Language Centre courses suitable for non-Finnish speakers 2025-2026

Belongs to 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.

On this page you can find the Language Centre courses suitable for non-Finnish speakers. Courses are listed by language and CEFR level. By clicking the course name, you can find the course description and information on upcoming teaching in the Courses section.

All the languages and courses offered by the Language Centre are available online on the page Languages and courses at the Language Centre for everyone to see. Please note that only courses listed on this page are suitable for non-Finnish speakers. 

Registration for Language Centre courses is done online via Sisu. In order to register for courses in Sisu, students need a valid university user ID. If you are an exchange student, you can find instructions on how to register for courses in Sisu on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan for exchange students.

Chinese
English
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
Especially for international students

Chinese

English

For exchange students:

NB! Exchange students are not allowed to attend any other of the English courses offered by the Language Centre.

For degree students:

  • All degree students are welcome to take any of the English courses offered by the Language Centre. If you are a degree student and sign up for a degree-requirement Academic and Professional Communication in English (1&2) course, remember to choose a course that is specifically aimed at your own faculty. If you are interested in doing more advanced-level work, you may sign up for Advanced courses, but only after you have taken a degree-requirement course.

Finnish

The Finnish language courses are organised by the Bachelor’s Programme in the Languages and Literatures of Finland  (Faculty of Arts).

French

German

Italian

Russian

Spanish

Swedish

Especially for international students

ALICE - Academic Language and Intercultural Exchange (2 ECTS)

The basic idea of ALICE courses is to provide two language learners who speak different native languages the opportunity to learn about each other’s language and culture in an interactive way.

Language Centre Course Assistant Programme for International Students

Course assistants are University of Helsinki’s international exchange or degree students. They assist Language Centre teachers in language courses and act as native peers for local students learning their native language. The Course Assistant Programme is a course. International students can gain 1-4 ECTS credits for their work as an assistant and a certificate of completion.