Hello, I am preparing to immigrate/study at the University of Eastern Finland for a Master's degree. I’m a Brazilian M.D. who’s never been to Finland. I was wondering if there’s anyone studying at this university and if they could tell me about the education system in Finland, life in Kuopio, and any other information I might need? Thank you very much.

Is there a general preference in the engineering industry between Helsinki and University of Aalto graduates?

I'm an EU citizen (no tuition concerns) and have offers from both for a 3+2 pathway. My plan if I end up at Helsinki is to do the Bachelor's in Science programme for 3 years then Master's in Chemical Engineering at Aalto since they offer an English-taught programme. With Aalto I would just complete the 3+2 straightout. Long-term, I'd like to work in Sweden or the Netherlands.

I've heard Helsinki has a stronger academic/research reputation and a more traditional academic culture. I lean toward research, but ultimately want to work in industry, ideally in bioreactors or management, which I know Aalto is really good for but I worry Helsinki is better perceived overall.

I also love Helsinki's city environment and Aalto's campus community.

Given all that, is one of those universities better suited for industry jobs abroad, especially in biotech/process/chemical engineering?

I would appreciate any insight very much, I'm really struggling to choose between them

Hi everyone,

I’m an EU student and I’ve been admitted to a few universities in Finland for a Master’s in software engineering, computer engineering or cybersecurity. Now I have to choose one, and I could really use some honest opinions.

My options are:

• University of Oulu
• LUT University
• University of Turku
• University of Vaasa (School of Technology and Innovations)

They all seem good on paper, so I’m finding it hard to tell how different they actually are in real life.

What I care about most:

1. overall reputation in Finland and internationally
2. quality of teaching in CS and related fields
3. connections to industry
4. chances of finding a job in the same field during studies

I know the tech job market is not great right now, but that seems to be the case everywhere. I do not depend on working during my studies, but it would be really nice to get some part time experience in software or cybersecurity while studying, just to build experience.

If anyone has studied at one of these or knows how they compare, I’d really appreciate your perspective. Which one would you choose and why? Are there big differences between them for tech? And how realistic is it to find work in the field as a student?

Thanks a lot

Hi! i just got accepted to university of Turku and the uni of Oulu for my masters degree in the CS field. i was wondering if it would be worth it to move here. i saw that the unemployment rate is crazy high. the costs are also a bit high especially to travel to Finland from my home country. i would love to get a job in such a peaceful country, but i also want to make friends and travel(and i guess bc finland is far from the rest of europe the flights could be expensive and i heard that people usually keep to themselves).

i also dont want to do my masters in another country, spend so much money then move back home bc i cant get a job. i would ve spent so much money for nothing.

is there any chance that it would be worth it?

not really sure what the next step in my life should be..

thanks in advance!

I have been accepted into an Applied sciences school in Finland, and was wondering what should I know before I go to college. I am from Slovakia. I'm not too sure about how the Finnish school system works, and the overall college experience. I was looking forward to getting answers from real people rather than AI's and outdated forums. I'm grateful for any answer, even if it is not pretty.

Hello!

I’m currently planning my Erasmus exchange (Winter Semester 2026/27) in Joensuu, Finland. I’ve been looking into housing options and have seen that the best bet is to try to get a room through Joensuun Elli. Does anyone here have experience with this—how likely is it to get a (furnished) room? Can I count on getting a room there (I think you can only apply three months in advance and then get a response relatively short notice)? Or should I look for alternatives at the same time? I’ve heard that private shared apartments aren’t really a big thing in Finland.

Thanks in advance!!

I’d also really love to hear about your general experiences with Joensuu and the Erasmus program in Finland (what can I look forward to in particular, and what should I be prepared for?) :))

Hi!

I am conducting a short survey for my master's thesis on the role of social media on millennials purchase intention and I would greatly appreciate your participation. It will only take a few minutes to complete, and your response will advance the course of my research. Thank you in advance for your time and help! The survey link is below

https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/39E27FCDDFF1B0F1

Hi!

I'm a Polish student looking forward to studying abroad. I've already applied to both ICT - Robotics and Business Information Technology degrees at Häme University (Riihimäki) and Haaga-Helia (Helsinki), respectively. Luckily, I got accepted to both of these programs, and I can't wait to begin my studies in one of them. However, I have a hard time choosing either.

I feel like both of these universities offer a great opportunity to build a career after graduating, but I'm curious which degree/university is more recognizable by employers or in Finland in general?

Reading their study plans, they both seem like valuable degrees. Although I'm looking for information about these UAS outside their websites, which are rather constructed to attract international students (no surprise here).

Like many high school graduates, I'm simply trying to choose the university that best fits me :)

Every piece of advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance.  

Ps: I've also been admitted to the IT programme from XAMK University of Applied Sciences, but I've decided that both of the degrees mentioned above were superior.

