Exchange in Finland

 

There are lots of opportunities for you to become an exchange student in Finland during your university studies. The many different programs make it possible for you to choose almost any city and get a program that suits you, both at universities and universities of applied sciences. 

Many Finnish universities have the information you will need on their web pages. So if a certain university interests you, make sure to check out their web page! For example, if you want to study at the University of Turku, simply search for Turku University exchange and you will find the information. For more information regarding this particular university, check out this link: www.utu.fi/en/study-at-utu/exchange-studies

Another great university that you could apply to is the University of Helsinki. If you want to find out more about an exchange at this particular university, check out this link:
www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions/how-to-apply/exchange-studies 

The Erasmus-program allows students all over the EU to find opportunities to study in other EU countries. Contact your own university to check out the possibilities of an exchange via Erasmus. ISEP is another program that offers those who are interested  the chance to study abroad. Your own university can also tell you about partnering universities across Europe, among which there might be some Finnish universities, too. 

A good website to check this out is www.studyinfinland.fi. This site is operated by the Finnish National Agency for Education and contains all the information you need regarding higher education in Finland. 

We hope that you will choose to study here in the future and that you will love the unique Finnish culture and the loyal people of Finland.

Welcome to Finland! 


Ellen Lindström
 

Novia - University of applied sciences

 

Novia has three bachelor's programs in English: Maritime management, nursing and sustainable coastal management. Maritime management is the only English programme in Campus Turku. The bachelor’s programmes take about 3.5-4-5 years to complete. Anyone who has finished their Upper-secondary education can apply to Novia. 

You apply to Novia through the studyinfo.fi website (linked) either during the first application period (9 January- 23 January) or during the second application period (20 March- 3 April). International students are accepted only based on an entrance examination. The entrance exams are in Finland but some degree programmes arrange entrance examinations abroad. Studying at Novia is free for all EU-students.


Åbo Akademi

Åbo Akademi University offers master’s degree programmes in English but no bachelor’s degree programmes in English. There are 7 programmes available: biomedical programming, sustainable chemical and process engineering, information technology, international law and human rights, social exclusion, governance of digitalisation as well as biosciences. 

You can apply to the master’s degree programmes if you have a nationally recognized bachelor’s degree or a similar degree from an institution of higher education, you meet the language requirements and meet the program’s specific requirements. The application period for master’s degree programmes taught in English is 3 December - 31 January. If you graduate after the application deadline the application documents need to be submitted and arrive at Åbo akademi by 31 July at 3.00 p.m. Studying at Åbo Akademi University is free for all EU-students.
More information is accessed via this link. 


Turun Yliopisto (the University of Turku)

The University of Turku also only offers Master’s degree programmes or shorter exchanges to English-speakers. Despite that the university has 2300 international students from about 100 different countries (2019). Starting the autumn of 2019, the University of Turku offers Master’s degree programmes in economics and business administration, education, health and biomedical sciences, information and communication technology, law, natural sciences and social sciences (for example biomedical sciences, digital health and life sciences, east asian studies, education and learning, embedded computing, food development, future health and technology, futures studies, gender studies, global innovation management, human neurosciences, information security and cryptography law and information society, nordic cultural resilience and social change, physical and chemical sciences as well as software engineering) in English (more information is linked). The application period is from the beginning of December to the end of January. Tuition fees will not be charged from citizens of EU/EEA states or Switzerland. Fees aren’t acquired from exchange students or those partaking in a doctoral programme. Those who are to pay tuition fees can apply for a scholarship at the same time that they apply for a Master’s degree programme. More information about tuition fees and scholarships can be found here.
 

Anna Erika Back, Daniela Stålfors
 

Study in English in Helsinki

 

Here are some examples of where you can study in English in Helsinki.


The university of Helsinki

Here is the link to Helsinki university´s website: www.helsinki.fi/en

The university of Helsinki is a top university where you can study in Finnish, Swedish and English. This university offers a lot of courses in English and there are also courses on Master’s level completely in English.

Here you can find information on different degrees in English: www.helsinki.fi/en/degreefinder

Arcada University of Applied Sciences

Link to Arcada´s website: www.arcada.fi/en

Arcada is the top university of applied sciences located in Helsinki, Finland. 
Arcada offers a wide variety of courses for exchange students  in English on both Master´s and Bachelor´s level
.
   Here is a link for more information: start.arcada.fi/en/exchange

Here you can find the options in English: 

www.arcada.fi/en/education

Aalto University

 Link to Aalto’s website: www.aalto.fi

Aalto University offers a wide variety of courses in English.
Here you can study science and technology, art, design and architecture and business.

Here you can find the different options available in English: www.aalto.fi/study-options 


Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Here is a link to Metropolia´s website: www.metropolia.fi/en/

Metropolia offers studies in English on both Bachelor’s and Master’s level.

Here are the programs for a bachelor's degree: 

www.metropolia.fi/en/apply/studies/bachelors-degree/

Here are the programs for a master’s degree: 

www.metropolia.fi/en/apply/studies/masters-degree/


Luzmaria Nyberg

 

Volunteering in Finland

 

There are lots of opportunities to volunteer in Finland. While Finland might not have very many soup kitchens, there are many other ways to contribute to a better society during your time in Finland. 

One of the biggest portals for volunteering in Finland is vapaaehtoistyö.fi. Although this site offers a wide variety of positions, it mostly caters for people with at least a basic understanding of the Finnish language as the site is not supported in any other language. At the time of writing (8.2.2019), this site offers 793 open positions and has 25 169 volunteers working through their system. Another site offering opportunities to volunteer in Finland is toimeksi.fi. This site is available in Finnish, Swedish, English and Russian. If you do not find a position through any of these portals, hiiop100.fi also offers volunteers a chance of helping others in society. This site is available in Finnish and Swedish. 

Generally speaking volunteering in Finland is a well organized activity. One of the most common jobs that volunteers take on is, like in many other industrialized countries, caring for the elderly. This task mostly consists of taking the elderly out for walks and socializing with them, whereas the actual medical care is taken care of by professionals at the facility at which they are staying. It is also possible to volunteer in animal shelters and to make friends with new immigrants trying to make a life for themselves in Finland. 

Volunteering is a highly rewarding experience and when you find a position that you are truly passionate about, it can be a great addition to your everyday life in Finland. 

-    Matilda Lindroos