Incoming Student Exchange

1. Before applying for an exchange at the University of Oulu, you need to be nominated by your home university. Consult your home university's exchange coordinator for nominating you as an exchange student. Please ask your home university to see the UniOulu fact sheet for more detailed instructions on the nomination process.

2. After nomination you will get access to our online application system called SoleMOVE. Login details and application instructions will be sent to you by email. Fill out your application and upload all required enclosures by the deadline. 

3. Mandatory application enclosures

• Learning agreement
• Transcript of Records (in English)
• Certificate of English Language Competence: Mandatory for all non-native English speakers. Minimum requirement is B2 in CEFR scale. Certificate can be provided by your home university's English teacher, TOEFL/IELTS language test is not required from exchange students.
• Photo
• Motivation Letter and portfolio: Mandatory for Architecture applicants only. Upload your Motivation Letter to SoleMOVE and make your portfolio accessible online. Attach a link to your portfolio to your SoleMOVE application.

4. Deadlines

• Nominations: 15 April for autumn term and full academic year exchanges
                              1 October for spring term exchanges
   
• Applications: 30 April for autumn term and full academic year exchanges
                              15 October for spring term exchanges

Please note that all application materials are submitted through the online application system. We do not accept any application enclosures by email.

5. Free movers

If your department does not have an exchange agreement with the University of Oulu, there are limited possibilities to apply as a free mover student. To check on the matter, please contact the faculty International Coordinator of your field of study. Contact details can be found at Student exchange services websites. Please note that the Oulu Business School does not take free movers at all.

1. Before applying to traineeship (also called placement) exchange you must be nominated by your home university. The nomination should be sent to international.office@oulu.fi
Please note: In order to apply for traineeship exchange you must be enrolled at a higher education institution and the traineeship must be a part of your studies. 

2. Please note that all traineeship exchanges are subject to availability and the traineeship must be a part of your studies. 

3. After nomination you will get access to our online application system called SoleMOVE. Login details and application instructions will be sent to you by email. Fill out your application and upload all required enclosures to the system.

4. Mandatory enclosures

• Placement agreement
• Transcript of Records (in English)
• CV
• Certificate of English Language Competence: Mandatory for all non-native English speakers. Minimum of B2 in CEFRE scale. Certificate can be provided by your home university's English teacher, TOEFL/IELTS language test is not required.

5. Deadlines

• We strongly recommend all traineeship exchange applicants to follow the deadlines given for student exchange.
• In all cases, the traineeship application must be submitted at least three (3) months prior to the suggested start date of the exchange.

European students

If you are a citizen of an EU member state, a Nordic country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you don't need to apply for a Residence Permit. However, you need to apply for a Right of Residence if you are staying in Finland for over three interrupted months. You can do the registration in Oulu after arrival.

• More instructions for EU citizens

Students coming from outside Europe
If you are a citizen from somewhere else than listed above, you need a Residence Permit. See instructions for applying below. You should start the Resident Permit application process right after receiving your acceptance letter for your exchange period; the process can take a while. 

• More instructions on applying for a Residence Permit

All international students regardless of nationality are required to obtain a Finnish Personal Identity Code once they have arrived in Finland. The identity number is applied in person at the Local Register Office and it is free of charge. After you have received your Finnish Personal Identity code, you must forward it to your faculty's Academic Affairs Service Team.

Students outside EU/EEA/EFTA countries should apply for the Personal Identity Code along with their Residence Permit. If you haven't received your Finnish Personal Identity Code in your Residence Permit, you will have to apply for it after arriving in Finland (see below).

EU and EEA citizens and citizens from EFTA Countries will apply for the Personal Identity Code after they arrive in Finland. The application for the code is done at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

More information about applying will be offered during Orientation. 

• More information about the Finnish Personal Identity Code

All incoming exchange students, both study and traineeship, are required to have a valid health and accident insurance that covers possible accidents and health problems also during your travel to and from Finland. The University of Oulu does not cover medical costs for students.
The insurance should cover at least the following: 

• Health care costs for an illness or accident including hospitalization due to COVID-19 pandemic 
  (minimum coverage 100 000 EUR, for non-EU citizens 120 000 EUR) 

• Personal property 

• Repatriation and medical evacuation  

• Civil liability  

European Health Insurance Card

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA/EFTA country, you are eligible to apply for an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare under the same conditions as people insured in that country. Students from EU countries must bring their European Health Card with them. Note that the European Health Insurance Card is not valid during your travels to and from Finland or during any excursions to a third country.

