple sub-tests. If you do not submit all the required entrance examination assignments, do not acceptably complete all compulsory sub-tests included in the entrance examination, or your entrance examination assignments or performances do not comply with the requirements, you cannot be admitted as a student.
The Sibelius Academy will send applicants instructions for participation in entrance examinations in the entrance examination invitation. The exact times for individual entrance examinations are confirmed at the latest in the morning of the entrance examination day. Individual examination times cannot be changed except for compelling reasons not attributable to the applicant. Such reasons include the Finnish matriculation examination (or a corresponding event) and an accident or sudden illness (a medical certificate is required). In such cases, the examination time can only be rescheduled within the limits of the Entrance Examination Board’s working timetables.
The entrance examination is a closed event attended by the applicant, the Entrance Examination Board, and the agreed assistants (for example, an accompanist, a training choir, a board assistant, or the applicant’s assistant). Entrance examinations may not be recorded.
If you wish to cancel your participation in the entrance examination, notify the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office by email as soon as possible.
Individual arrangements in the entrance examination
If you require special arrangements in the entrance examination because of a sensory or physical disability, illness or other corresponding reason, you must apply for individual arrangements by filling in a separate application. The application must be submitted to the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office no later than at 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025. In the application, you must describe what kinds of individual arrangements are needed in the entrance examination and why these arrangements are necessary.
To clarify the nature of the disability or illness and the need of individual arrangements, you must acquire a statement issued by a medical specialist or other corresponding expert and deliver it along with your application for individual arrangements.
More information on individual arrangements can be found here.
Early Music entrance examination
The Early music programme has two selection groups:
- General selection group
- Open University selection group
On the application form, you must select the selection group in which you are applying. New students in both selection groups will be selected separately. However, the selection groups have a joint waiting list.
The first stage of the entrance examination is different for each selection group. The second stage of the entrance examination is the same for both selection groups.
General selection group
The entrance examination consists of two stages. In the first stage you deliver your advance assingment, and the second stage is held on site at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. The entrance examination also includes a general music skills test.
First stage: Advance assignment
The first stage is a video audition. Submit the following advance assignment to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal no later than at 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 29 January 2025:
- A video recording on which you perform an approximately 5 minute repertoire of your choice with the period instrument you have listed in your application form, which is different from the repertoire you will play in the second stage of the entrance examination
The compositions do not have to be played from memory. Compositions including accompaniment should be performed with accompaniment, if possible. The accompanying instrument may be a keyboard instrument, plucked instrument, cello, or viol.
You must play facing the camera so that your face and hands are visible at all times. If your main instrument is harpsichord, shoot the video recording from the side, so that you are fully visible while playing. The video must not be shot from too far away. You must be visible in the frame from head to knees.
The video recording must not be edited. All pieces included in it must be played continuously in one uninterrupted take. If your video exceeds the 1 GB maximum size, you may divide a single-take video into smaller segments.
Based on the scores given for the first stage, the Board will invite some of the applicants to the second stage of the entrance examination. Information on the results of the first stage will be sent by e-mail.
Second stage
The second stage of the entrance examination will be held on site at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki between 5 and 7 May 2025 (one day per applicant). The exact audition time will be announced, at the latest, in the invitation to the second stage of the entrance examination.
The second stage consists of the following sub-parts:
Instrument audition
Repertoire for the instrument audition:
- Musical acquisition assignment which will be sent to applicants by e-mail two weeks before the entrance examination
- Two freely selected compositions representing different stylistic periods
- Prima vista playing at the discretion of the Board
- In addition, harpsichord and lute players will be given a continuo assignment which will be sent to applicants by e-mail two weeks before the entrance examination
Perform the repertoire with the period instrument you have selected as your main instrument on the application form. The compositions do not have to be played from memory.
Compositions requiring accompaniment are to be played with accompaniment. You may use your own accompanist or one provided by the university. If you use the university’s accompanist, the accompanying instrument is a harpsichord or portative organ.
In your application form, please indicate if you want to use a university accompanist. The Sibelius Academy does not offer the opportunity to practice with the accompanist before the entrance examination. If you use the accompanist provided by the university:
- Submit the sheet music of your freely selected compositions as instructed in the invitation to the entrance examination. Submit the sheet music in PDF form and each composition as a single file (not one page per file). The maximum file size is 20 MB. The names of the composer and the composition as well as your name and the programme you are applying for must be stated at the beginning of the sheet music of each composition.
- Bring the same sheet music to the entrance examination as either originals or copies taped together.
Changes to the accompanist selection cannot be made after the deadline for the submission of the sheet music (28 April 2025).
Interview
The Entrance Examination Board will interview you in connection with the instrument audition.
Open University selection group
The Open University selection group is available to applicants who have completed the required path studies in Early Music (30 cr) in the Open University of the University of the Arts Helsinki before taking the in-person Early Music entrance examination. More information can be found here: Open University path to Early Music studies.
