General information

Academic calendar

At Finnish universities, the academic year begins on 1 August and ends on 31 July. The academic year consists of two terms.

Autumn term: September – December
Spring term: January – May

In the spring term, classes finish by early May but some exams can be taken up until the end of May. The actual starting and ending date of studies depends on the field of study and the courses taken.

There is no summer term, but during the summer, students can take summer studies, which may consist of exams, practical training or master’s thesis. Lectures and seminars are not usually offered from June to August. Most of the libraries are open during the summer.

In addition to summer holidays, there is a break at Christmas (~ Dec 20 – Jan 7) and Easter. Other possible holidays are winter holiday (week 10) and autumn break (week 43). May Day (May 1st) and Independence Day (December 6th) are public holidays.

Faculty of Technology Teaching Periods

Autumn 2015

1. period: 31.8.-23.10.2015 (weeks 36-43)
2. period: 26.10.-18.12.2015 (weeks 44-51)

Spring 2016

3. period: 11.1.-11.3.2016 (weeks 2-10)
4. period: 14.3.-13.5.2016 (weeks 11-19)

Personal study plan

All students at the University of Oulu plan their studies with the PSP (Personal Study Plan) function in Oodi, the information system that supports studies and teaching. Each new student has to create his/her own PSP with the aid of Oodi tool. Training how to use the OodiPSP tool will be offered for new students in September. Please read the main guidelines for the OodiPSP environment.

Student calendar

Students can prepare their own electronic course calendars for the academic year. The system is called LUKKARI, and instructions can be found here.

In order to create your LUKKARI you have take a look of your curriculum and timetable of your BME study group given at the beginning of your studies. A pdf copy of your calendar can be printed from the LUKKARI environment.

You will need PAJU user ID of UO computer systems in order to start create your own LUKKARI calendar. You will receive your own PAJU user ID and password when registering/enrolling at Oulu University.

Licentiate Degree

The degree of Licenciate in Technology is still given by the Faculty of Technology, as well as are the Bachelor and Master degrees. The necessary forms are available only in Finnish language:

Ethical rules

All students are expected to complete their studies and work in an ethical manner. Below you can find more information about ethics at our university:

Relevant online services

  • LATURI: a system for the submission of electronic diploma and master’s theses.
  • LUKKARI: a schedule tool for students.
  • MUUNTAJA: a web-based service to convert the documents to PDF.
  • NOPPA: the study portal of the University  of Oulu. It offers tools for students and teachers to handle study information and roads to the sources of this information.
  • OPTIMA: an e-learning environment for accessing course material and returning your homework.
  • OULA: the library catalogue of the University of Oulu.
  • WEBOODI: an online portal with details for all courses.

Useful links

Living in Finland

Working in Finland

Last updated: 28.8.2015