Application Procedure

Eligibility

Who can apply?

You need a recognised bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification and an academic, professional or project background that can support your proposed AISS study path.

Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Your education documents and your complete application are assessed during the admissions process.

AISS is interdisciplinary. Your previous degree does not have to cover every programme area. Your application should show how your experience connects with at least one of the programme’s core pillars and why you want to work across disciplines. Harmonisation courses help students develop foundations outside their original field.

Application checklist

What must you submit?

A complete application combines Tallinn University’s general documents with the materials required specifically for AISS.

English proficiency

Which English-language evidence is accepted?

Your evidence must meet the AISS-specific score and validity rules and remain valid at the beginning of your studies.

Validity

IELTS, TOEFL and PTE results must have been taken no more than two years before the beginning of studies. Cambridge English Qualifications may be up to ten years old.

Exemptions

You may be exempt from an international language test if you completed your previous level of education or your previous studies fully in English in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Switzerland or an EU/EEA country. You must provide an attested statement from the educational institution. Studying in English elsewhere does not automatically qualify for an exemption.

• Applicants from Finland may use a matriculation certificate with at least magna cum laude approbatur.
• Applicants from Latvia may use an English State Exam result of A or B, or a result corresponding to B2, taken less than ten years ago.
• Applicants from Lithuania may use an English State Exam result of at least 70 points, taken less than ten years ago.

Read the dedicated English-language requirements page →

Programme-specific materials

How should you prepare each AISS document?

Specific Requirements

Applicants also need to submit: 

• A situated motivation video (submitted as a link)
• A portfolio – skill set (submitted as a separate file)
• CV (submitted as a separate file)
• Self-funding plan (submitted as a separate file)
• Approved applicants will have an interview with the admission committee

Note:

• All the links must be submitted separately, not embedded within other documents.
• Ensure that each link is publicly accessible without registration.
• In order to qualify, candidates have to submit all the required documents.
• Note: having studied in English does not automatically exempt applicants from submitting an English language test.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible so that the admission specialists can give you feedback before the application deadline and give you a chance to update your application, if necessary. If you submit your application during the last week of the application period, you will not receive feedback, and we have the right to reject the application without any feedback or extra time.

Guidelines

I) Motivation video

The motivation video (max 1 min 30 s) should provide a clear overview of the applicant’s intention to study in the AISS joint master’s programme. Speeding up the video will also amount to rejection. The motivation video positions the applicant’s interests within the current research topics and the future workforce. The video is an opportunity to connect the applicant’s skill set and academic and/or professional background with the preferred topic. Applicants are encouraged to situate themselves within current academic and/or industry developments and to envision possible projects and outcomes for their potential Master’s thesis.

The video must be uploaded to the application using the Dreamapply online application system. We do not accept videos in the format of TikTok, Instagram, X, or other social media platforms. The video can be no longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds. Please note that if it exceeds the length limit, it will be rejected without the possibility of correction.

The video must clearly show the applicant. The applicant should be on screen for at least half of the video. Voice-overs or audio from other people or AI-generated voices are not allowed; only the applicant’s own voice should be used. Music and other background sounds may be included. The use of AI in the video that alters the applicant’s voice or image will result in a loss of points.

II) Portfolio – skillset

Applicants are expected to submit a portfolio with selected works demonstrating their previous experience and skill set on a professional level. The portfolio can include videos, images, sketches, 3D visualisations, graphic or interactive presentations, applications, GitHub links (excluding extra material), research, or citizen activity projects. The expected format of the portfolio is as follows:

• Up to 5 individual works with a brief description.
• The individual pieces of work should represent and identify the candidate’s best skills.
• Each work’s description should include a summary and relevant background information, to be understandable without accessing extra materials (such as books, podcasts, etc)
• In all cases, the applicant should clearly explain the skill set required for the project and their contribution.