The applicants who have completed the required Open University path studies by the given deadline will be directly invited to the second stage of the entrance examination, which will be held on Sibelius Academy premises in Helsinki. The entrance examination also includes a general musical skills test.
First stage
Submit a certificate of your completed Open University path studies as a PDF file via the Studyinfo system no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 28 April 2025.
Applicants in the Open University selection group will be sent a conditional invitation to the entrance examination before the on-site entrance examination, which will be cancelled if the applicant has not completed the required Open University path studies by the given deadline.
Second stage
The second stage of the entrance examination will be held on site at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki between 5 and 7 May 2025 (one day per applicant). The exact audition time will be announced, at the latest, in the invitation to the second stage of the entrance examination.
The second stage consists of the following sub-parts:
Instrument audition
Repertoire for the instrument audition:
- Musical acquisition assignment which will be sent to applicants by e-mail two weeks before the entrance examination
- Two freely selected compositions representing different stylistic periods
- Prima vista playing at the discretion of the Board
- In addition, harpsichord and lute players will be given a continuo assignment which will be sent to applicants by e-mail two weeks before the entrance examination
Perform the repertoire with the period instrument you have selected as your main instrument on the application form. The compositions do not have to be played from memory.
Compositions requiring accompaniment are to be played with accompaniment. You may use your own accompanist or one provided by the university. If you use the university’s accompanist, the accompanying instrument is a harpsichord or portative organ.
In your application form, please indicate if you want to use a university accompanist. The Sibelius Academy does not offer the opportunity to practice with the accompanist before the entrance examination. If you use the accompanist provided by the university:
- Submit the sheet music of your freely selected compositions as instructed in the invitation to the entrance examination. Submit the sheet music in PDF form and each composition as a single file (not one page per file). The maximum file size is 20 MB. The names of the composer and the composition as well as your name and the programme you are applying for must be stated at the beginning of the sheet music of each composition.
- Bring the same sheet music to the entrance examination as either originals or copies taped together.
Changes to the accompanist selection cannot be made after the deadline for the submission of the sheet music (28 April 2025).
Interview
The Entrance Examination Board will interview you in connection with the instrument audition.
General music skills test
In addition to the main instrument or main subject exam, the entrance examinations for the 5.5-year degree programme will include a general musical skills test. The test will be organized remotely at 10.30am or 6.30pm EEST (Finnish time) on Wednesday 16 April 2025.
You must indicate the desired test date on the application form during the application period. The maximum duration of the test is two hours. Each applicant only participates in the examination once, even if they apply for more than one target programme. Only applicants still in the admissions process will take the general music skills test.
The tests can be used to assess, for example, sight-reading fluency, understanding of musical concepts (keys, harmony, cadences, intervals, time signatures and time values), aural perception fluency and notation by ear, and knowledge of the history of Western art music.
Below are model assignments that give you an idea of the level of competence required in the test. Individual task types may vary. The applicants will be informed of the more detailed implementation of the test at latest two weeks before the test by e-mail. Click here to see the model assignments (model test will be published in the admissions guide by the end of the application period).
The examiners of the general musical skills test will give the selection board an opinion on your prerequisites for completing the studies in accordance with the curriculum within the target time and the possible need for taking part to the preparatory unit in structural awareness of music. The selection board will take the opinion into account as part of the overall assessment in the final stage of the entrance examination, unless otherwise is mentioned in the admissions guide of the programme in question. Only applicants who have made it to the final stage of the entrance examination will be assessed.
The results of the general musical skills test can be used as part of the assessing the starting level of applicants selected as students. If the selected applicant does not demonstrate sufficient capabilities for university-level general music skills studies, they are obligated to complement their competence with completing the preparatory unit in structural awareness of music. Further information will be provided in the acceptance letter. Preparatory unit in structural awareness of music must be completed before the actual general music skills courses.
The test will be held in the language in which you have applied for a study place.
Click here for more information on studying general musical skills.
Entrance examination assessment
Applicants’ performance in the entrance examinations is assessed by programme-specifically appointed Entrance Examination Boards.
The Board assesses your knowledge, skills, and capabilities, and your capacity to complete the degree studies within the normative duration for the completion of a degree. The assessment takes account of how your previous education and experience reflects in your competence and assesses your competence in relation to the objectives set in the curriculum. When assessing your educability, it is also taken into consideration that the new degree must provide you with sufficient new competence.
In addition, during the entrance examinations for early music, the Board will assess your:
- Artistic merits and uniqueness
- Knowledge of performance practices from different periods
- Stylistic awareness, musical organisation and phrasing
- Technical quality (tone, intonation, motor skills).
During the interview of the entrance examination, the Board will also assess your objectives in relation to the degree programme’s curriculum, which emphasises ensemble playing, research and seminar work.
Scoring of the entrance examination
General selection group: In the first stage of the entrance examination, the Board will score your performance on a scale of 0 to 1 and in the second stage on a scale of 0 to 25 points. Your score for the first stage will not affect your score for the second stage. The score for the second stage will remain your final score.
