University of Helsinki

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki (UH) is Finland’s largest and oldest university with more than 36,500 students enrolled across 11 faculties. UH was established in 1640 at Turku on Finland’s south-west coast but moved to Helsinki in 1829 after Turku was levelled in a fire. The University is considered bilingual (Finnish and Swedish) but English is the defacto third language. UH is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) which includes institutions like Oxford and Cambridge.

Academic Highlights

UH is considered excellent for law, IT, science, pharmacy and the arts and is particularly renowned for its strength in scientific research, which informs its teaching. It consistently ranks in the world’s top 100 universities.

Location

All four campuses of UH are located in Helsinki with the main and original campus being in the city centre with facilities that include the botanic gardens, museums and Finland’s best libraries. Each campus has a particular home faculty: students studying arts and social sciences will be based at the City Centre campus, science students at Kumpula, medicine students at Meilahti, and life sciences students at Viikki. Check out the videos below for a virtual campus tour:

Did you know?

The UH Student Union was founded in 1868, has 32,000 members and is one of the world’s wealthiest student organisations with assets worth several hundred million euros, including a property portfolio based in central Helsinki. For more fun facts and reasons to study at UH, check out their YouTube channel.

Language of Instruction

English (limited in some areas), Finnish, Swedish

Program Duration

1 semester, 2 semesters

Academic Level

Undergraduate, Postgraduate

Minimum Result Required60% WAM
Previous Round Cut-off (WAM (%) or GPA)67% WAM

Anticipated Places in Semester 1, 2027

5 places

Exchange Availability

Green

Eligible Monash Campus

Monash Australia, Monash Malaysia

Agreement Scope

All Faculties except MADA, Business and Economics, Engineering

Handbook/Catalogue

Course selection, make sure you read the section headed Information for exchange students carefully before proceeding.

Restrictions

  • Units in Art Design and Architecture, Business, and Engineering are not available to Monash students.
  • When applying, prospective exchange students must have completed at least one academic year’s worth of studies in the field the student is applying to. It is not sufficient for the student to have completed a year’s studies in other fields.
  • In Psychology, the prerequisite is two full years of university-level studies in Psychology.

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

Semester

Min. 18 Monash points

Max. 24 Monash points

22.5 ECTS*

30 ECTS

ECTS - European Credit Transfer System

*If your study load cannot exactly equate to 22.5 ECTS, then you will need to complete a study load as close to 22.5 ECTS without going under in order to receive 18 Monash credit points.

Year

Min. 36 Monash points

Max. 48 Monash points

45 ECTS

60 ECTS

Academic Calendar

Helsinki 'Autumn' semester (Monash Semester 2): early September - late December
Helsinki 'Spring' semester (Monash Semester 1): mid-January - mid-May

Teaching Periods

Ancient cultures

Anthropology

Biological sciences

Chemistry

Chinese languages & culture studies

Communication and media studies

Earth, atmosphere, and environmental sciences

Economics

Education – early childhood

Education – primary schooling

Education – secondary schooling

English as an international language

Film and screen studies

French language & culture studies

German language & culture studies

History

Indigenous studies

Information technology

Italian language & culture

Japanese language & culture studies

Jewish language & culture studies

Journalism

Korean language & culture studies

Law

Linguistics

Mathematical sciences

Philosophy

Physics and astronomy

Politics and international relations

Public health and preventive medicine

Religious studies

Science

Spanish and Latin American languages & culture studies

Social work

Sociology

Theatre studies and performance

Translation studies

Ukrainian language & culture studies

  

Note

  • The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
  • Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

Accommodation

UH offers student housing in apartments located throughout the city, although places are highly competitive and students are not guaranteed a place. Read the information on housing page, including a specific article on how to apply for housing as an exchange student.

Visas

As a general rule, if you plan to remain in Finland for more than three months you must obtain a residence permit. The Embassy of Finland, Canberra, provides helpful information about applying for the residence permit. This guide for student exchange to Finland also offers information on weather, housing, clothing, transport, and other cultural topics.

UH also provides guidance on obtaining a residence permit for exchange students.

Health and insurance

In order to obtain a residence permit, exchange students need to have health insurance which meets the requirements set by the Finnish Immigration Service. UH also provides advice on health insurance.

When travelling on a Monash Abroad approved program, you are automatically covered under the Monash University Student Travel Insurance policy.

