SAT® Prep Course in Finland

SAT requirements for Finnish universities: Aalto, Hanken and LUT

Three of Finland's leading universities admit international applicants to their English-taught bachelor's programmes on the basis of the SAT: Aalto University, Hanken School of Economics and LUT University. Each publishes its own criteria, so the score you need depends on where you apply — below is what each one looks for, and why it is worth applying.

SAT for Aalto University admission

Aalto University requires a minimum SAT total of 1350 with a Mathematics score of at least 700 for its Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology, and a minimum SAT total of 1200 for its programmes in Business and Economics. For the 2026 intake, only SAT tests taken on or after 1 January 2024 were accepted, and the application window for the English-taught bachelor's programmes runs in January.

Aalto is Finland's flagship university for technology, business and design, formed in 2010 from the merger of the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki. It ranks around 114th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2026, and admission to its English-taught bachelor's programmes is highly competitive — the 2026 round drew close to 6,700 applications. For a student aiming at engineering, business or architecture in the Nordics, Aalto is the most internationally recognised destination in the country.

SAT for Hanken School of Economics admission

Hanken School of Economics admits students to its Bachelor in Business through a dedicated SAT/ACT admission route, with roughly 60% of the available seats reserved for this path. In the 2025 admission round, the lowest admitted SAT total was 1110, so a competitive application is generally around 1100 or above. When registering for the test, use Hanken's College Board institutional code 7478 so that scores are delivered directly.

Founded in 1909, Hanken is one of the oldest business schools in the Nordic region and holds the "triple crown" of international business-school accreditations — AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA — a distinction shared by fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide. With campuses in Helsinki and Vaasa and an alumni network spanning more than 60 countries, it is a specialist, business-only institution, which makes it a natural target for students focused specifically on economics, finance or management.

SAT for LUT University admission

LUT University accepts the SAT for its English-taught bachelor's programmes in technology and business, taught across its campuses in Lappeenranta and Lahti. When registering, choose LUT University as a score recipient using its College Board institutional code 7603. Rather than publishing a fixed cut-off score, LUT assesses applications individually, so it is best to confirm the current criteria directly with the university.

Founded in 1969, LUT is a technology-focused research university built around a single, clear mission: sustainability. Its teaching and research concentrate on clean energy, clean water, the circular economy and sustainable business, and it is ranked among the world's top 300 universities by Times Higher Education. Both of its host cities were recognised in 2021 for environmental leadership — Lappeenranta with the European Green Leaf Award and Lahti as European Green Capital. For a student drawn to engineering or business with a green-transition focus, LUT offers a profile that neither Aalto nor Hanken matches.

Beyond Finland: applying to the US, UK and the rest of Europe with the SAT

The real advantage of the SAT for a student in Finland is that a single score reaches far beyond the country's borders. In the United States, the SAT is the standard undergraduate admissions exam, used across the great majority of universities. That reach is the SAT's core strength: one exam, prepared once, that supports applications on several fronts at the same time.

Elsewhere in Europe, several leading universities require a standardised test in which the SAT is the option most international applicants choose. The Stockholm School of Economics requires all international applicants to submit an SAT or ACT score for its English-taught bachelor's programmes. Bocconi University in Milan accepts the SAT as an alternative to its own admission test, with competitive applicants typically scoring around 1400. In both cases the test is effectively mandatory, and the SAT is the route most candidates take.

The United Kingdom works differently, and it is worth being precise about it. UK undergraduate admissions are based on A-levels, the IB or equivalent national qualifications, and no UK university requires the SAT as a primary entry requirement. Some universities may consider an SAT score as supporting evidence, particularly for students following an American curriculum, but it does not replace the main school-leaving qualification. If the UK is on your list, your A-levels or IB should be the focus, with the SAT as a possible supplement.

Why prepare for the SAT in Finland with a specialized SAT tutoring company

A student in Finland sitting the SAT is not competing against their classmates: they are competing against applicants from all over the world, many of them native English speakers with years of exam-specific preparation behind them. Whether a student comes from the Finnish matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto), the IB or another international programme, their education gives them a strong academic foundation — but none of those systems is designed for the logic, pace and strategy specific to this exam. The Finnish upper-secondary system rewards depth and sustained study; the SAT rewards fast, precise reasoning under strict time limits. The good news: the SAT score is one of the few parts of an application that can be actively improved, with a clear plan and defined deadlines.

And that is the difference between preparing on your own — or with a generalist teacher, without high-level practice software, without proprietary materials and without the experience that only years of preparing for this exam can give — and doing it with a specialized SAT tutoring team that since 2010 has taken thousands of students to their target score: the difference shows up directly in the result.

University admission criteria change from one cycle to the next. The scores, deadlines and requirements above are provided as guidance only — always confirm the current figures on the official admissions page of each university before planning your application.