Open University selection group: The Board will score your performance on a scale of 0-25 points during the second stage of the entrance examination. The score for the second stage will remain your final score.
Admissions results
For each degree programme, the Entrance Examination Boards will rank the applicants according to their performance in the entrance examination. The final decision on students admitted to the programmes and those placed on the waiting list is made by the dean of the Sibelius Academy.
A study place is offered to highest scoring applicants who meet the selection criteria. The next best applicant(s) after those admitted as students may be placed on a waiting list, in the order of their point scores in the entrance examination, in case a study place is vacated later. In Early Music programme all applicants who are placed on the waiting are placed on the same shared waiting list.
A study place will become vacant and can be offered to an applicant on a waiting list only if one of the applicants admitted to the same degree programme (or group) chooses not to accept the study place, or if someone who has been conditionally admitted fails to submit the necessary documents by the end of the deadline. If no applicants were placed on a waiting list when the programme’s admissions decision was made, applicants cannot be placed on the waiting list during that same round of admissions even if not all students admitted are able to accept their study place.
If there are no applicants who meet the admissions criteria, some programmes may choose not to admit new students. If a specific degree programme does not admit any new students, applicants to that programme cannot be placed on a waiting list.
Announcement of results
Admission results, including the names of the applicants who have given the permission to have their names published online, will be published on the Uniarts Helsinki website. In addition, you can view your situation in the Studyinfo portal.
Admitted applicants and those placed on the waiting list are informed of the results by e-mail. Other applicants will not be notified of the results by e-mail.
Feedback
You may request feedback on your entrance examination performance. The feedback provides you with information on how the evaluation criteria stated in the admission criteria were applied in the assessment of your entrance examination. Instructions for requesting feedback will be published on the Uniarts Helsinki website in connection with the publication of the admission decision.
Rectification procedure
If you believe that the Sibelius Academy has acted contrary to its admission criteria, you can request for rectification to the student admission decision from the Sibelius Academy in writing within 14 days of the publication of the admission results.
The rectification procedure is not intended as a means for receiving feedback, asking for further information about the admission or requesting unjustified re-evaluation.
More information on the rectification procedure can be found here.
Accepting the offered study place and starting your studies
You must accept your study place no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 10 July 2025. If the confirmation arrives late, it will not be considered.
Accepting an offer of admission is a binding choice, which cannot be changed or cancelled later on. If you want to give up your study place after first accepting it, you are still considered to have accepted the study place for the semester in question (for more information, see ‘one study place per term’ provision).
Tuition fees and tuition fee waivers
Uniarts Helsinki will charge an annual tuition fee from students who come from countries outside of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland studying for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in a foreign language. In Sibelius Academy’s admissions, tuition fees apply to applicants applying to study in English. The amount of the annual tuition fee will stay the same for the statutory duration of a particular student’s studies.
If you are liable for payment due to your nationality, you must use the application form in the Studyinfo portal to notify whether you have a document that would release you from payment. The document that proves your right to exemption should be submitted to the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office by the deadline given. If your liability to pay the fee changes after the application deadline, please contact the admissions office immediately.
Uniarts Helsinki has a scholarship programme for students who are liable for payment in the form of tuition fee waivers. The scholarship programme is applied to students whose right to study at Uniarts Helsinki has begun before 1 August 2026.
If you are liable for payment, you must state on your application form if you want to apply for a tuition fee waiver from Uniarts Helsinki in case you are admitted as a student. Tuition fee waivers are awarded for one academic year at a time based on students’ applications. Tuition fee waivers awarded to new students from the university’s scholarship programme are 50% of the tuition fee during the first year of studies.
More information on tuition fees at Uniarts Helsinki can be found here.
Starting your studies
First-year studies begin in mid-August with an orientation period that is compulsory for all new students. New students are sent more detailed information on the start of their studies as an attachment to their letter of acceptance.
New students must register as attending at the Sibelius Academy before the academic year begins – more information will be sent to you along with your acceptance letter. You can apply for the right to be absent for the first year of studies only under certain statutory circumstances. The right to absence must be applied for in writing to Sibelius Academy before the end of the registration period. Submit a certificate that entitles you to absence with your application.
More information on registering as absent for the first year of studies can be found here.
Questions or comments?
You can contact us via e-mail at siba.admissions@uniarts.fi.
If you have any questions, please check first if your question has been already answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page. This page will be updated constantly. Please check it regularly to see if new questions have been answered. Please note that in principle we do not explain the entrance examination assignments. The instructions are in the admissions guide.
If you have any questions regarding student life at the Sibelius Academy or in Helsinki, you can contact our Student Ambassadors at siba.student.ambassadors@uniarts.fi.
The Sibelius Academy Admissions Chat
What is it like to study at the Sibelius Academy and live in Helsinki? How do you apply to the Sibelius Academy? We answered these questions among others in our Admissions chat broadcast 19 November 2024. The recording of the event is available on Sibelius Academy’s Instagram account. Please click here to open the recording.