Finnish for International Students

The instruction belongs to the following themes

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

The Finnish language courses organised by the Bachelor’s Programme in the Languages and Literatures of Finland are intended for exchange, visiting and international degree students. Teaching is offered on three campuses: City centre, Viikki and Kumpula.

See what our students can tell you about studying Finnish!

FINNISH COURSES FOR EXCHANGE AND DEGREE STUDENTS
- see below the chart for full course descriptions
- N.B. always check from the Sisu system for the course availability, use the course code for the search
For whom? Target language level Course name Credits Code
Beginners’ Courses (A1.1–A1.2) for Exchange Students        
  A1.1 Beginners’ Courses for Exchange Students 3 FINN-114
  A1.2 Beginners’ Courses for Exchange Students 5 FINN-114
  A2.1 Finnish for Exchange Students: Continuation Course 5 FINN-224
Beginners and Intermediate Level Courses (A1.1–B2.1) for Degree and Doctoral Students        
  A1.1 Finnish 1 A 3 FINN-111
  A1.2 Finnish 1 B 2 FINN-112
  A1.3 Finnish 2 A 3 FINN-221
  A1.3 Intensive Finnish 1A+ 1B +2A 8 FINN-115
  A2.1 Finnish 2 B 2 FINN-222
  A2.2 Finnish 3 5 FINN-231
  A2.2 Intensive Finnish Continuation 2B + 3 7 FINN-225
  A2/B1 Write and discuss I 5 FINN-310
  A2/B1 Spoken Finnish Online 3 FINN-304
  B1.1 Finnish 4 5 FINN-241
  B1.2 Finnish 5 5 FINN-251
  B2.1 Finnish 6 5 FINN-261
  B2 Write and discuss II 5 FINN-311
  B2 Finnish Grammar Online 5 FINN-303
  B2 Listen and Write (not a course with meetings!) 2/3/5 FINN-301
FINN-302
Beginners’ Courses (A1.1–A1.2) for Exchange Students
Beginners and Intermediate Level Courses (A1.1–B2.1) for Degree and Doctoral Students
Introduction to Finnish Language and Culture (15–30 credits)
Advanced Level Courses (B2-C2) for Degree and Doctoral Students

Beginners’ Courses (A1.1–A1.2) for Exchange Students

These courses are primarily for the exchange students studying at the University of Helsinki for 1-2 semesters. Contact lessons are held once or twice a week, depending on the course.

Registration for the courses is through the Sisu system. The registration period for Autumn semester 2022 will start on the 16th of August 2022, and will continue until the courses start. The registration period for the Spring semester 2023 will start in November/December 2022, and it will continue until one week after the courses start. If you miss the registration, you can contact the teacher of the course you are interested in to ask whether there is still space in the course. More information from Tanja Asikainen-Kunnari (tanja.asikainen(at)helsinki.fi).

N.B. here you can find some additional instructions on how to register on the courses in Sisu!

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 - 2023

Autumn semester 2022

The courses will be online or on campus. See the course descriptions.

Spring semester 2023

The courses will be online or on campus. See the course descriptions.

Beginners and Intermediate Level Courses (A1.1–B2.1) for Degree and Doctoral Students

These courses are primarily aimed for degree and doctoral students, but exchange students can also attend. You can choose a course that has 4-6 contact hours per week, depending on how fast you want to proceed in your studies. All the courses require extensive independent study and group work.

Registration for the courses is through the Sisu system. The registration period for the Autumn semester 2022 will start 16th of August 2022, and will continue until the courses start. The registration period for the Spring semester 2023 will start in November/December 2022, and it will continue until one week after the courses have started. If you miss the registration, you can contact the teacher of the course you are interested in to ask whether there is still space in the course. More information from Tanja Asikainen-Kunnari (tanja.asikainen(at)helsinki.fi).

N.B. here you can find some additional instructions on how to register on the courses in Sisu!

Academic year 2022 - 2023

Autumn semester 2022

Some of the courses are organised on campuses, some online.

Spring semester 2023

In the Spring semester some of the courses are online, some are organised on the campuses.

Introduction to Finnish Language and Culture (15–30 credits)

The study unit (15-credit unit or 30-credit unit) consists of different language courses (Finnish 2 - Finnish 6). The unit will be completed by studies focusing on Finnish language, culture or society, according to what has been settled by the responsible teacher Sari Päivärinne.

Advanced Level Courses (B2-C2) for Degree and Doctoral Students

Students who already have a good level of Finnish (at least Common European Framework of Reference level B2.1) can improve their spoken and/or written Finnish by participating on the courses held by Finnish Language and Culture. All the teaching held by Finnish Language and Culture is open for all Helsinki University students who have required level of Finnish. The level of Finnish can be demonstrated by taking a placement test.