FAQ for new international degree students

No, accepting the admission offer and enrolment are separate processes. At Aalto, you must enrol for each academic year or term during your studies. Please see enrolment instructions for new students here: for bachelor's students and for master's students.

We recommend that you enrol as soon as possible, at the latest by 31 July. This is to ensure having enough time to prepare for your studies, including enrolling online and applying for housing. 

However, you may not be able to enrol before 31 July if you have received conditional admission due to an incomplete degree and will graduate close to 31 July. You will be able to enrol only after we have received your degree certificate. To enrol after 31 July, please contact the student services ([email protected]). If you do not enrol by the end of the enrolment period, you will lose your study right.

First, please check that you don't have any conditionalities in your admission. After the conditions are met, you can enrol as attending online at My Studyinfo. To log in, use the same link that was in the admission email from Studyinfo (i.e. the link you clicked to accept your admission offer). 

Enrolment is done online and annually until you graduate. There is no need to report physically upon arrival. You will get to meet your professors and key support persons during the orientation week.

Unfortunately, based on the Finnish Universities Act, you cannot defer the start of your studies. An exception to this are situations outside of your control such as parental leave or illness. Please check the enrolment page for statutory absences. 

If you have a scholarship from Aalto University, please see the page for tuition fees to learn how the absence might affect your scholarship. 

If you are a citizen of a European union (EU) member state, a Nordic country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you do not need a residence permit to study in Finland. 

However, you have to register with the authorities upon your arrival in Finland. More information about registering with the authorities.

Aalto does not provide health insurance for international students. More information on health insurance.

In short, citizens of non-EU/non-EEA countries are required to have valid health insurance already when applying for their residence permit for Finland. Citizens of EU/EEA countries are entitled to medical care while staying temporarily in another EU/EEA-country; the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) serves as a proof of the entitlement. 

Submit your online application as soon as you have received your Letter of Admission. Remember to also book an appointment to the Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or a VFS Global application centre in your country. The residence permit process starts with an online application and ends when you receive the residence permit card. The whole process might take several months.

More information on residence permit for studies.

If you cannot start the residence permit process immediately after admission, you can consider applying for a D visa. This can be applied for at the same time when you apply for the residence permit. D visa allows you to skip the last step of the residence permit process, which entails waiting for the residence permit card after having received the positive decision. Information on D Visa on Migri's website. 

Don’t worry yet! There is a lot you can do to prepare for the start of your studies before coming to Finland. Start with the Pre-orientation course and this guide for International Students, for example.

If you haven’t received the residence permit decision by the beginning of August (approximately), please contact the learning services of your school.

Unfortunately, the university cannot expedite the residence permit process. You can check the processing time calculator on Migri's page.

Unfortunately, the university cannot expedite the process. The Finnish Immigration Services (Migri) and the embassies receive data of admitted students from the universities from a national portal. Using this, they can plan to allocate resources to locations with lots of residence permit applications. Please check the FAQ on Migri's pages and Migri's instruction videos and webinars. 

No need to. You can start the residence permit process right away. Please see residence permit for studies (Migri) and student residence permits and health insurance (aalto.fi) for further information.  

Your study right at Aalto University begins on 1 August. This is the earliest possible starting date for your residence permit. Your actual arrival date might be different from this, depending on e.g. how you arrange your accommodation. 

We encourage you to arrive before the orientation week starts. You can find the orientation week programme in the Student Guide page of your study programme (Starting your studies). 

Keep this also in mind when applying for housing (see FAQ for housing below).

We strongly encourage everyone to arrive before the start of the orientation week, but sometimes this may not be possible for a reason outside of your control. If you still arrive before the classes begin, you will only miss a week full of information, networking, and fun, but you will not lose your seat. Make sure that you prepare for your studies independently by studying the Pre-Orientation course and registering for the courses starting in Period I. 

If you arrive during the first week of classes, you may be able to catch up quite easily. If you arrive more than one week later, you will still not lose your seat but this may affect your ability to progress in your studies at the recommended pace. You may miss the courses in Period I completely, meaning you have to catch up later. In the worst case scenario, you may not be able to graduate within the normative time. The effect is more dramatic the shorter your study period at Aalto is (e.g. double degree programmes). 

It's good to note that teaching is organised in five teaching periods during the academic year, with a duration of 6 to 7 weeks each. On courses that only take one teaching period, missing one week is already a significant share of the course and might affect your input in group work, for example. 

Teaching at Aalto University is generally on campus, with a few exceptions of online courses. Teachers are not obliged to offer online participation. 

The most important thing is to reserve enough time for apartment hunting! Finding affordable accommodation can sometimes be tricky, which is why we suggest searching for an apartment from several housing providers at the same time. 

We recommend applying as early as possible, but keeping in mind two things: 

• you will need your Letter of Admission from Aalto to apply for housing, and
• the housing providers (AYY and HOAS) may have additional instructions for the application window, depending on your intended move-in date. 

Please check the housing providers’ web pages and the questions & answers below for further information. 

The rooms are unfurnished unless mentioned otherwise. There are many possibilities to find affordable, second-hand furniture and other equipment on the campus and nearby.

The contracts always begin on the first day of each month (with the exception of Mikkeli campus, see more information on the housing page). 

Your study right starts on the 1 August, so you can apply for housing already for August. Alternatively, you can apply for housing as of 1 September and find a temporary place for the first few nights. Please note that sometimes the rent for one month in a student apartment can be less expensive than a few nights at a hotel. 

