University of St Andrews

At a glance

The University of Helsinki (UH) is the oldest and largest university in Finland. Established in 1640, it was known as the Royal Academy of Turku for 189 years, and played a leading role in Finland's 19th-century independence movement. Of the 35,000 students in the eleven faculties 64% are women and the total enrolment of international students, including exchange students, is presently over 2,300.

Introductory video: With the Power of Knowledge

Established : 1640
Student Population : 35000
History : The University of Helsinki was established by a 13-year-old girl whom the world came to know as Queen Christina of Sweden. Initially, the university was a small and modest academic community where future civil servants and members of the clergy learnt Lutheran theology and European humanism. As it grew, it became a centre of the Finnish national awakening. The university was the scene for the creation of the Finnish national anthem and flag, and had an important role in the formation of Finnish identity, history, language and culture. The University of Helsinki has been the alma mater of nine presidents and thousands of influential figures in the worlds of politics, scholarship, culture and the business sector – and not forgetting four Nobel laureates. The University also has a museum.
Rankings : The University of Helsinki is ranked #42 in the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024.
Overview of Facilities and campus : The Universty has four campuses: the City Centre, Kumpula, Meilahti and Viikki. All information on these can be found here.

Website and links

Website : University of Helsinki Homepage

Study abroad page : International Students Homepage

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at Helsingin Yliopisto/Helsingfors Universitet :

• Biology

Semesters Available

• First Semester
• Second Semester
• Full Year

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Coordinator.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2024/5
Semester 1 Aug 2024 to Dec 2024
Semester 2 Jan 2025 to May 2025
2025/6
Semester 1 Aug 2025 to Dec 2025
Semester 2 Jan 2026 to May 2025

Your studies abroad

St Andrews academic requirements

• Minimum Credit in Academic year : 48
• Minimum Credit in Semester : 24
• Maximum Credit in Academic year : 60
• Maximum Credit in Semester: 30
• Module Weighting : 3,5,8

Partner Course Catalogue : The main languages of instruction at the UH are Finnish and Swedish, with a multitude of courses taught in English.

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This is a School Abroad programme.

Places available

Places available : 2 semester places or 1 full year place

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

Flights to Helsinki are available from several major UK airports. See Helsinki's webpage for more information about travelling to and from the airport.

Helsinki's public transport company runs tram and metro services with stations and stops serving many of the university institutes.

Accommodation

The University advises you to start looking for housing as soon as possible after submitting your application to the UH. Please note that the University of Helsinki itself does not provide accommodation for students and it does not offer key pick up service. The University of Helsinki is working in cooperation with HOAS and Unihome in order to accommodate the growing number of international students.

See the UH's HOAS (Homes for Sudents) for more details.

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

Student Services at Helsinki provide support for students.

Contact the International Exchange Service for help with academic and admin issues.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all of our partner universities.