Orientation and Tutoring

Each autumn and spring, before the classes begin, there is an orientation week. Orientation week 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.

Degree students might receive some credits for the orientation. Please ask more information from your degree programme.

August 2026

Orientation Week: 25 – 28 August 2026

• Tuesday 25 January: Orientation begins in your own faculty.
  • Please check your programme specific schedule by choosing your degree programme from the drop-down above. If you are a degree student (not exchange student), your orientation programme might start already on Monday 24 August.
• Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 August: Check-In Event at the Language Centre, Fabianinkatu 26 (attendance in tutor groups during faculty-specific time slots). Please note that DVV and Migri will be present at the event.
• Friday 28 August: joint orientation session on support and advice services on Zoom at 9-12 am.
• Friday 28 August: Hoas and Unihome housing info on Zoom at 13-14 pm.
   
• Degree students: We recommend arriving already a week before the Orientation Week to have the chance to settle in before the activities begin. Your individual tutor group might meet a few days before the Orientation Week.
• Exchange students:
  • If you wish to join the Student Union, please pay the Student Union fee before your arrival. For payment information please see the instructions for annual registration. Remember to bring the receipt with you, if you did not send it already to uni-help@helsinki.fi!
  • Print a certificate of arrival (if your home university requires one to be signed)
  • Please also see the instructions for registering with the Finnish authorities.

Welcome to the Faculty of Social Sciences

The orientation for exchange students at the Faculty of Social Sciences will take place from 26 to 29 August, 2025. 

Tuesday 26 August

9:00–10:00 Welcome to the Faculty (Main Building, Great Hall)
10:00–12:00 How to begin your studies + registering for courses (Porthania, PIII)

Wednesday 27 August

Language Centre
Check in Event, Faculty of Social Sciences time slot before noon.

Friday 29 August

9:00–12:00 Support and Advice Services, Zoom
13:00–14:00 Challenges with Course Registrations and Learning Agreement, Zoom

What is tutoring?

Tutoring is a support arrangement for the new students at the University of Helsinki. It introduces you to the Finnish university life and makes it easier for you to settle into the new environment.

You will be assigned a tutor (or a peer counsellor) and a tutoring group. Students are divided into groups on the basis of the faculty or the degree programme in which they begin their studies at the University of Helsinki. The groups are led by student tutors of the same faculty.

What does a student tutor do?

The student tutors assist you with the most important things you need to do during the first couple of days.

For example, your tutor can point out

• where to register as a resident
• where to get your travel card
• where your faculty is 
• who to contact there
• where the most important services on the campuses and around the city are

Tutoring is successful when the members of the tutoring group cooperate. When the group and the tutor work together, each student will get the most out of the tutoring sessions.

Watch also the Welcome to the University video on Unitube.

• Watch the video on how to register for teaching and exams in Sisu. You can turn the subtitles off and on under "CC".
• If you are an exchange student please watch this video of how to select and register for courses in Sisu.

The University of Helsinki comprises four campuses. Get to know yours in advance!

• City Centre Campus (Faculties of Humanities, Educational Sciences, Law, Theology and Social Sciences, Swedish School of Social Science)
• Kumpula Campus (Faculty of Science)
• Viikki Campus (Faculties of Biological And Environmental Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine)
• Meilahti Campus (Faculty of Medicine)

The campuses also have various learning facilities for independent studying and group work.

Hungry?

All Bachelor’s or Master’s students, including exchange students, who have registered as attending are entitled to an affordable student-priced lunch.

Lunch is served at the UniCafe cafeterias on all campuses and Sodexo restaurants in the University of Helsinki Main Building and in Viikki.

For lunch prices and the contact details of the restaurants, please visit the Student Lunch webpage. For the student-priced lunch you need to present a certificate of student status, which you can print from Sisu. Degree students can also show their student card or Frank app.

• The Ask Me! campaign will run from 12 to 16 January 2026 to welcome new students to the university community and lower the threshold to ask.

Follow the bulletins on Studies Service's frontpage!

Orientation week program for exchange students at the Swedish school of Social Science

Welcome to the Swedish School of Social Science at the University of Helsinki!

During the orientation week, you will receive important information about the studies. Your tutors will also organize spare time activities and show you around campus. If you cannot be present during the orientation week you can find the information on Instructions for students https://guide.student.helsinki.fi/ or you contact the exchange services studentexchange@helsinki.fi. The orientation week program will be held on sight but also with elements on different digital platforms.

(links to zoom and other platforms will be added before each event)

Tutors will fill in with more informal program during the orientation week.

Orientation week for exchange students 25th to 29th of August 2025 (To large part shared with The Faculty of Social Sciences)

Monday 25th of August

14:00-15:00 Inscription

Introduction to the academic year
Place: Festsalen at the Swedish School of Social Science or you can follow the stream here.

Rector of the Swedish School of Social Science Petra Kouvonen 
Participating: Personnel, first year students and tutors, Exchange students are warmly welcome although the program i mainly in Swedish

Tuesday 26 August

9:00-10:00 Welcome to the Faculty (Main Building, Great Hall)
10:00-12:00 How to begin your studies + registering for courses (Porthania, Suomen Laki Hall)

13-15 Welcome to The Swedish School of Social Science (Soc&kom) & meet your tutors, newsroom at Snellmaninkatu 12  (main entrance Yrjö-Koskinens gata 3)

(Room 211, Soc&kom in case of bad weather..)

Wednesday 27 August

Language Centre
9-12 Check in Event, Social Sciences time slot before noon, check exact time of your group from your tutor!

Friday 29 August

9:00-12:00 Support and Advice Services: General Orientation, on Zoom

13:00-14:30 Challenges with Course Registrations and Learning Agreement, on Zoom

There will also be a Housing Info session on Zoom at 13:00-14:00. There is some overlap with our programme and the Housing Info but it will be recorded. You can see information about the Housing Info session on this page.

A joint orientation session on support and advice services in English will be held in Zoom on Fri 30 Aug from 9 to 12 (see the dates of the other language sessions by changing the language in the top right corner of this page). Here is a Zoom link to the event.
13:00-14:30 13:00-14:30 Challenges with Course Registrations and Learning Agreement, on Zoom

14.00-15.00 Housing Info will be on Fri 30 Aug from 2 pm to 3 pm. Join Zoom Meeting (meeting ID: 691 6076 5854 & Passcode: 969088)

Were you unable to take part in orientation? Don’t worry, you still have a chance to easily get to grips with your studies by following these instructions. If this is your first time embarking on studies at the University, welcome!

Start by making sure the following tasks are completed to ensure a smooth start: 

1. Register as an attending student. If you spent your first year of studies as a non-attending student, please register in person.
2. Activate your University of Helsinki user account.
3. Next, take the first steps of a new degree student. Also read the other instructions available to new degree students. They will help you orientate yourself to your studies and find answers to the most frequently asked questions. 
4. If you registered as a non-attending student in the first year of studies, for example, due to military service, take part in the orientation organised by your degree programme.
5. If you missed the orientation, see the instructions for registering for courses. You can also ask for help from Student Services.

If any of your questions remain unanswered or if you need support for getting started in your studies, you can always contact Student Services. The on-site Student Services desks are at your disposal when, for example, you are unsure of the structure of your degree or the courses you should register for.