Become a student tutor for the academic year 2026-2027

The application to become a tutor or kummi student for the academic year 2026-2027 is open from 7th of Januany until the 8th of February 2026. Please read through carefully the information on this application page before applying.

Please note that if you are selected as a tutor or kummi, the choice is binding. Think carefully about whether you can commit to the role!

You can apply using the form below:

• as a student tutor for the new students in study programmes taught in English or
• as student tutor for the new students in study programmes taught in Finnish or
• as a student tutor (kummi student) for exchange students arriving in Autumn 2026 and/or in Spring 2027.

Please note, that if you apply to become a tutor for students of study programmes taught in Finnish, you are required to speak Finnish fluently.

For questions and more information about the application: opiskeluntuki@oulu.fi.

Tutor application form

International student tutors tutor new degree students in English-language degree programmes. Often, the students tutors are from the same degree programme themselves, but there are exceptions as well. International tutoring is a great way to gain international experience, meet different people and do important work in helping international students adapt to the Finnish study culture.

The orientation week for international degree students starts at the end of August, when you need to be present as a tutor. This year, orientation is tentatively scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 11 August for new students in Medicine and Dentistry, and on Monday, 24 August 2026 for other students. The detailed orientation week schedule will be confirmed later.

International students often arrive in Finland at slightly different times. As an international student tutor, your important task at the beginning of autumn is to assist your students with practical matters related to starting their studies and to support them in adapting to student life in a new environment

Tutoring your group of students happens during August-September-October, but depending on the faculty, it can start during the Spring when the newly admitted international students receive accepted information about their place of study. In this case, as an international student tutor, you can already support the new international students in the Spring semester by answering their questions about their studies.

For international tutors, the typical amount of tutoring hours for Autumn is averaging 15-20 hours.

The main tasks of an international student tutor are:

• communicating with your group of students before the start of their studies (if needed),
• welcoming the new students upon their arrival at the University of Oulu,
• introducing students to study practices, their own degree programme, and essential study skills needed for studying at a general level,
• supporting students with integrating to the University and to the student community
• to familiarize the new students with….
  • the Finnish university system and student life,
  • the degree programme and how to study at the University of Oulu (tips for studying),
  • the other students and student community,
  • the services for students,
  • the student life and free time activities,
  • the Finnish culture and habits.

Exchange students at the UniOulu also have their own tutors. They can be students from any field of studies, and do not have to be from the same field as the exchange students.

As an exchange student's tutor your duties are very similar to those of a degree programme tutor. You will help students to get to know their group members, the study environment and practices, as well as different events and activities. You will also help your group of exchange students arriving in Oulu, for example with picking up their apartment keys.

Exchange students are also often particularly interested in Finnish culture, Oulu, and the various leisure activities available, as they are here for a short period of time. You will therefore get a chance to introduce exchange students to a very wide range of Finnish culture!

Tutors for exchange students are needed for both the Spring and Autumn semesters. Working as a tutor in the Autumn semester you need to be present from the end of August onwards, and the Spring semester from the very beginning of January onwards.

Tutoring hours for exchange student's tutors typically vary between 15-20.

The student selected as a tutor or kummi must be responsible, dedicated to the role, and committed to participating in the training and implementing the tutoring. Think carefully about your own motivation and why you want to be a tutor. A good tutor is genuinely enthusiastic and willing to help new students, and this should be your main motivating factor. Also, consider your own study timetable and whether you can realistically commit to giving the amount of time that tutoring requires.

A good tutor or kummi is:

• Conscientious and responsible,
• dedicated and committed to their role,
• aware of their own schedule and able to arrange their schedules to fit the trainings and tutoring,
• has made progress in their own studies,
• committed to attend the trainings,
• physically present and available when the tutoring starts.

Previous experience in a similar role or activities is considered an advantage but not a necessity. The most important factors are your motivation and your ability to commit to the role.

In addition to the tutoring sessions themselves you need to make time to attend the training sessions, create a tutoring plan, and prepare for the tutoring.

Attending and passing the tutor trainings is a prerequisite for becoming a tutor. The training include:

• training sessions during Spring 2026 common to all international tutors and kummis at the university,
• completion of the Moodle course,
• faculty-specific training / info sessions for their own tutors.
• complementary training organized by the OYY (information will be updated later)

During spring 2026, training for tutors guiding new students in English degree programmes will be organised as follows:

Training includes an independent study course on Moodle and three Zoom sessions, with more detailed information provided later. Once your selection as a tutor has been confirmed, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the Moodle training platform and participate in the training sessions.

Topics and schedule of the trainings:

1. Basics of tutoring and schedule

   - Moodle + in-person session on 11 March, 16:15–17:30 via Zoom

2. Preparing for tutoring

   - Moodle + in-person session on 25 March, 16:15–17:30 via Zoom

3. Tutoring in practice

   - Moodle + in-person session on 8 April, 16:30–18:00 at the Linnanmaa campus (details to be confirmed)

Moodle courses are conducted in English. The in-person Zoom sessions are held together with national tutors and are bilingual.

Completion of the Moodle course and participation in the in-person sessions are required for serving as a tutor, and attendance is mandatory.

You will also receive instructions from your faculty on how to participate in any faculty-specific training.

Exchange student's tutors are trained together with the tutors guiding new students in the English-language degree programmes. Instructions for participating in the trainings can be found above.

Additionally, your faculty will provide guidance on any faculty-specific training sessions you may need to attend.

For spring 2026 exchange student's tutors, a refresher training will be organised at the end of the autumn semester 2026. The exact date of the training will be confirmed later.

Student tutors are paid a fee after they've returned their completed tutoring report. The fee is paid based on the amount of completed tutoring hours you've given to your group, with one tutoring hour being 60 minutes. The fee is 14,10€ per hour (the amount will be confirmed at the beginning of 2026). Please note that there is usually no fee for planning and preparing tutoring sessions.

NOTE! If you are employed by the University of Oulu at the time of your tutoring, you will not be eligible for a tutoring fee. This is due to the University's regulations regarding paying the fee for the in-house personnel. However, depending on the faculty practices, you may be able to receive study credits for the tutoring.

If you have been selected as a tutor, and you agree to employment with the University of Oulu before or during the tutoring, you must immediately inform the tutoring contact person of your degree programme about this. In this case, with the tutoring contact person, you will find out whether the planned tutoring hours coincide with the date of the employment contract. If your employment contract with the University of Oulu overlaps with your tutoring, we cannot pay you a tutoring fee.

You will receive information about the options regarding continuing with the tutoring from the tutoring contact person in case your employment with the university overlaps with the tutoring.

In addition to this, all students tutors get:

• valuable tutoring, planning and guiding experience, as well as develop your communication skills,
• a work certificate (digital badge) issued by the University,
• the experience of being able to help others, and a possibility to meet new people,
• a chance to experience the freshman year from a different perspective,
• possibility to take part in the peer activities organized for all student tutors.

Depending on your faculty, you may also receive credits. To ensure your eligibility for credits, you can contact your faculty's study services for further information.