Apply to master’s studies with a string instrument as a main instrument

Published 15.11.2019 | Updated 18.11.2024

Degree studies with a string instrument as a main instrument are a part of the Classical Music Performance programme.

Applicants seek for entrance in main instrument groups. The main instrument is either:

• Violin;
• Viola;
• Cello; or
• Double bass

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

• Cello: Video submission deadline no later than at 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 21 March 2025
• Vola: Video submission deadline no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 9 April 2025
• Double bass: Video submission deadline no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 9 April 2025
• Violin: Second stage (held on site in Helsinki) on a single day between 5 and 9 May 2025

• 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.

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.

Master’s degree (2.5 years)

A person who has completed at least one of the following is eligible to apply:

• A lower university degree in music (Bachelor)
• A university of applied sciences degree in music
• A foreign degree or qualification in music that provides eligibility for corresponding higher education studies in the awarding country
• A lower university degree in another field and, additionally, higher education studies in music.

The Sibelius Academy may require that a person admitted to study towards a master’s degree complete complementary studies of a scope equivalent to a maximum of one year of studies in addition to the minimum number of ECTS credits required by the degree programme in order for them to attain the skills required in the training. In principle, complementary studies must be completed in the first year of study, and they must be included in the student’s personal study plan. The applicant is informed of the complementary studies required of them in connection with the admission decision.

The applicant’s educability is also taken into consideration in student admissions. Programmes that begin at the master’s level are aimed at applicants that do not have a prior master’s degree in the field in question. If the applicant already has a degree of the equivalent level, they are guided to pursue study opportunities primarily in continuous learning, continuing education, or doctoral education.

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 degree programme, major subject or main instrument again.

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 on 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

[updated 18 December 2024]

Applicants from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland are required to pay an application fee in order to apply to higher education studies. If you are from outside the aforementioned area and you are applying to bachelor’s or master’s level studies in Finland, you will need to pay the application fee.

The application fee is 100 euros. The application fee is collected by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Paying the application fee guarantees that your application will be processed in a manner described in this admission guide. The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies.

More information on the application fee 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:

1. You have submitted your electronic application and the required attachments to the Studyinfo portal before the given deadline; and
2. 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.

Violin entrance examination

The entrance examination consists of two stages. The first stage consists of submitting your advance assignment and the second stage is held at the premises of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

First stage: Advance assignment

The first stage of the entrance examination is a video audition. You are responsible for the production of the video recording.

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:

1. One movement of a sonata or partita for solo violin by Bach; and 
2. One caprice by Paganini

All compositions must be performed from memory.

On the video, play with your profile towards the camera, so that your hands and face are visible at all times. The video must not be shot from too far away. 

An individual composition must be recorded as a continuous and unedited take. However, both compositions do not have to be recorded in the same session. Individual compositions may be submitted as separate video files; you do not need to edit your entire audition into a single video file.

If possible, you are encouraged to submit your video audition in the form of a PDF file containing a link to the video on YouTube or Vimeo and its password (if any).

Editing or processing the audio or video of the recording is strictly prohibited. Any modifications to the video will result in disqualification from the admissions process. For more detailed instructions, please refer to our instructions for electronic entrance examination assignments:

Based on the scores given for the first stage, the Board will invite some 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 is held on site at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki on a single day between 5 and 9 May 2025.

Programme for the second stage of the entrance examination:

1. One virtuoso work (a caprice or other virtuoso piece by a composer such as Paganini, Wieniawski, Ernst, Ysaye, etc.); and 
2. A freely selected programme in a different style than the virtuoso work

The total duration of the second stage programme must not exceed 20 minutes. The second stage programme may contain work(s) from the first stage programme.

All compositions are to be performed from memory and without accompaniment (including works that require accompaniment such as parts of violin concertos).

The Board may, at its discretion, listen to only a portion of the programme. 

Viola entrance examination

Applicants for this programme are not required to complete advance assignments. All applicants who have submitted their applications by the deadline and who have been found to be eligible will be invited to the entrance examination. 

The entrance examination is a video audition. You are responsible for the production of the video recording.

Submit the following entrance examination assignment for assessment via the Studyinfo portal no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 9 April 2025:

A video recording, on which you perform:

1. The first movement of one of the following elective concerti: Bartók, Hindemith (“Der Schwanendreher”), Walton, Schnittke, Kurtág, or Penderecki; and 
2. A freely selected composition or part of a composition, which contrasts the elective concerto

The compositions do not have to be played from memory. Compositions requiring accompaniment are to be played with accompaniment. The accompanying instrument can be any harmony instrument (piano, harpsichord, accordion, guitar) or an orchestra.

