Finnish as a second language
Courses 2026–2028
Welcome to learn Finnish! Get to know our course offerings and start planning your Finnish language studies.
- LC-7003 Survival Finnish Online
- LC-7004 Survival Finnish 1
- LC-7005 Survival Finnish 2
- LC-7009 Get to know Finland
- LC-7210 Finnish 1
- LC-7220 Finnish 2
- LC-7230 Finnish 3
- LC-7240 Finnish 4
- LC-7250 Finnish 5
- LC-7260 Finnish 6
- LC-7270 Finnish 7
- LC-7280 Finnish 8
- LC-7281 Deepen Your Finnish Skills
- LC-7282 Preparing for the Intermediate Level YKI Exam 1
- LC-7283 Preparing for the Intermediate Level YKI Exam 2
- LC-7272 Finnish for work
- LC-7291 Finnish for specific fields
- LC-7292 Finnish Language Club
- LC-7323 Finnish Conversation 1
- LC-7324 Finnish Conversation 2
- LC-7326 Finnish Conversation 3
Finnish as a second language is a minor aimed at international students, enabling them to achieve and demonstrate a wide range of Finnish language skills. Completing this minor provides a good foundation for working life language skills and thus strengthens students' employability in Finland. It is also a strong indication of the student's motivation and desire to invest in their Finnish language skills and in integrating into Finnish working life and society.
The minor comprises of 15–25 credits. The maximum number of credits depends on the student's starting Finnish language skill level. The minor is available for students with starting Finnish language skills between 0–B1.
There were amendments to the Aliens Act in Finland in January 2026. According to the amended Aliens Act, you can apply for a permanent residence permit in Finland, if
- you have completed a bachelor’s, a master’s or a doctoral degree at a Finnish university, and
- you can prove the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is ‘developing’. You can prove the language skills by completing at least 15 credits of Finnish or Swedish language studies at a higher education institution in Finland. The language studies do not have to be included in your degree.
- You meet the other requirements for a permanent residence permit.
Please note that to prove your developing language skills, you need to have completed Finnish or Swedish language courses; it is not enough if you have completed other courses in these languages. In addition, the credits need to be completed in either Finnish or in Swedish, meaning that you cannot combine both languages to reach the 15 credits. More information on the language skills requirement on Migri's pages.
More information about the tests in MyCourses.
ARTS
- LCA-7003 National Language Requirement (Finnish) Writing Test
- LCA-7004 National Language Requirement (Finnish) Oral Test
BIZ, CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI
According to Aalto’s general credit transfer guidelines, only compulsory language studies or other language studies included in the programme’s degree requirements may be credited by substitution. Other language studies cannot be credited by substitution; instead, the student continues their language studies in a course corresponding to their proficiency level.
What cannot be credited?
The online Finnish Language Studies offered by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences cannot be accepted as a substitute for the studies or examinations in Finnish as a second language.
The reason is that these courses do not meet Aalto University's assessment and demonstration requirements for verifying proficiency in Finnish as a second language. At Aalto University, students' written and oral language proficiency is assessed separately, and the assessment verifies the student's individual competence in written production, oral communication, and interaction skills.
As the mode of completion of these courses do not enable a reliable and verified assessment of the language proficiency required for a degree according to Aalto University's practices, the course cannot be accepted as a substitute for the studies or examinations in Finnish as a second language. Effective from 1 October 2026. The online course used as the basis for credit transfer must be completed by 31 August 2026, and the application for credit transfer must be submitted no later than 30 September 2026.