• More about the European Health Insurance Card here: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559&langId=en
• For further information on applying for the card, please contact the social insurance office in your home country 

An additional health insurance is also highly recommended to EU/EEA/EFTA citizens as the Finnish national medical insurance does not cover, for example, severe injuries and the costs of possible repatriation. 

Students coming from outside of EU

If you are a non-EU/EEA/EFTA national, a health insurance policy is to be taken when applying for a Residence Permit.

• More information: https://migri.fi/en/insurance

Do not forget to take an insurance that covers all of these during both your stay in Finland and your travels to and from Finland. For eventual leisure time excursions and trips, it is advisable to make sure that the insurance is valid also in Finland’s neighboring countries.

PSOAS Housing

Housing for incoming exchange students is organised by the local student  housing foundation, PSOAS. They offer affordable student housing located right next to Linnanmaa campus. Students are housed in shared apartments with private bedrooms. More information on PSOAS homepage.

Make sure that you apply for housing as soon as possible. Also note, that once you sign your tenancy agreement, it is binding. Tenancy agreements are made for full terms only. Early terminations are possible only in force majeure cases.

In all housing related matters please contact PSOAS directly at asuntotoimisto@psoas.fi

Other housing providers and more information

If you do not receive housing through PSOAS please have a look at the Housing page for other housing providers operating in Oulu. 

If you are not able to find housing before arriving to Oulu, with short term housing, it might be easier to look for a room after you have already arrived in Oulu. You can look for short term housing, for example, through Airbnb or similar.

All exchange students arriving in Oulu have a kummi student, a student tutor. Your kummi will help you during the first few weeks in Oulu.

Kummi is a student from the same field as you and is there to help with arrival matters, such as helping you to your student housing, registration to University, and getting to know the University and the City of Oulu.

Exchange students will receive their kummi's contact information approximately 1-2 months before their exchange starts. This way you can get in contact with your kummi student before you arrive to Oulu! Please note that we unfortunately are not able to guarantee a kummi to students arriving late in the term or during summer months.

Joining the student union is strongly recommended for all bachelor and master level exchange students. Through the Student Union membership you will get access to student priced meals on campus restaurants, student discount on local transportation and multiple other student benefits around Oulu all around Finland too. OYY also supports student societies and arranges many events throughout the year. 

For more information about the Student Union and instructions on how to pay the student union fee
can be found on OYY homepage.

1. Transcript of Records 

Most of the Universities require a Transcript of Records after returning back from exchange. You may download your transcript from Peppi system. Downloading is possible until one month after your exchange, so you will have some time to download it after all your credits have been published

2. Erasmus+ students also need to provide following attachments to their home university

• Learning Agreement with final information on courses, signed by the student and both exchange institution's and home institution's responsible person (usually the exchange coordinators)
• Letter of Confirmation with the actual studying dates and a signature from exchange institution's responsible person
• You can download the forms here

3. Returning your apartment keys

• If you have an apartment from PSOAS, find the instructions here
• The apartment needs to be clean and keys returned on time when giving up the apartment, see further instructions from your housing provider

4. Closing the University Student Account

• The University Student Account closes automatically after one month your exchange period has ended. You don't need to do anything for closing your account

5. Closing your Finnish bank account

• If you have a Finnish bank account, contact your Finnish bank for closing instructions
• Some banks make temporary banking agreements with exchange students, if you have one, the bank account closes automatically. Make sure you transfer your money away from the account before closing!

6. Change of address in the Finnish postal service

• Make a notification of move at a Finnish postal office to make sure your mail doesn't come to your apartment in Oulu anymore. The notification can be made one month in advance at the earliest. With a Finnish bank account, you can make the notification online. Otherwise visit the postal office for the notification. See more information here

Want to stay longer? Extending your exchange is possible from Autumn semester to Spring semester. Should you wish to extend your exchange, please first consult your home university's exchange coordinator.

If your home university's approves the extension, you should consult your faculty international coordinator in Oulu. 

Unfortunately, extending your exchange from Spring semester to the following Autumn semester is not possible.