Congratulations! You have just been admitted to an international joint Master’s programme at Aalto University.
Your application made an impression on us and we would like to warmly welcome you as a member of the Aalto community. You will be in excellent company as Aalto is ranked 9th in the world in the QS ranking of universities under the age of 50. We will ensure you get the best possible learning experience with personal academic advising, extensive student wellbeing services and an active student community. We very much look forward to seeing you next autumn!
At Aalto, we believe in the power of curiosity. We encourage our students to explore the unknown and learn and do things in a whole new way – together, breaking boundaries. We will do our very best to make sure you have all the information you need and answer all your questions about starting your studies here. During the spring semester, join also our Webinars for new Joint Degree students on Zoom to meet us live and ask questions. Our contact information can also be found at the end of this letter.
New student's checklist
Please, take a good look to go over the following steps. You find detailed information on each step by clicking the headlines. You will find more valuable information on each section also in the Guide for New Students in international joint Master's programmes.
You will receive an email with personal link to Studyinfo.fi portal in few hours after receiving your Letter of Admission. Click the link and follow the instructions to accept your admission offer.
Please, accept your admission offer by the deadline given on your Letter of Admissions. The deadlines to accept your offer for 2024 are as follows:
- within 14 days (3:00 pm, GMT +3) if you have been admitted to the EIT programmes in Urban Mobility, SELECT or Manufacturing
- 3 May 2024 (3:00 pm, GMT +3) if you have been admitted to the Nordic Master programmes in Cold Climate Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Innovative and Sustainable Energy Engineering (ISEE) or Maritime Engineering
Please revise your Letter of Admission to find out if you are admitted conditionally and read the relevant programme-specific instructions below. In case the required documents are not received by the deadline, if they don't comply with the specific instructions, or if you are not able to graduate by the deadline, the conditionally granted study right will be cancelled. The deadlines cannot be extended.
Students in Nordic Master in ISEE, Nordic Master in Maritime Engineering, and European Mining Course
If you are admitted conditionally you are required submit certified (attested) hard copies of your application documents. This is, the Bachelor degree certificate and the final transcript of records, and their translations into English when applicable.
If your Bachelor degree was complete and you had attached the final Bachelor degree certificate and transcript in your application, you must submit the officially certified copies of the documents by 27 May 2024 (at 15.00, GMT +3).
If your Bachelor degree was incomplete at the time of applying, you have two conditions on your admission: first, you must graduate by 31 July 2024, and second, you must submit the officially certified copies mentioned above by 15 August 2024 (at 15:00, GMT +3). Please contact us in advance if you fear that you will not be able to graduate or receive the correct documents by this deadline.
- Read carefully and follow the detailed instructions for certified hard copy documents and possible country-specific document requirements. Note that in these programmes, the documents must be sent to to the Learning Services of the School of Engineering, not to Aalto Admissions Services.
Students in Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering and Environmental Engineering
Please follow the instructions of the DTU Admission Office.
Students in EIT programmes
You are required to send a copy of your degree certificate only if you are an entry student and have been admitted conditionally due to incomplete Bachelor degree. Please revise your Letter of Admission.
If you have been admitted conditionally due to incomplete degree you must graduate by 31 July 2024 and submit a scanned copy of the final degree certificate and final transcript (with official translations into English, if applicable) by email to the Learning Services of the School of Engineering ([email protected]) by 15 August 2024 at 15:00 (GMT +3). Please contact us in advance if you fear that you will not be able to graduate or receive the correct documents by this deadline.
In some programmes, the tuition fee is paid to Aalto University, or to each university where you study in the programme. Other programmes have a joint programme fee which is paid to the coordinating university or funding organization of the programme.
Non-EU/EEA citizens, please note that irrespective of where you pay the tuition fee, a receipt of the fee payment or certificate of scholarship that covers the tuition fee must be attached to the Finnish residence permit application. Alternatively, you must show proof of sufficient funds for both the tuition fee and the living costs on your bank account when applying for residence permit. Note that the completed fee payment is a condition to enroll at the university.
Read more about living costs and financial matters in the Student Guide section for International Students.
