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.

Autumn 2024

• Orientation Week: 27 – 30 August 2024
  • Tuesday 27 August: Orientation begins in your own faculty. Please check your programme specific schedule by choosing your degree programme from the drop-down above.
  • Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 August: Check-In Event at the Language Centre, Fabianinkatu 26 (attendance in tutor groups during faculty-specific time slots). Please note that DVV will be present at the event.
  • Friday 30 August: Joint orientation session on guidance and well-being 
• 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 studentinfo@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.

Joint events and presentations

Recording of the joint orientation session on guidance and well-being (autumn 2023)

You can enlarge the video by double-clicking it.

The programme of the event

• Rector Sari Lindblom’s speech 03:22
• Student Support and Studying at the University 12:02
• Study psychologists 36:46
• The Centre for University Teaching and Learning – HYPE 44:29
• Nyyti ry 59:14
• UniSport + Unisport’s break exercise 1:12:00
• FSHS 1:29:28
• University chaplains 1:45:50
• HYY – The Student Union 1:48:53
• Language Centre 1:58:13
• Adapting to Finnish Culture 2:12:42
• Student Communications 02:27:43

The slides of the event

• Student Support and Studying at the University
• Study psychologists
• The Centre for University Teaching and Learning – HYPE 
• Nyyti ry
• UniSport
• FSHS - The Finnish Student Health Service
• HYY – The Student Union
• Language Centre
• Adapting to Finnish Culture 
• Student Communications

Welcome to the Faculty of Social Sciences!

Orientation for international degree students takes place from Tuesday 27 August to Friday 30 August 2024. Orientation will be organized partly on campus and partly online. Please see schedule below (note that minor changes in the schedule can occur). A more detailed schedule with information on venues and links to all Zoom-sessions can be found from the faculty’s Moodle page, which will be provided later. 

Tuesday 27 August

Main Building (Unioninkatu 34)
9:00-10:00 Welcome to the Faculty
10:00-12:00 How to begin your studies + registering for courses
13:00-16:00 Degree programme specific events:

• Global Politics and Communication Metsätalo (Unioninkatu 40, hall 8)
• Contemporary Societies Metsätalo (Unioninkatu 40, hall 12)

Wednesday 28 August

Kielikeskus (Fabianinkatu 26)
Check in Event, Social Sciences time slot before noon, check exact time of your group from your tutor!

Thursday 29 August

Sessions on study skills, pop-up study guidance and career services on Zoom (detailed schedule will be published on Moodle)

Friday 30 August

9:00-12:00 Guidance and Wellbeing, Zoom
13:00-17:00 Degree programme specific events (on campus):

• European and Nordic Studies, Metsätalo (Unioninkatu 40), hall 8
• Economics, Economicum (Arkadiankatu 7), Luentosali

Orientation for Exchange Students: 27 - 30 August

A more detailed programme will be provided through Moodle closer to the event.

Tuesday 27 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)

Wednesday 28 August

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

Thursday 29 August

Possibly some sessions on Zoom (detailed schedule will be published on Moodle)

Friday 30 August

9:00-12:00 Guidance and Wellbeing, Zoom
13:00-14:30 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.

You can get to know some of our tutors already in spring.

Watch also the Welcome to the University video on Unitube.

Get to know different services in Guidance Compass.

• 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 Arts, 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 15 to 19 September 2024 to welcome new students to the university community and lower the threshold to ask.

Follow the bulletins on Studies Service's frontpage!