Three Lapland municipalities open student loan compensation applications

Applications for student loan compensation have opened in Sodankylä, Inari and Utsjoki, Yle reports. Recent graduates moving to one of the three municipalities can apply for up to 5,800 euros.

The compensation is paid for a maximum of three years in 12-month periods. The trial will continue until 2028 and is the first of its kind in Finland.

The three-year trial aims to attract young adults to begin their careers in northern Lapland, according to a statement from the Sodankylä municipality.

Eligible applicants must have recently graduated or have graduated no more than two years before the first compensation application period. The loan may be from a vocational qualification, a university of applied sciences degree or a university degree.

Applicants must move to Sodankylä, Inari or Utsjoki, or have lived in one of the municipalities for no more than two years. Their workplace or remote working location must also be in one of the municipalities included in the trial.

Compensation is also available to applicants who work in Norway. In that case, they must live in Inari or Utsjoki, which border Norway.