Bilingual university

The two main official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. University of Helsinki is a bilingual top university in Finland with Finnish and Swedish as the languages of instruction and examination. Together the University students and staff members create a multilingual community where Swedish plays it's own unique part. This site gives you more information about the bilingual University.
Teach­ing in Swedish
  • Education in Swedish is offered in the fields of science with Swedish professorships
  • More than 30 Swedish speaking professors and over 100 teachers teach in Swedish
  • Students are always entitled to write exams and course work in Swedish
  • Bilingual degrees (page in Swedish) are offered in a variety of subjects

According to the Universities Act (558/2009) there should be at least 28 professorships with Swedish being the teaching language at the University of Helsinki. University of Helsinki is the only university in Finland which offers academic education in Swedish in the fields of medicine, social work, social psychology, veterinary medicine, agronomy, geography and journalism. 
Ser­vice in Swedish, Finnish and Eng­lish

Students have the right to receive service in Finnish and/or in Swedish. Service is also provided in English. 

IT Helpdesk, Student Services, International Exchange Services and Admissions Services are available in these three languages. Faculties ensure that student counselling is offered in these languages.
Cam­pus groups

Each campus has a group tasked with developing and coordinating Swedish and bilingual activities and teaching. The Viikki and Kumpula campuses have a joint campus group. For additional information please contact the campus coordinator of the campus in question (see the Office for Bilingual Affairs).
Vice-deans re­spons­ible for bi­lin­gual af­fairs

Each faculty has a dean or a vice-dean responsible for bilingual affairs. In order to see the list of vice-deans responsible for bilingual affairs, please see the Finnish or Swedish page. 
Vice-rector for Bi­lin­gual Af­fairs

According to the Universities Act the rector or one of the vice-rectors should be a holder of a professorship with Swedish as the teaching language. Vice-rector Kai Nordlund is responsible for the bilingual activities of the university.

 
Board for the De­vel­op­ment of Swedish Af­fairs and Teach­ing

“Svenska verksamhetsnämnden” is the Board for the Development of Swedish Affairs and Teaching. The board is regulated by the Universities Act and it is led by the rector or a vice-rector holding a Swedish professorship.

The Board of the University nominates the members and the deputies for a four-year term. All the faculties, the Swedish School of Social Sciences, partner universities and institutions and the Student Union of the University of Helsinki are represented in the board, and Swedish Affairs functions as the secretariat. For the list of members, please change to the Finnish or Swedish page. 
Del­eg­a­tion for Swedish Af­fairs at the University of Helsinki

The Del­eg­a­tion for Swedish Af­fairs at the University of Helsinki contributes to research and teaching in Swedish by developing the connections and interaction with society. For the list of members, please change to the Finnish or Swedish page. 
Swedish Affairs

The team of Swedish Affairs is a part of the University Services and coordinates and develops the bilingual activities at the University.

Each campus has its own coordinator developing bilingualism at the University's four campuses.

Our job is to

  • support the University management in strategic questions concerning Swedish-language education and bilingualism
  • create new initiatives to enhance the University’s bilingual activities and promote practical bilingualism
  • support and develop bilingual degrees (page in Finnish)
  • participate in the bilingual strategic development at the University level
  • promote bilingual interaction between the University and the society

Swedish Affairs
svenska-arenden@helsinki.fi
PO Box 59 (Unionsgatan 38)
00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

Harriet Lindeberg-Saapunki
Head of Swedish-Language and Bilingual Affairs 
harriet.lindeberg-saapunki@helsinki.fi
Tel. +358 50 453 1401

Belinda Andersson
Specialist, deputy head
belinda.andersson@helsinki.fi
Tel. +358 50 411 2728

Richard Backman
Project leader  
richard.backman@helsinki.fi
Tel. +358 50 414 2318

Olivia Högnabba
Campus Coordinator, City Centre Cam­pus
olivia.hognabba@helsinki.fi
Tel. +358 50 314 6792

Miska Siilin
Campus Coordinator, Meilahti (Mejlans)
miska.siilin@helsinki.fi
tel. +358 50 566 8762

Mikaela Wickman
Campus Coordinator, Viikki and Kumpula (Vik och Gumtäkt)
mikaela.wickman@helsinki.fi
tfn 050 3438129

Milla Mäntylä
Coordinator for Helsingforsalliansen
milla.mantyla@helsinki.fi
tel. +358 50 479 4406
Collaboration between higher education institutions

Coordination body for Swedish-language higher education in Finland

  • Coordination body for Swedish-language higher education in Finland (Samordningsdelegationen för den svenskspråkiga högskoleutbildningen i Finland) is a statutory body issuing statements and recommendations on Swedish-language education in Finland.
  • The body has representatives from all Swedish-language and bilingual higher education institutions in Finland. The University of Helsinki representative is Vice-Rector Kai Nordlund.

Helsingforsalliansen 

Helsingforsalliansen (Helsinki alliance) (page in Swedish) is a cooperation network for Swedish-language and bilingual universities and higher education institutions in the Helsinki area. The goal of the cooperation is to strengthen high-quality Swedish-language education in the region.

The University of Helsinki is responsible for the administration of Helsingforsalliansen. 
Our policies