Play facing the camera so that your face and hands are visible all the time. The video must not be shot from too far away. You must be visible in the frame at least from head to knees.

An individual composition must be recorded as a continuous and unedited take. However, both compositions do not have to be recorded in the same session. Individual compositions may be submitted as separate video files; you do not need to edit your entire audition into a single video file.

Editing or processing the audio or video of the recording is strictly prohibited. Any modifications to the video will result in disqualification from the admissions process. For more detailed instructions, please refer to our instructions for electronic entrance examination assignments:

Cello entrance examination

Applicants for this programme are not required to complete advance assignments. All applicants who have submitted their applications by the deadline and who have been found to be eligible will be invited to the entrance examination.

The entrance examination is a video audition. You are responsible for the production of the video recording.

Submit the following entrance examination assignment to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal no later than at 3pm EET (Finnish time) on 21 March 2025:

A video recording on which you perform:

• At least three (3) freely selected compositions from different stylistic periods displaying your technical and interpretative skills
  • The compositions can either be whole compositions or parts of a concerto/sonata/suite. You may submit previously recorded concert performances (filmed after 1 January 2024) as your freely selected assignments.

The compositions must be played from memory. However, a modern composition or a sonata or movement thereof performed with a piano can be performed from sheet music.

Play facing the camera so that your face and hands are visible at all times. The video must not be shot from too far away. You must be visible in the frame from head to knees.

An individual composition must be recorded as a continuous and unedited take. However, not all compositions need to be recorded in the same session. Individual compositions may be submitted as separate video files; you do not need to edit your entire audition into a single video file.

Editing or processing the audio or video of the recording is strictly prohibited. Any modifications to the video will result in disqualification from the admissions process. For more detailed instructions, please refer to our instructions for electronic entrance examination assignments:

The Board may, at its discretion, listen to only a portion of the programme.

Double bass entrance examination

Applicants for this programme are not required to complete advance assignments. All applicants who have submitted their applications by the deadline and who have been found to be eligible will be invited to the entrance examination. 

The entrance examination is a video audition. Submit the following entrance examination assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal no later than at 3pm EEST (Finnish time) on 9 April 2025:

A video recording on which you perform:

1. The compulsory orchestral assignment: Beethoven – 5th Symphony, 3rd movement: Allegro, bars 1–218
2. An elective concerto assignment, which is the 1^st and 2^nd movement of one of the following concerti, without cadenza:
   • Vanhal: Concerto for Double Bass
   • Bottesini: Concerto for Double Bass in B minor
   • Koussevitzky: Concerto for Double Bass
3. One etude from one of the following collections:
   • Mengoli: 20 Concert Etudes 
   • Nanny: 20 Virtuoso Etudes 
   • Cerny: 30 Caprices 

In addition to the video recording, submit a separate text file (PDF format) in which you have listed the compositions performed on the recording. 

The programme does not need to be performed from memory. Compositions including accompaniment are to be performed with accompaniment, if possible.

Previously recorded concert performances (filmed after 1 January 2024) are also accepted.

Play facing the camera so that your face and hands are visible all the time. You must be visible in the frame from head to knees.

An individual composition must be recorded as a continuous and unedited take. However, not all compositions need to be recorded in the same session. Individual compositions may be submitted as separate video files; you do not need to edit your entire audition into a single video file.

Editing or processing the audio or video of the recording is strictly prohibited. Any modifications to the video will result in disqualification from the admissions process. For more detailed instructions, please refer to our instructions for electronic entrance examination assignments:

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, the Entrance Examination Boards for strings will assess, based on your performances, your artistic development ability, technical capabilities, performance skills, learning capabilities, your understanding of the styles of different periods, and your potential to develop artistically and technically during your studies. 

Scoring of the entrance exam (violin)

The Board will assess your performances in all stages of the entrance examination on a scale of 0 to 25 points. 

Your performances in both stages of the entrance examination will be taken into account in the assessment of the second stage. The score for the second stage will remain your final score.

Scoring of the entrance exam (viola)

The Board will assess your performance on a scale of 0 to 25 points. 

Scoring of the entrance exam (cello)

The Board will assess your performance on a scale of 0 to 25 points. 

Scoring of the entrance exam (double bass)

The Board will assess your performance on a scale of 0 to 25 points. 

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. The waiting lists are either programme-specific or group-specific if there are several groups in a single programme.

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.