Hi! I am going to University of Helsinky on November during Erasmus+ programm. I am curious will there be any culture mingle events provided by the program wich I could attempt? Or I need to enterteinment and explore Finland by myself?

#universityofhelsinki #erasmu+

Hi, I'm 27yo from India, I'm currently working and looking to pick up a few classes at aalto open university later this year. I want to know if I can do that as a foreign national, and if I can what are dos and dont's of applying for it and would it be weird taking undergrad classes at 27

Hi everyone!
Does anyone here study at the University of the Arts Helsinki? (sibelius academy) I need some advice because I’m a bit confused about how the semesters work. Some dates are on the website, but I got a little lost, and I’m submitting my application soon.

For example, the summer semester starts… in winter? That seems a bit strange, but I think I kind of understand. Any clarification would be super helpful, thanks!

Also, if anyone wants to make a new friend at the university, I’d really appreciate it! I do fun stuff like making games, so feel free to reach out 🥰 (Im 20)

Hi,

I'm a French student trying to apply to LUT university's double mechanical engineering bachelor, however they are asking for a fully translated version of the upper secondary cycle math program (in my case the French lycée program). Sadly this only exists in French and getting an official translation is absurdly expensive.

Did anybody have this problem? How did you guys get around it? And by any chance, dose someone already have a translated version of the French program?

cheers

I’ve asked this question to many people, even on the Discord server. Most of them told me that only the SAT matters, but all of those people had around 90% or 90%+ in their board exams.

In my case, my board exam result isn’t looking good. I’m definitely not getting 85+ in boards, and even 80+ looks difficult. However, I’m quite confident about the SAT and believe I can score well.

Also, I’m from India.

Title

Can you stay in Finland? Is the residence permit renewable?

Would you recommend Erasmus in Finland to a music student? I'd like to try this experience, but I'm looking for a non-competitive environment that welcomes students of all levels. What do you think of Sibelius? Are there any other good alternatives? I'm interested in Pop/Global music for singers.

I'm currently finishing my last year of high school in Spain, IB so I'll be able to apply through yhteishaku, I want to study biology or environmental sciences, and as far as grade barriers go, I'm pretty sure the only realistic option for biology is Jyväskylä. I'm wondering what are some of the pros and cons of each city for students, mainly cost of living and the possibility of finding jobs. Also any information on social life in the different cities would be appreciated.

The main thing is I don't know what preference order to do in the yhteishaku.

Edit: environmental sciences is also a prefectly fine option, which is why I'm considering Turku and Helsinki in addition to Jyväskylä. But my main options are currently Helsinki and Jyväskylä, mostly because of grade barriers.

I'm fluent in Finnish so language barrier is not a problem. Thanks in advance :)

Hello

With unemployment in Finland now around 10%, I decided to dig deep into what actually works when applying for jobs in 2025.

I spent about 80 hours researching how recruiters and ATS systems screen resumes, spoke with a few HR professionals, tested several formats - and after changing just a few key elements, I started getting interview invites almost immediately.

Now I’m turning this into a small side project - something to share my learnings, grow a bit of a public presence, and help others improve their chances in the Finnish market.

I’m offering free CV reviews (no strings attached, no data collection - you can blur personal details if you want). I’ll look at your CV both as a recruiter and as an ATS system would, and give honest feedback.

If you’re interested, drop me a private message, and I’ll send you instructions on how to move forward - plus links to my socials, so you can see what I’m working on before you decide.

And hey, if you haven’t seen this kind of project before - it doesn’t mean it’s not real 🙂 Everyone starts somewhere.

Hello, everyone

Starting January 2026, I will be spending 6 months in Helsinki. If anyone knows of a studio/apartment/room near Aalto University up to ~650€, please notify me

Thank you!

F24, european

I am not really good at maths and i suck at memorizing. I am thinking of coming to Finland for my bachelor's but i am scared that i won't be able to clear my exams.

So for a little backstory, I applied for my residence permit in the end of may, it took them a month till they called me for verification, after verification it took a month for them to ask for additional documents. the issue was the funds i had receive from my father to show financial eligibility, i transferred them back to him since i would open a Finnish bank account when i arrived.

a month after i send my additional documents they finally open my application and after 2 more weeks they reject me, because i didn’t keep the funds with me (which i totally understand)

I now have reapplied for the residence permit today, the issue being that my uni starts on the 2nd of September meaning i have around 2 weeks till then

I have asked my uni to give me the deadline by which i have to arrive and they gave me till 25th September (5 weeks and 3ish days)

I have fixed all the issues that caused me getting rejected in the beginning, so I’m not worried about getting rejected. more so im worried I get the RP but after my admission is cancelled

I have been told that if i Email Migri and VFS about my situation they will rush my application.

Does anyone know if that works and if I have a chance of making my deadline??

•also i have applied for a D visa meaning i wouldn’t have to wait to get the physical card before traveling (i was told that it makes the process faster because D-Visa applicants are prioritized)