k.a. “FAQs”) along with the corresponding answers to provide additional information. We hope this will help you with any questions you might have regarding the Language Services Finnish for foreigners courses.
The course schedule for the spring is available at the beginning of December, and registration begins in January.
The course schedule for the autumn is available in June, and registration begins in August–September.
The course schedule for the summer is available in April, and registration begins when the schedule is published.
Links to courses can be found at helsinki.fi/finnishcourses.
The courses are organised in a variety of locations on the University of Helsinki city centre campus. The exact address is included in the course description.
They are parallel courses for the same skill level, organised on different days and at different times.
You can only attend lessons on the course for which you have been admitted. Courses may proceed at different speeds, and there is no room for extra people in the classrooms.
You cannot attend two courses for different levels at the same time. Admittance into a course always requires that studies for the previous level have been completed. (However, if you wish to revise the material of e.g. the Suomi 2 course level and simultaneously take a Suomi 3 course, this can be done.)
Completing the courses at such a fast pace is extremely demanding and is not actually recommended.
You may take the basic level test for the National Certificate of Language Proficiency after completing a level 3 course and the intermediate level test once you have completed a level 5 course. Language Services does not organise YKI tests. More information can be obtained from the Finnish National Board of Education.
Read the Language Services course descriptions and see how they correspond to your skill level. You may also want to examine the textbook used in the course.
With the Finnish language skills test you can assess which course to take.
Read the Language Services course descriptions and see how they correspond to your skill level. You may also want to examine the textbook used in the course.
With the Finnish language skills test you can assess which course to take.
The Finnish for False Beginners course might be appropriate for your needs. See the course description.
Read the Language Services course descriptions and see how they correspond to your skill level. You may also want to examine the textbook used in the course.
With the Finnish language skills test you can assess which course to take.
The Finnish for False Beginners course might be appropriate for your needs. See the course description.
The content and levels of courses offered by Language Services.
This depends on the language skills required for the job, and varies greatly. For example, the target level after completing the Suomi 6 is skill level 3+ (EVK B1+/ YKI 3+).
An online form is used for course registration; it can be accessed by the link after each course name. Note! Registration is valid only when we have received a receipt of payment for the course fee.
You can register for the courses at helsinki.fi/finnishcourses. Registration begins on the stated date and continues until the beginning of the course, or until the course is full.
No.
Participants must be over 16 years of age, however there is no upper age limit.
See the instructions in Intranet Flamma.
If you are a student at the University of the Arts Helsinki OR a member of the staff of the University of Helsinki or Aalto University, see the information for staff and students.
Courses in Finnish for students at the University of Helsinki are organised by The Bachelor's Programme in the Languages and Literatures of Finland, see the information for international students.
You do not have to register for courses in person; someone else can register for you. You may also come to our office and fill out the electronic form on our premises. You cannot register for courses before the registration period begins.
Information required for registration includes: the name of the course, the first and last names of the participant, date of birth, place of work or study, previous education, native language, other language skills, where and for how long you have studied Finnish before, street and email addresses, and phone number. This information is collected only for the needs of the teacher and the Language Services’ own statistics.
Normally 30 participants will be admitted to a course, but the Finnish for False Beginners course takes 25 participants, and the conversation courses 20 participants.
You cannot attend a lesson if we have not sent you a confirmation of your place in the course. The teacher cannot admit any new students into the course. Possible cancellations are always communicated through the Language Services office. Inform us, if you are interested in a particular course, and we will contact you, if a course place becomes vacant.
Once you have registered, paid the course fee and received a confirmation of your place on the course, we can write a registration certificate on request. The certificate will also state the number of study hours required each week. We recommend that you email us first to request the certificate: kielikeskus-kielipalvelut[at]helsinki.fi.
The teacher’s own learning material is used in the other courses.
The course books are available in bookshops that sell various course textbooks.
You can pay the course fee through an online banking system or by visiting a bank.
Pay the course fee to the Helsinki University bank account:
FI58 5000 0120 3778 32
Swift = OKOYFIHH
The reference number 9910 8081 must be included on the payment form. Indicate your name and the name of the course in the message section, if possible. The course fee must be paid in euros.
No.
We will refund you the entire course fee if the course is full. You must submit a receipt of payment of the course fee and the payer’s account number to our office.
Registration is binding. Refunds can be made only in the following cases: the course for which the student has registered is full; the course is cancelled; the student has paid too much by mistake.
If the course turns out to be too easy or difficult for you, you can change courses provided there are vacancies in a suitable course. If you leave a course after it has begun, you cannot continue it later.
The course fee is the same for everyone. No discounts are given.
The teaching language is Finnish. The courses have been constructed so that no other languages are needed. You can, however, ask the teacher for assistance in another language when he or she circulates around the classroom supervising pair or group work, or on breaks and after class. English is used as a support language only in the course Finnish for False Beginners.
A final examination will be held at the end of the course (as well as an interim examination in the intensive course 1+2). The examination is not compulsory. You must, however, pass the examination to obtain credits and a course certificate. If you do not pass the final examination, you will receive a certificate of attendance if you have been present for at least 75% of the lessons.
You can retake the examination once within one year of the start of the course. After that, you must take the course again.
Yes, but you should definitely study and review the material before the next course begins so that you will be successful in your studies at the next level.
You cannot take the examination without participating in the course.
You will receive a course certificate and earn credits if you have passed the final examination. If you do not wish to take the final examination, you will receive a certificate of attendance if you have been present for at least 75% of the lessons.
The credits can be included in your other studies. If you are a student at the University of Helsinki, please submit your student number to the Language Services office, and we will register the credits. Students of other universities must submit their course certificate to the academic affairs office of their university to have the credits registered.
The certificate indicates the target level and content of the course as well as the credits and grade, if any. Your employer or educational institution or the local employment and economic development office may request the certificate as proof that you have completed the course.
See online courses for beginners: A Taste of Finnish and Tavataan taas!
Links to independent study (Infopankki)
The student card is available only to students of the University of Helsinki faculties. Language Services’ courses are open to all and do not entitle the participants to student status.
Language Services cannot assist course participants in housing or other living arrangements.
As participation in our courses is not considered full-time study, it is unlikely that you are granted a visa in order to take a Language Services course. We do not send visa invitation letters.