Admissions 2026/27
The Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) offers eight international master’s programmes in art, design, architecture and art culture.
Applications for entry in the 2026/27 academic year will open on 1 February 2026. Application deadline is 2 March 2026 at 3 pm (EET).
The requirement for admission to master level studies is a bachelor’s degree, higher education obtained on the basis of professional higher education curriculum, or other relevant qualification that gives access to master level studies in Estonia. Educational qualifications obtained abroad are recognised by the Estonian Academy of Arts on the basis of assessments and opinions of the Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre.
The study period of all MA programmes is 2 years /120 ECTS.
Important dates:
- Applications for entry in 2026/27 are open on DreamApply or SAIS: 01.02—02.03.2026
NB! Applications can be submitted on DreamApply or SAIS:
International applicants with foreign education have to submit their application on DreamApply;
International applicants with a degree obtained in Estonia and a valid Estonian ID have to submit their application on SAIS (except for Contemporary Art MA and Craft Studies MA);
Estonian nationals applying to international programmes have to follow the rules here and apply on SAIS.
- Interviews (specific times of interviews will be sent to selected applicants after we have received all the required documents and application fee): 16.03—27.03.2026
- Admission decisions will be announced by 30.03.2026
- Deadline for contesting admission decisions: 01.04.2026
- Deadline for accepting offers is no later than 06.04.2026
- Study service contracts have to be signed and returned by 30.04.2026
- Tuition fee for the first semester needs to be paid by 04.05.2026
NB! All applicants will receive feedback via DreamApply, and all interviews with international applicants will be held via Zoom.
Documents:
NB! All the required documents, including the English language proficiency certificate, have to be submitted with the application by 2 March 2026 at 3 pm (EET). Please note that all incomplete applications will be rejected.
Documents required for all MA programmes:
— Copy of your bachelor’s degree certificate or equivalent, and its translation into Estonian or English (please check the requirements here)
— Copy of your transcript of records, and its translation into Estonian or English (please check the requirements here)
— English language proficiency certificate (please check the requirements here)
— Copy of the data page of your passport
— CV that contains the following information: personal and contact information, education history (including higher educational institution, field of study, degree earned and the topic of the thesis), work experience (including name of the employer, job title and description of responsibilities at any listed job), other general information (including activities, hobbies, interests, volunteering experiences etc)
— Payment confirmation (applications will only be processed after 80 EUR application fee is received by the Estonian Academy of Arts)
NB! Translations are only requested if documents are not in English or Estonian. Both the copies of documents in their original language and translations have to be attested.
Important to note:
Students graduating in the summer of 2026 who are unable to submit their educational documents (diploma and transcript of records) before the deadline are required to submit their latest transcript of records containing their current grades, and a written confirmation (email, certificate etc) from their educational institution stating that final educational documents will be issued to graduates no later 30 June 2026.
NB! The deadline for submitting educational documents (diploma and transcript of records) is 30 June 2026 at the latest. Soon-to-be graduates who will not be able to submit their educational documents by 30 June 2026 are not eligible to apply for the 2026/27 academic year.
If you have any questions, please contact us at admissions@artun.ee.
Candidates with special needs:
Candidates with special needs have the same admission requirements as everyone else, but based on their special needs, it may be possible to request adjustments during the admission process. If you find that there is a need and possibility for it, please contact our advisor for students with special needs at kaialeena.pino@artun.ee, preferably at least 30 days prior. With the request, please state the programme you are applying to, and the needed adjustments.
Contesting admission decisions:
The appeal process is in place to give candidates a chance to contest the decision in case they find that the admission rules were violated during the process. In order to be able to contest the decision, the candidate must describe all the circumstances of the alleged violation and refer to any possible evidence.
The application submitted by the candidate must include:
1) an explanation of the contested decision or action;
2) a reason why the candidate believes that the decision or action violates their rights;
3) an unambiguous request from the applicant.
Applications must be submitted to admissions@artun.ee. and the deadline to contest decisions is 1 April 2026.
Applications related to admissions to bachelor’s and master’s programmes will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Decisions will be carried out within two business days after the meeting.
The Estonian Academy of Arts offers the following international MA programmes in English:
ANIMATION (MA)
Programme-specific requirements:
— CV
— Motivational letter
— Master’s thesis project or vision
— Portfolio as PDF, some previously animated films or clips can be added as separate files or as an online working link (password included if necessary). The applicant should choose up to 5 best films/ clips or creative works and mention the choice in the PDF. You can add more but pre-selection of 5 is mandatory.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
CONTEMPORARY ART (MA)
Programme-specific requirements:
— Portfolio in digital format (max 20 Mb) must be well structured and contain at least 8 works (at least 5 works in case of larger projects).
— Completed questionnaire must contain comprehensive and articulate answers to all the questions asked.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
CRAFT STUDIES (MA)
Programme-specific requirements:
— CV
— Completed questionnaire
— Digital portfolio in PDF format, capacity up to 40 Mb (no more than 10 projects with short descriptions). If the portfolio contains works in video format, they must be presented in the portfolio as a working web link.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
GRAPHIC DESIGN (MA)
Programme-specific requirements:
— CV (maximum 2 pages in length)
— Completed questionnaire
— Portfolio in Digital PDF format (maximum 60 Mb) including 10–15 projects, with each project supported by a selection of 4–6 images and 50 word description. This can include a mix of professional commissions, self-initiated work, BA projects, unrealized and in-progress work, or projects from within other fields (where relevant). If including video work, use still-frames for the PDF, with an external link to the video. The PDF should be well organized, designed, and easy to follow.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
INTERACTION DESIGN (MA)
Programme-specific requirements:
— CV
— Motivational letter is a short essay where you introduce yourself and your motivation to join the program.
— Display of your previous experiences should contain a few samples of work, showing your past and present experience, interests and professional capabilities. Design projects, development projects, art and hobby pieces, articles, abstracts of scientific papers, short descriptions of business or volunteering projects, etc. can be included. It should be presented in PDF-format (up to 20MB) or as a web portfolio. Feel free to use any file download service (WeTransfer, Dropbox, etc). If you add web links (pointing to web projects, articles, etc), please make sure the links actually work.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
URBAN STUDIES (MSc)
Programme-specific requirements:
— CV (max 3 pages)
— Sample of your previous work can be presented in the form of architecture / urban design portfolio (single PDF document, max 20 pages and 12 MB), or writing sample (single PDF document, max 6000 words), or a combined sample of your design and written work.
— Motivation letter (max 500 words) should explain how you understand the terms “city,” “urbanism,” and “urbanization”. How does your education/experience prepare you for the programme? How would you benefit from, and contribute to, the programme? Discuss.
More information about the curriculum can be found here.
More information on tuition fees can be found here.
SERVICE DESIGN STRATEGIES AND INNOVATIONS (MA)
More information can be found here.
LITERATURE, VISUAL CULTURE AND FILM STUDIES (MA)
More information can be found here.