Students admitted to Nordic Master programmes and European Mining Course
You must pay the fee before you can enroll at the university. See chapter 5. Enrol for the academic year 2024-2025 at Aalto University for more information.
Other students
Your enrolment is conditional until we have verified that you have paid the programme fee. See chapter 5. Enrol for the academic year 2024-2025 at Aalto University for more information.
Non-EU/EEA citizens
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, you are normally required to have a residence permit in Finland.
Read more at Student residence permit and health insurances, and go through the Finnish Immigration Service information about the residence permit application and their instructions for degree students with tuition fees.
The residence permit application process takes time, so please apply for the residence permit immediately, and start making the arrangements for the compulsory visit to a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). You need to have a valid residence permit before arriving in Finland and starting your studies.
Note that the coronavirus pandemic may affect the residence permit application process. Please see Migri’s pages for effects of the coronavirus on their services.
More information on registering with the authorities and opening a bank account.
EU/EEA citizens
EU/EEA citizens do not need a residence permit, but upon arrival in Finland, must register their right of residence. The application for the EU registration must be submitted within three months of the day of arrival, please see Migri’s information on registering an EU citizen's right of residence.
The application can be submitted online, but the registration process requires a personal visit at the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) service point. It is advisable to book an appointment for registration beforehand (already in the summer), as waiting times can be long and in September there may not be time slots available anymore.
More information on registering with the authorities and opening a bank account.
Citizens of Nordic countries
Nordic citizens do not need a residence permit, but upon arrival in Finland, must register their personal data in the Finnish Population Information system. In connection with the registration, you will receive a Finnish personal identity code. More detailed information about the registration process is on Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s (DVV) pages. Please note that you must personally visit DVV for the registration.
More information on registering with the authorities and opening a bank account.
To ensure that your student status is valid from the beginning of academic year (1 August) you should enrol no later than 31 July 2024 and sooner if possible. Enrolling as attending is also a precondition for using any Aalto services, getting a student number, and registering for courses. The final deadline to enroll is 30 August 2024.
Students admitted to Nordic Master programmes and European Mining Course
Due to additional regulations concerning tuition fees, students with a tuition fee liability must first pay their tuition fee before enrolling in My Studyinfo.
Students admitted to other programmes
You will be able to enroll in the online service My Studyinfo even before paying the participation/programme fee. However, we highly recommend to pay any possible participation fees to the programme before enrolling at Aalto. Your annual enrolment is conditional until we have verified your payment. Aalto University reserves the right to cancel your enrolment if you have not paid the joint programme fee by the end of the enrolment period (1 September 2024).
Conditionally admitted students
If your admission offer is conditional due to missing hard copy documents or incomplete Bachelor's degree, or if you are required to pay a tuition fee to Aalto University, you can only enrol at the university after the condition has been fulfilled and the admission is not conditional anymore. Please, refer to your Letter of Admission to check if you have been admitted conditionally. Read the Guide for New Students in international joint Master's programmes to learn how to fulfill this condition.
You should apply for housing as soon as you have accepted the admission offer or as soon as possible with the respective housing provider (e.g. not earlier than four months prior to the intended start of the contract).
Student housing is provided by the Aalto University Student Union (AYY) or the Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki Region (HOAS).
University does not own student apartments and students are responsible for seeking housing themselves.
Please, read carefully further instructions for seeking accommodation at housing for students.
Studies in Aalto University start with an orientation week on 26 August 2024.
Check on your programme page (section "Starting your studies") the exact start date of the orientation programme and plan your arrival schedule accordingly. Consider reserving a couple of days for settling in before the orientation programme. The courses start on 2 September 2024.
More information about how to continue your journey from the airport and how to use public transportation in Helsinki region is found in the section "Local transportation and travelling in Finland".
Student guide for international students helps you with the additional tasks after admission and includes further information about living in Finland.
The Aalto IT username and password are used to login to all Aalto online services. Once you have activated your IT account, you have access to many electronic services, including your Aalto email. The university uses email as the primary means of communication, so it is essential that you keep on top of your Aalto email at all times.