Remember to check the opening hours of your housing office and consider this when booking temporary accommodation. If you arrive outside office hours or during weekend, you might not be able to collect your keys right away.

More information on housing for students on the housing page.
 

Unfortunately, it is not. AYY and HOAS are independent organizations who receive data of admitted students from the university, but the university cannot influence the application process. As a new international student, you get priority points in the application process.  

For more information, please check the housing page and attend the possible webinars organised during spring.

No, you are also free to look for housing in the private market. Rental apartments are usually unfurnished, and the average rent typically starts from 600€/month. More information about private housing market.

There is a lot of demand for affordable apartments in the private market in the beginning of the academic year. Looking for an apartment might be difficult to arrange if you are not physically in Finland. Please be aware of scams, too.

Wait patiently. Regardless of the submission time of your application, offers for tenancy agreements beginning on 1 August are made mainly in June and July. Apartments becoming available on 1 September are offered mainly in July and August. 

You can also book temporary housing as a back-up. More information on short-term accommodation.

Please see the AYY housing FAQ page and the HOAS page for applicants. 

As housing will most likely be your biggest monthly expense, the answer to this question depends highly on where you live. Roughly, we recommend students to reserve 600 EUR, at the very minimum, for monthly living costs. See a table of estimated costs here.

You can download one from the moving to Finland and financial matters page ('Certificate of required funds for degree students').

You don't have to bring all your belongings with you, as you can get practically everything you need in Finland. However, there are some things that make it easier in the beginning. Check out the list of suggestions on what to bring with you.

In many ways! You can check out for example the Finland Studies MOOC. This course is designed for international students. It offers societal, organisational, and individual-level perspectives on Finnish student life, as well as practical know-how for studying in Finland. 

The next step (and our expectation for you) is to complete the Pre-Orientation Course at Aalto University. 

If you struggle with fitting in or understanding the unspoken rules after starting your studies, you are always welcome to drop in at the Starting Point of Wellbeing (no appointment needed). 

Each Aalto student has a right to receive reasonable individual study arrangements for medical reasons. A medical reason may be dyslexia, a sensory impairment, mental health condition, or learning difficulty. Read more about individual study arrangements. 

There is a person responsible for individual study arrangements at the learning services of your programme or school. If you need individual study arrangements, please arrange a meeting with them after your arrival. You will be asked to present a statement of your condition signed by a doctor, psychologist, or other expert. Please prepare to take this document with you when you come to Finland.

University students pursuing a bachelor's or a master's degree in Finland are provided basic health care services by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). In most cases, the process for getting a diagnosis starts by contacting them. However, note that the process may take some time and involve additional fees. More information about individual study arrangements.

Diversity and accessibility are the guiding principles of equality at Aalto University. 

Accessibility supports the Aalto community in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to access the university’s knowledge, ideas, and resources. This concerns for example teaching, academic activities, campus, and available services. Accessibility is taken into account both physically and digitally. 

Recognising and removing barriers is an on-going process requiring everyone’s input. Read more about accessible Aalto here.

Please check the working in Finland page for more information about working during studies.

In Finland, it is common for university students to work part-time during the academic terms or full-time over the summer months. Working full time during the academic terms is not recommended as our curricula are designed for full-time students. However, working part time may be possible.

If you are a non-EU/non-EEA student arriving with a student residence permit, please note that the main purpose of your stay in Finland should be studying. In addition, the residence permit for studies comes with some restrictions to working hours. Your tuition fee liability or scholarship validity period may also set pressure to study progress. 

In the end, it’s about your personal resources and how you are able to manage your timetable and work-life balance.

Aalto University Career Design Lab is there to support you with employment related questions. We cannot find the job on your behalf, but we have a wide variety of services and events to support you with the search. All of these are free of charge for you as a student! 

You can find the open positions at Aalto University (including teaching and research assistant roles) on our website. 

You can find information on working in Finland for example on InfoFinland. In addition, Aalto University's Career Design Lab offers multiple resources related to working life, including events and guidance. They also maintain a job portal called JobTeaser (Aalto login required).

In addition, there are many other ways to find jobs in Finland, e.g. through different portals and channels. Please remember to keep in mind that especially on public platforms, scams might be possible. It's always good to check e.g. where you are applying to and what is required of you.
 

English is widely spoken in Finland and our campus is fully trilingual (Finnish, Swedish, and English).

However, being able to speak and understand Finnish is important to fully enjoy life, leisure and social relations in Finland. When looking for a job, showing that you are willing and motivated to learn Finnish shows traits that employers typically value: commitment and eagerness to new things. Even a few words or basic phrases can make a difference! 

Read more about the benefits and possibilities of studying Finnish at Aalto. 

There are many ways you can study Finnish before arriving in Finland. You can check out the Finnish courses offered at Aalto University. For example, the Survival Finnish is an online course where you will learn some of the basics. In addition, Kielibuusti offers a lot of materials for learning Finnish (and Swedish) if you are looking for self-study options.

Some courses may allow guest access, but some require logging in with an Aalto IT account. Please see more information on the Survival Finnish Online page.

The International House Helsinki (IHH) offers a lot of resources for those arriving with families. They have gathered all services under one umbrella so you should be able to navigate the system through IHH. Please check out the IHH pages for further information.

Both HOAS and AYY offer family apartments, in which you can live together even if your partner is not a student. The same applies if your partner is a student at another institution.  

Please pay attention to the type of accommodation that you apply for. Usually, only one tenant is allowed in rooms in shared apartments (“solu” in Finnish).