Free or paid education?
Vocational education through EWERS is generally completely free for everyone. The government and the schools want people to have the opportunity to learn and grow without financial barriers.
To help you navigate the rules, let’s first look at how you can study for free, and then we’ll explain in which cases tuition fees apply.
You do not have to pay anything for your studies if any of the following apply to you:
- Strategic fields of study: Curricula in the fields of metalworking and mechatronics are available on EWERS with government support always free —even if you have already earned a degree at a similar level.
- Young people and first-time learners: No fees are ever charged to participants in preparatory courses, young people subject to compulsory education, or those enrolled in a vocational secondary education program without prior secondary education.
- Prospective students up to age 26: If you are 26 years old or younger, you can study for free until September 2030, even if you already have a free university or vocational school diploma.
- Unemployment Insurance Fund support: There are no tuition fees if you have been determined to have a reduced work capacity, are registered as unemployed, or are participating in a labor market program, and you have agreed with the Unemployment Insurance Fund in your action plan to enroll in a degree program.
- Transfer to a tuition-free spot: If you begin your studies in the pottery or painting program in a fee-paying spot, you may apply to transfer to a tuition-free spot once one becomes available.
The law and school regulations stipulate that you must cover your own tuition costs if you do not qualify for any of the above exemptions and any of the following conditions apply to you:
- You’re studying at multiple institutions at the same time: when applying for a training program, you have already been accepted into another free vocational training program or enrolled in a university program with tuition-free status.
- You are repeating vocational school: you have already completed free vocational training at the same or a higher level within the last 5 years (formal continuing education is an exception here).
- Recent higher education: You have graduated from a tuition-free university or university of applied sciences within the last 10 years.
- Repeated withdrawals: You have previously enrolled in free vocational training on two or more occasions, but dropped out of both programs, and less than 5 years have passed since your most recent withdrawal.
- Instruction in a Foreign Language: You choose a curriculum in which Estonian is not the official language of instruction.
- Custom-Ordered Paid Programs: Students enroll in specially created paid training programs offered by the school in the fields of pottery and painting.
A Few Important Points About Money
- The price is known before enrollment: The exact amount of tuition will be confirmed by the school board no later than the start of the admissions period.
- Tuition increases are capped: if you have already started your studies, the school cannot raise tuition fees sharply—the fee may increase by no more than 10% compared to the previous year.
- Obligations must be fulfilled: Financial agreements should be taken seriously, because if tuition is not paid, the school has the legal right to remove the student from the roster.