Incoming Student Exchange

The University of Oulu welcomes over 500 exchange students from all over the world every year. Would you like to be one of them? High quality teaching and excellent programmes are offered in all of our eight faculties. Come and experience student exchange with arctic attitude!

How to Apply for Exchange

Come and join our Study Exchange -webinar on Monday September 23rd, 1 pm Finnish time, EEST via Zoom We will go through the application process and give a sneak peek at some of the systems we use here at UniOulu. This is your chance to learn how to make a successful application. Here are the webinar slides How to apply for Study Exchange.pptx (pptx)

Thinking of applying? Please check the steps below and then apply via SoleMove

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 through a link. The nomination link is only given to your home university coordinator either from the faculty international coordinator or international office.

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. Please note that the Oulu Business School, Humanities and the Faculty of Medicine do not take free movers at all.

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: We accept Online Learning Agreements (OLA) from incoming Erasmus+ students. In case your home university has not implemented OLA yet, we also accept paper/pdf learning agreements. Please consult your home university on which format you should use. If you are applying outside Europe or though another exchange programme (e.g. bilateral agreement), please use our general learning agreement template.
  • 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 or TOEFL/IELTS language test.
  • 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.

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

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

You can expect a decision in early June for autumn term and full academic year students, and by December for spring term students. We prioritise admission decisions for students from a Third Country (Non-EU/EEA/Swiss/Nordic) due to immigration matters.

5. Acceptance

Remember to confirm your exchange in SoleMOVE system. Accepted students will receive their official acceptance letter and information package by email. Students should go through all the materials carefully, as it includes information on residence permits, housing and other important matters.

Any questions

Still wanting to know something?

In study related questions, find your Faculty International Coordinator's contact details here https://www.oulu.fi/en/student-exchange-services

International Mobility Services' Virtual Office Hour serves every Wednesday at 14 - 15 in Zoom. Come and ask about applying or any other topic! Join us online via this link https://oulu.zoom.us/j/66770991145

If you didn't find the needed information from this page, contact international.office@oulu.fi

For Accepted Students

If your application is accepted, you will receive an electronic acceptance letter and information package by e-mail. Acceptance letters are sent out in early June for autumn term and full-year exchanges and by December for spring term exchanges at the latest. But your work does not stop here - after acceptance it is time to take care of important matters such as permits, insurances and housing. See our Checklist before arrival to make your start as smooth as possible.

At the end of your exchange