Estonian Universities Maintain Scholarships Only for IT Students
Since 2025, state merit scholarships in Estonia are only awarded to future teachers and support specialists, but several universities continue to fund their own scholarships for IT students, considering the field strategically important.
Since 2014, all Estonian students could apply for state merit scholarships. The Ministry of Education allocated 2.4 million euros annually, distributed among 2,400 students. However, due to budget cuts, from 2025 the practice changed: state scholarships are now only paid to students in teacher training and support specialist programs.
Several universities, however, continue to fund scholarships for IT students on their own. The University of Tartu pays 240 euros per month to the top 10% of bachelor's level IT students. Professor Jaak Vilo explained that the university wants students to be able to fully concentrate on their studies. Previously, these payments were funded by the state IT Akadeemia program, but now it is integrated into the university's general subsidy.
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) grants scholarships to the top 10% of IT students, but similar support exists for students of all other specialities. In the spring semester, 315 students received scholarships, 80 of whom were from the IT faculty. Top IT students on the dean's list receive an enhanced scholarship of 300 euros per month, while others get 200 euros.
At Tallinn University, special scholarships for IT students were paid until the end of the 2022/2023 academic year under the state's "smart specialization" program; after the project ended, payments were discontinued.
Doris Põld, Executive Director of the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL), noted that competition in the IT labor market has increased. While a few years ago employers were ready to hire programmers straight from university, now they expect not only good technical knowledge but also practical experience, skills in using artificial intelligence tools, and teamwork abilities. However, long-term demand for software developers remains high, and ITL believes that to boost Estonia's economic competitiveness, the number of IT graduates needs to increase.
Despite steady demand, interest in IT programs is relatively low. This year, the University of Tartu's Computer Science program received 347 applications for 225 spots. At Tallinn University, Software Development had 112 applicants (3.73 per spot) and Interactive Design had 53 (2.65). TalTech's seven IT programs received 1,123 applications for 330 spots (3.4 per spot).
In addition to universities, vocational schools also train IT specialists. From the new academic year, vocational programs that include general secondary education have become four-year programs. The Ministry of Education hopes graduates of these programs can study at university under a shortened curriculum, especially in IT where some first-year knowledge is already covered in vocational school.
According to an agreement signed in May between the Ministry of Education and the University of Tartu, the university will increase enrollment in computer science and information technology programs at the first two levels of higher education to 440 students. This is one of the few fields where the state decided to expand admission.
Meanwhile, statistics show that young specialists are increasingly leaving the programming field. According to Statistics Estonia, in June 2022, 6,130 people aged 20–29 worked in the sector, but by 2024 this number had dropped to 5,070.