The portfolio must be submitted as a separate file. If you add links to the portfolio, do not amend the webpages after submitting the file. The committee cannot read books, listen to podcasts, or access extensive materials. The application will be rejected if the webpage referred to in a portfolio is updated after the application period.

III) CV

Applicants are required to submit their Curriculum Vitae (CVs). The Europass CV is often used, but it is not an obligatory format. Other formats are acceptable.

• The CV should be a maximum of two pages long.
• Additional materials such as training certificates, recommendation letters, or other attachments should not be included, as they are not considered during the evaluation.
• If you add extra material not required for the application, you can be rejected.

IV) Self-funding plan

Applicants must submit a short written document explaining how they plan to cover tuition fees, living costs, and travel expenses. There is no official template for the self-funding plan, applicants are expected to demonstrate their ability to plan and realistically assess the financial requirements of studying in the AISS programme.

Submit a separate self-funding plan. Please explain how you envision funding the tuition fees, living expenses, and travel expenses if you do not receive the scholarship.  Please note that your application will be rejected if the self-funding plan is missing. Even those who can’t pay the tuition fee and fully rely on the scholarship have to have funds to apply (to travel for the visa if they get accepted to the programme) and to travel to Estonia and cover the living costs until the first payment of the scholarship is made – this will happen at the beginning of October.

Requirement for applicants with EU/EEA or Ukrainian citizenship from April 1 to May 13, 2026, admission only for tuition-paying student places:

Submit a separate self-funding plan. Please explain how you envision funding the tuition fees, living expenses, and travel expenses during your AISS studies. Please note that your application will be rejected if the self-funding plan is missing.

Please note:

• The document must only include the self-funding plan. Do not attach or embed any additional materials.
• Applications missing the self-funding plan will not be considered.

V) Interview

The interview with the admission board is conducted in English. Each candidate is assigned a 15-minute time slot (10 minutes for the applicant’s speech and 5 minutes for discussion with the admission board). The order of the interviews is arranged through email. If you are not on time for the interview, rescheduling it is impossible. The structure of the interview is as follows:

• A personal introduction of the applicant, focusing on their previous academic and/or professional experience related to their eventual studies in the AISS programme.
• An explanation of the applicant’s motivation to study in the AISS programme introduces the topics the applicant is interested in exploring in depth during their studies.
• An overview of the skill set that the applicant expects to acquire during their eventual studies in the AISS programme and the relevance of this desired skill set for the applicant’s future career plans.
• The applicant’s vision of the potential master’s thesis topic
• Answers to the follow-up questions from the members of the admissions committee.

Please note that not all candidates who passed the document round will be invited to the interview.

Evaluation Criteria

Applicants are evaluated based on:

1) Technical soundness of documents

   1a) All the documents must be technically sound and according to the rules. For instance, the motivation video is within the time limit; no extra files are sent; the portfolio has a summary of the projects and is not just a collection of articles or links, and the items are explained clearly and understandably without a need to go through extra links and files.

2) The documents need to adhere to the content that has been asked for.

   2a) The applicant’s intention to study, interests and current research topics, and connection to the program should be present for this motivational video.

   2b) The content in the portfolio should be on actual projects that have been executed. There must be a clear summary and connection to the program, explaining the skill set needed to select and execute these.

   2c) Originality is evaluated.

   2d) The CV is relevant and presents the work, education, projects, and social activities (e.g. social projects).

3) Interview criteria

   3a) The applicant is punctual, follows the interview structure, guidelines, and answers the questions.

   3b) The applicant is convincing, authentic, and does not read from the screen or provide predefined/written answers.

   3c) The applicant is able to express themselves.

The admission exam consists of assessment documents (50% of the final score) and the interview (50% of the final score).

Entrance exam part name: Documents

Minimum positive result: 35
Maximum positive result: 50

Entrance exam part name: Interview

Minimum positive result: 35
Maximum positive result: 50

Please note: We are not providing personalised feedback to applicants.