Starting from March, admissions are open to Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) via the SAIS admissions system. The university offers a total of 34 bachelor's and 42 master's programs (four and 12, respectively, in English).

Kirsti Naaber, admissions specialist at TalTech, said that the purpose of early admissions is the give people the chance to take the entry test, required for some programs, early. The first chance is in April and then May, which can free up valuable free time in the summer.

But Naaber added that the more active admissions period still takes place in the summer, when high school leavers learn their state examination results and get their diplomas.

All engineering and some natural sciences programs will also be available to students who just miss TalTech's admissions threshold this year.

"This means that for these programs, one can still apply even if the threshold we set, which generally is around 50 points for mathematics and about the same for the Estonian language state exam, is slightly below the threshold. For example, between 40-50, you can still try your luck. The reason is that the state expects more graduates in these fields from us, so we want to take an additional 'reserve' just in case," Naaber explained.

While the University of Tartu (UT) will be open to applications via SAIS from summer, prospective students can already register for the university's academic aptitude test today. Everyone who manages at least 65 points out of 100 will ensure for themselves a place at the University of Tartu.

"This is the sixth spring of early testing aimed at giving strong candidates who have set their sights firmly on UT certainty that they are welcome," said Tuuli Kaldma, head of the admissions service for the university.

Those who perform well on the academic test can choose between 31 bachelor's programs. However, the results of the academic test do not ensure automatic admission for all teacher training programs, for example.

"In fields where we definitely need to assess professional suitability, where a bachelor's degree already grants the right to work, such as the pre-school education teacher program, an academic test cannot be considered during admission because we have to conduct interviews with all candidates to assess their suitability for working with children," Kaldma explained.

Admissions are already open for programs not taught in Estonian at UT, with the deadline for applying in April. The university offers three first-level and 27 master's programs in English in 2024.

Admissions for programs in English have been open since February at the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Estonian programs will open in June. The university offers four full English degree programs.

University of Life Sciences and TalTech offer new programs

The Estonian University of Life Sciences will be offering its new circular bioeconomy (ringbiomajandus) program (in Estonian) from this fall.

"Whereas most curricula today tend to focus on a single aspect, this program encompasses everything from production to valorization, including higher-level valorization and waste valorization, covering knowledge of technology as well as production processes. Today, green skills and green topics have very importantly come to the forefront, and we have reviewed all our curricula in this light. So, actually, by this fall, all of our university's curricula have undergone a refresh," said Ina Järve, head of the Department of Academic Affairs at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

TalTech's new programs include sustainable enterprise and circular economy.

The University of Tartu is not planning to open any new bachelor's programs this year.

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