Orientation and extra-curricular 

Your attendance at the University of Helsinki’s Orientation is mandatory, which includes the Welcome Fair, faculty orientation meetings and a student tutor or buddy who helps you settle in to student life at UH.

Students also have the opportunity to learn Finnish at beginners or intermediate level with courses designed for exchange students.

Exchange students are strongly recommended to pay the voluntary Student Union Membership fee (about €50, which is roughly A$82 a semester), which includes student benefits like basic health care, discounted meals, saunas and legal assistance.

Cost of living

The University provides useful information about living in Helsinki, including an estimate of the cost of living.

Funding

For information about funding available to support study on exchange overseas, see the Financial Information page on the Monash Abroad website.

Important notes

Please note that Australian students applying for a residence permit (student visa) for Finland may need to travel to the Finnish Embassy in Canberra for an in-person appointment.

Students wanting to study Psychology units in the Faculty of Medicine must be in the third year of a Bachelor of Psychology. Students should note that space in these units is limited and access cannot be guaranteed. Students not at this level in this degree, but wanting to take psychology units, can consider Social Psychology units taught in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Please note there are not enough Social Psychology units available for a full workload.

Students wanting to complete units in life sciences in the faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Pharmacy, must be completing a major in the discipline and studying third year units at the time of the exchange.

To begin your application and study plan, click the button below.

Apply here

Have you been to the University of Helsinki and want to share your experience? 
Let us know about your exchange via this survey form and your testimonial could be shown here!

Joshua Khaw
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Commerce
Semester 1, 2017
Studied: Law units

Study Experience

My academic experience at UH revolved around six units of International Law, EU Law and Legal Philosophy, as well as a Finnish language unit. The semester is divided into two “periods”, each with their own set of varied unit offerings. The majority of classes were tutorial-style in nature with an emphasis on group participation, discussion and critical thinking. Attendance was usually recorded, although a number of absences are permitted and the unit coordinators are rather flexible with alternative methods of assessment should this be an issue. Assessment was typically based on an essay and class participation, rather than exams.

Culture

Helsinki is a charming, vibrant and relatively compact city that is surrounded by water (or ice, depending on the time of year) and forests/national parks. It is well connected by various forms of public transport and feels safe throughout the night. Despite being significantly smaller than Melbourne, it isn’t difficult to find interesting events to check out or places to visit. In addition, student organisations regularly hold a wide range of activities and events, including sitsits (uniquely Nordic student dinner parties with lots of eating, drinking, and singing).

Finland is wonderfully quirky and known for anything from saunas, heavy metal, Nokias, education, salmon soup, design, karaoke, and introversion, to being declared by the UN as the World’s Happiest Country in 2018. While it can be cold and dark at times, the weather certainly doesn’t stop the Finns from going about their daily lives with gusto. The stereotypically Finnish dislike of small talk should not be mistaken for unfriendliness- it is anything but.

Benefits of going on exchange

I loved making friends from different parts of the globe, and the challenge of successfully starting a life in a new and characterful country. The University of Helsinki has some great teaching staff and is highly renowned in the field of international law, which provided me the opportunity to study insightful, thought-provoking units that may not necessarily be available at Monash.

Career Benefits

Overall, going on exchange has definitely broadened my perspective of the world and made me more adaptable, inquisitive and self-sufficient.

Money and Budgeting

The cost of living in Finland is on the pricey side but shouldn’t be a problem with cooking and a little prior planning. Rent can probably range between €300-€600 a month, depending on the accommodation arrangement (single or shared apartment) and distance from the city centre. Most restaurant meals will set you back at least €10. Public transport will be approximately €30 per month.

Top tips

  • Learning Finnish (be it self-taught or through the university’s free Finnish unit for exchange students) is fascinating, makes life easier and certainly helps with feeling more at home in your new country.
  • Finland can correctly be classified as Nordic- which comprises the Scandinavian countries as well as Finland and Iceland- but not actually Scandinavian, which technically only refers to Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
  • A Finnish summer cottage experience in the Lakeland region and winter escapade to Lapland are absolute musts.
  • Take advantage of heavily subsidised prices from Student Union organisations. Unisport offers great value gym memberships and Unicafe will keep you well fed for €2.60 per lunch meal. Student Union membership entitles you to access free health care from Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS). When it comes to travel plans, Finnair and SAS have special fare categories for under 25s.
  • The clothes-recycling culture is also strong in Finland. A rich selection of quality apparel (e.g. winter-wear for Lapland trips) is plentifully available at second-hand stores.