You can activate your Aalto University IT account at the earliest in July after you have enrolled for the academic year and received an activation email for your Aalto IT account. If you have accepted an offer of admission in 2023 or earlier, you can activate your Aalto IT account right away.
You can activate your Aalto IT account from July onwards. You will receive an invitation email to your personal email. You will receive an email when the activation of Aalto IT account is possible. The email will be sent to the email address you have used when you applied to the university. Please follow the instructions of IT services and activate your account as soon as possible. Note: Student benefits are active starting August 1st (eg. FSHS and HSL).
You can activate your account at salasana.aalto.fi with your Finnish online banking details, Finnish mobile certificate or with a Finnish electronic ID (HST) card.
- If you do not have a possibility to strong identification (e.g. Finnish online banking ID), you will receive an activation email. Please follow the instructions at aalto.fi. The activation uses your email and phone number in your student admission application.
- If self-activation is not possible, you must visit the IT service desk to activate your Aalto IT account. Remember to bring an official, photographic ID with you (such as passport).
The student card is a proof of your student status and it is the simplest way to get student discounts in, for instance, the university restaurants and public transport. For information on the student card, see the AYY website.
You can download an electronic student card for mobile devices after you have enrolled as an attending student. The electronic card is accepted in the university restaurants and public transport as proof of student status. The app will ask for your Finnish ID number but you can leave this field blank if you do not have one yet.
The right to student discounts begins when the right to study begins, i.e. 1 August onwards. The activation of electronic student card is not possible before 1 August.
If you wish to get the student card and discounts at the beginning of the semester (1 August 2024), enrol as attending at the latest by 31 July 2024.
Besides taking care of the above-listed items, we recommend you to also familiarize yourself with your new study environment. For that purpose we have collected information to the Student guide, "Support for studying". See also "Starting your studies" on your programme pages.
Complete a self-study preorientation on MyCourses learning platform in July/August, when you have activated your Aalto user ID. Activation of Aalto IDs is possible starting from July. Pre-orientation takes 3-4 hours to complete.
If you are entering Finland for the first time, have a look at the student guide for international students. To settle in smootly, you should also plan and schedule the registration processes that are required outside the university.
The orientation week starts on 26 August 2024.
Check on your programme page (section "Starting your studies") the exact start time of your orientation programme.
University students who are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) have been required since January 2021 to pay a student healthcare fee to Kela for each academic term.
All students who are registered as attending for the current term and are studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree are entitled to FSHS services. However, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom. Even if you do not have to pay the fee, you can still use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service. Read more on KELA's website.
If you are entitled to FSHS services, you must pay the student healthcare fee. You cannot get an exemption for example for using occupational health services instead of FSHS, or for not receiving any financial aid for students.
You are not billed for the student healthcare fee but must make sure to pay it in OmaKela for each academic term. The due date for paying the student healthcare fee is determined based on the date on which you register as attending. Read instructions on KELA webpage: How to pay the student healthcare fee.
Communication before the orientation in the autumn
Join our Webinars for new joint degree students on Zoom to get to know us and Aalto live and ask questions:
- Wed 20 March 2024, 15:00-16:00 (Helsinki time, EET)
Click this link to join the meeting
Password: 967664 - Tue 16 April 2024, 15:00-16:00 (Helsinki time, EEST)
Click this link to join the meeting - Tue 11 June 2024, 15:00-16:00 (Helsinki time, EEST)
Click this link to join the meeting
Follow your email! We will send you newsletters during the spring and the summer to remind you of important matters and to provide you with more information about the orientation programme and the start of your studies. You will be assigned a peer-student tutor, who will contact you during the summer. Please, remember to notify us if you change your email address. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
You can find the contact information below. Note that July is holiday season in Finland, please contact [email protected] if you have urgent questions during this season.
President's Greetings to new Master's students
Our Contact Information
Aalto University
School of Engineering, Learning Services
P.O. Box 14100
FI-00076 AALTO
Finland
Visiting address / for courier services:
Otakaari 4
FI-02150 ESPOO
Finland
Email: [email protected]
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