UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
HELSINKI
Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland by the Baltic Sea. The city has a population of 565,000 but the Greater Helsinki area comprises several more neighboring cities and has a total population of some 1,295,000, which means that one out of four Finns lives in the Greater Helsinki area. The city's climate is humid continental, meaning the average of the coldest month is no more than −3 °C. Summers are usually warm, with temperatures up to 30 °C.
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
The University of Helsinki (UH) has eleven faculties and the widest range of disciplines in Finland. It was established in Turku in 1640, but was transferred to Helsinki in 1828. There are 38,000 degree students and 7,600 staff. The number of degrees taken each year is almost 4,300, of which 400 are doctorates. The University has strong international connections – it has some 80 co-operation agreements with universities on different continents. The UH is bilingual, and in addition to Finnish and Swedish teaching is also provided in English.
ASSORTED FACTS
TUITION
There are no tuition fees for regular degree students in Finnish universities. This applies also to international degree students as well as exchange and visiting students. The student unions in universities, however, charge an annual membership fee to cover their activities. At the University Helsinki, the fee was 67 € for the academic year 2005-06. Student health services are included in this fee.
ACCOMMODATION
The Helsinki Region Student Housing Foundation has some 8,000 apartments or dormitories, and approximately 16,000 student tenants. The rent for shared apartments is 180–300 € per month, one-room apartments 300–450 € per month and 400–800 € per month for family apartments. The rent includes water, electricity, and an Internet connection. You can also choose green electricity at an additional price of approx. 1 € / person/ month.
KEY DATES
The academic year at the University of Helsinki runs from August 1 until July 1, the autumn term lasting from August 1 till the end of December and spring term from January 1 till the end of July. Teaching periods of the academic year 2006-2007 were the following:
Autumn term, I period: September 4 - October 22. One-week interval: October 23 – 29.
Autumn term, II period: October 30 - December 17.
Christmas break
Spring term, III period: January 15 - March 4. One-week interval: March 5 – 11. Spring term, IV period: march 12 - May 6
VISA
Neither a visa nor a residence permit is needed for Norwegian students.
CURIO
Helsinki is famous for its architecture. It has a lot of neo-classical structures as well as numerous Art Nouveau buildings designed in the early 1900s and influenced by the national epic poem Kalevala. Helsinki also features several buildings by the world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, one of the pioneers in functionalism. In addition, there are still many areas left with distinctive old wooden houses. In fact, Helsinki architecture is so fascinating that it even has an Australian band – Architecture in Helsinki – named after it.
LINKS: THE UNIVERSITY AND ANSA'S COUNTRY PAGES
www.helsinki.fi/university
www.ansa.no/land/finland |
