Information sessions for exchange students coming to Helsinki

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.

Here you can find events for incoming exchange students coming to Helsinki for an exchange. Besides these events, pay attention to the events arranged by the student organisations of the university. Besides HYY, there are many other student associations in each Faculty and study programme. Some of those events are listed below under other student events. Your tutors are the best sources for information to ask about different student organisations on specific topics and departments.

Guidance corner events

Guidance Corner provides low threshold advice and guidance services on, for example, wellbeing, digital skills and job seeking. Some of the Guidance Corner activities are regular weekly guidance and counselling sessions. Student services organises also a series of events about Student Life for international and exchange students in English. The Guidance Corners are located in the Kaisa House and in the Viikki Information Centre Korona. Read more on the guidance corner page!

Other student events

Throughout the year, the University of Helsinki and its Student Union organise a wide variety of events and parties open to all students. Other student organisations and external parties, such as museums, also organise events for students. Exchange students are more than welcome to join these events, which we have listed in the Instructions for students under student events.

Signatures for departure forms for exchange and visiting students

Concerns mainly Erasmus students!

A departure certificate is a document given to you by your home university (mainly for Erasmus exchange students). If your home university does not require it, you do not need to get a signature.

We will sign the departure certificates (i.e. "end of stay" or "confirmation of stay" documents) within three days before your study right ends.

If you leave before May 31st, you can get your signature within three days before your departure date at the usual times of our Drop-in services and from the student services at Kaisa House.

If you leave earlier than three days before your study right ends, you can ask for a signature by visiting us on different campuses during our Drop-in office hours.

Or from the Kaisa House Student Services.

You can get a signature for your Departure Certificates during the last week of May as follows:
27.05. Monday 12-13 City Center, Main Library Kaisa, 3rd floor lobby, Fabianinkatu 30.
28.05. Tuesday 13-14 City Center, Main Library Kaisa, 3rd floor lobby, Fabianinkatu 30.
29.05. Wednesday 13-14 City Center, Main Library Kaisa, 3rd floor lobby, Fabianinkatu 30.
30.05. Thursday 12-15 City Center, Study Services, Main Library Kaisa, 3rd floor lobby, Fabianinkatu 30.
30.05. Thursday 13-15 Kumpula, Physicum, Campus Library, 2nd floor, Room Q (G231), Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2.
30.05. Thursday 13-15 Viikki, Info centre, 2nd floor, room 2050, Viikinkaari 11.
31.05. Friday 13-14 City Center, Main Library Kaisa, 3rd floor lobby, Fabianinkatu 30.
 

Orientation Week

Each autumn and spring, before the classes begin, there is an orientation week which is a week full of activities for all new international students. It is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to get to know the campuses and the university and to get all the official matters out of the way.

Please note that if you miss the orientation week, the start of your studies will be more time-consuming and challenging as you have to take care of everything independently.

You will find detailed information on your faculty's orientation week activities on Orientation and Tutoring page before the orientation week takes place. Each faculty organizes its own orientation, please follow your own faculty's orientation programme by first selecting your degree programme on the Orientation and Tutoring - web page. 

International Exchange Services 2024 Spring Orientation Presentation.pdf

We will be sending you newsletters, so please pay attention to the guidelines and instructions in them.

Spring 2024

  • Orientation Week: January 10th - 12th.

Autumn 2024

  • Orientation Week: August 27th - 30th.

Online support for incoming exchange students to University of Helsinki

We organize online application clinics to guide you on how to make your application in the Mobility Online system of the University of Helsinki. There will also be a couple of online drop-in meetings for your last-minute panic questions. Please find detailed information about the dates and times of these online events on the following web page: Online support for exchange applicants.

 

Pre-arrival Information Session for incoming students arriving to Helsinki for Spring 2024 (Online)

The International Exchange Services organises this online event to inform you about the issues you may be worried about before your arrival in Helsinki and what to expect during the orientation week. We will tell you about the university-related paperwork for your exchange such as the student certificate, arrival certificates, and learning agreements. We will try our best to answer your questions.

Welcome to the Pre-arrival information event on Thursday, December 14th 2023, between 14:15 - 16:00 (Attention!!! Helsinki time) via Zoom.
Please check the local time from a world clock before your participation.

The event is not going to be recorded. The slides of the event will be published here after the event (works at least with Chrome, not with Firefox).

The pdf version of the powerpoint presentation for Spring 2024