International research visits and doctoral studies

Would you like to write a part of your doctoral dissertation abroad? The University of Helsinki encourages doctoral candidates to engage in international activities, and an exchange period or a researcher visit abroad is a good way to get international experience.

Doctoral schools and programmes encourage doctoral candidates to undertake visits to suitable universities, research institutes and equivalent units outside Finland. Some doctoral programmes also belong to international research and doctoral education networks that can organize for example PhD courses and other mobility.

Invest in networking during your doctoral studies! The opportunity to meet other doctoral candidates and established researchers in your field at local, national and international meetings and conferences promotes your integration into the academic community.

A doctoral student who has a valid right to complete a doctoral degree both at the University of Helsinki and at another university abroad can, in certain cases, opt to pursue a jointly supervised bi-national double degree. These degrees are called cotutelle degrees.

Read more about the University’s exchange programmes and partner universities to find the right destination.

Find information about application periods and processes as well as the required documents.

You will need appropriate language skills to succeed in your application for exchange studies and cope during the exchange.

Students who participate in a student exchange can receive a mobility grant as well as student financial aid for their stay abroad.

The University of Helsinki awards travel grants for doctoral candidates to support scientific travel both in Finland and abroad.

The checklist includes the most important tasks regarding participation in an exchange.

You should prepare for your return to Finland even before the end of your exchange studies.

Short courses give you the opportunity to internationalize in a shorter time.

You can also make your own arrangements to study outside Finland.

Things do not always go as planned. If you must suspend or cancel your exchange, read these instructions.

If you are coming from abroad to the University of Helsinki as an exchange student or as a visiting student, we are here to help you! We also help degree students in matters concerning studies or traineeships abroad, as well as flexible study rights (JOO) for degree students.

This FAQ guide supports the planning of international exchange periods and the completion of exchange applications. If you can’t find an answer to your question on this page or on the other sections of the Study abroad website, please contact International Exchange Services.