UniOulu Kickstart to Finnish language and life

Coming to the University of Oulu to study for your degree? You have the possibility to kickstart your studies with an intensive Finnish course organised in August 2025. While learning the language, you will get to enjoy the Finnish summer, network and learn about your new home town and its surroundings. By studying the Kickstart course in August, you can enrol directly on upper-level Finnish courses when the semester starts.

What is the Kickstart?

The UniOulu Kickstart offers you the opportunity to begin your studies in Oulu as early as August and start learning the Finnish language intensively before starting your other courses. In this intensive program, the course Survival & Beginners' Finnish 1 is condensed into a one-month intensive study, which would typically last an entire autumn semester. You will get to know both the University of Oulu and the city of Oulu, with many cultural events and activities taking place in August.

Acquiring the language at a faster pace makes it easier to adapt to life in Finland. During the lessons, we will also go out of the classroom and can, for example, go to a store or bake together, thus putting our learned vocabulary to use. By studying intensively in a close-knit group, you will get to know other students more easily.

After this intensive course, you've finished beforehand the mandatory Finnish course in all the international degree programs and can continue to the Beginners' Finnish 2 course in September.

Course contents

Kickstart Course Schedule 2025

Registration

Registration to UniOulu Kickstart course is now open and ends on June 2, 2025. We accept 50 students for the course. Places will be filled in registration order - first come, first served.

Please note that the UniOulu Kickstart course is available only to new degree students who will begin their studies in autumn 2025.

Read the information on the registration form carefully. Note, that registrations are binding, so make sure you will have a valid residence permit (if applicable) and can arrive at Oulu by August 2025. Participants are also responsible for organising their housing. See more information in the "Practical Issues" section below.

We reserve the right to changes.

Registration to the course

Practical issues for course participants

Fees

Housing

Residence permit

Experiences of previous course participants

"Thanks to this course, I could start my university life smoothly and comfortably. I made friends, know bits of the Finnish language, familiar with campus before uni started."

"Through this course, I learned the Finnish language and culture in advance. And I met many friends from different countries and study programs."

"Entire course was very nice and worth. Having trips and city tours was really helpful to understand the city and culture."