We consider international mobility of students, teachers and researchers one of the cornerstones of our internationalisation efforts and we seek to provide opportunities for international mobility globally.
University of Helsinki takes part in several mobility programmes. Detailed information about the programmes can be found on this site.
Our units actively take part in all mobility programmes under Erasmus+. Among student mobility programmes, Erasmus+ is the largest and offers a wide variety of options for all areas of studies.
We currently have around 300 Erasmus partner universities and with them we annually exchange about 350 outgoing students, 800 incoming students and around 40 outgoing teachers and staff.
The Erasmus+ Programme's global mobility (KA171) i.e. Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (E+ ICM) was launched in 2015. It's funded by European Union's external action budget and a large part of it is aimed at cooperation with the union's neighbouring areas. E+ ICM funds both outgoing and incoming international mobility periods. We have participated in the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme since its beginning. Currently we have 16 partner universities in 15 countries. You find these partners below marked with (E+ ICM).
Nordplus offers possibilities for students, teachers and other staff from the Nordic and Baltic countries to cooperate with each other in the field of education. We coordinate six and are a member in 20 Nordplus networks. University of Helsinki is also part of the Nordlys-network, which is a university-wide network for Nordic universities.
For questions about course programmes, student’s study rights and scholarships, please contact the coordinator of the specific network you find listed below among the Mobility partner universities. The centralised Nordplus/Nodlys-coordinator is also happy to assist:
International Exchange Services: Maija Eeva, +358 (0)2941 22953, studentexchange@helsinki.fi
In an effort to engage with leading universities globally, beyond the scope of the European and Nordic mobility programmes, we have made bilateral agreements with approximately 120 universities worldwide. About 60 of these include active student exchange. Some agreements include teacher and researcher exchange in addition to student exchange.
Our bilateral agreements are made with the leading universities in their respective countries and the idea is to keep the number of partnerships limited in an effort to get maximum results from them.
We take part also in the following programmes, which are coordinated by the International Exchange Services at the University Services.
North2North (University of the Arctic)
SEMP (Swiss-European Mobility Programme)
As a form of existing cooperation, we are actively seeking new ways to enable student exchange with partner universities all around the world. New ways of cooperation include, for example, piloting virtual exchanges and initiating researcher exchange for Master's students for a short period. These initiatives are agreed on beforehand with our partner universities.
We welcome also applications from Fulbright and Edufi scholarship recipients as visiting students.
Benin
Kenya
Morocco
Namibia
South Africa
Zambia
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Mexico
Peru
United States
China
India
Japan
Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Laos
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Georgia
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University: student, teacher and researcher exchange agreement, also (E+ ICM)
Erasmus partners
Ukraine
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, university bilateral agreement: student, teacher and researcher exchange agreement, also (E+ ICM)
Egypt
Iran
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Palestine
Australia
New Zealand
Networks coordinated by the University of Helsinki
Other University of Helsinki’s networks
When considering partnerships, we seek to collaborate with universities which have a similar academic profile and with which there already is a solid history of cooperation e.g. in research.
Our bilateral agreements can be classified into two groups. The University-wide agreements cover all or a significant part of both partners’ organization. The unit-specific agreements only cover one faculty, department, other unit, or one or several degree programmes and therefore have a more limited scope. See the relevant fact sheet, displayed next to each mobility programme for more information.
All agreements are coordinated by the International Exchange Services and they should be contacted in all questions concerning mobility partnerships, agreements and actions including exchange student selections and course offerings, renewal of existing mobility agreements, teaching staff or staff training visits, academic content and studies.
Students still considering the University of Helsinki as their exchange destination can have a look at our International students web site. The page contains e.g. 10 reasons to choose University of Helsinki as an exchange destination, information on living in Helsinki as well as experiences of other international students.
Information regarding application process as well as practical information during exchange can be found in the Instructions for Exchange and Visiting Students. Students can find e.g. information concerning the application deadlines as well as the general requirements for incoming exchanges students.
Decisions regarding acceptance are made by faculties. Acceptance information is available about 6 weeks after the application deadline. Exchange students receive an official acceptance certificate with their acceptance e-mail. This certificate is sent directly to the student, and it is needed for the Finnish residence permit application.
Instructions for choosing courses as well as preliminary syllabuses for each degree programme can be found in our Course selection -instructions.
We have been using an electronic mobility management system since 2009. All our partner data, mobility agreements, application rounds and e.g. feedback and statistics are administrated via the Mobility Online system. There are over 2000 applicant users annually: incoming and outgoing students as well as outgoing teacher and staff applicants.
International Exchange Services has regular office hours throughout the year, during which incoming students may seek advice and support. Welcome Fair and Orientation Week are also arranged at the beginning of each semester. Incoming exchange students may use nearly all the services available for University of Helsinki's own degree students. Students are advised to contact the International Exchange Services whenever problems occur. In crisis situations, a set policy is followed.
University of Helsinki welcomes all students and offers special arrangements to support studies.
The University of Helsinki does not automatically send the transcript of studies. Students need to order it themselves by following the Order a Transcript of Studies instructions. We strongly encourage the use of a digitally verified transcript os studies.
University of Helsinki's guidelines on cheating and plagiarism also apply to incoming exchange students. All cases are reported to the home university.
Student exchange is always based on valid agreements. We recommend that students are nominated at least two weeks before the application deadlines. Late applications will not be considered.
Please observe the semester dates of the University of Helsinki. Exceptions must always be negotiated with the faculty (i.e. if a student wishes to carry out research, an exchange period outside the semester dates may be possible). You should contact studentexchange@helsinki.fi to request such an exception. Students can be nominated for 1 or 2 semesters according to the agreement. We recommend that you nominate students evenly for both semesters (autumn and spring). We accept nominations for the following acaedmic year March 1st onwards.
You should nominate students to study in the field of study included in the agreement. Please use the relevant online nomination form for nominating exchange student candidates.
You can nominate students to any field of study included in the agreement. Students have a host faculty, which means that they need to select a minimum of 50% of their courses from one faculty. Please use the relevant online nomination form for nominating exchange student candidates.
Restrictions: When nominating students for the fields of Communication, English philology, Economics, Education, Law, Medicine, Urban Studies and Planning, Psychology, Political Science or Veterinary Medicine, the student must be studying the discipline as his/her major at the home university and have enough previous studies in the discipline prior to arrival.
When selecting students for exchange, please note that University of Helsinki does not offer engineering, accounting or business studies as a major.
NB! Highly restricted: Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine. Please contact International Exchange Services before nominating students for these fields.
If you are interested in coming to University of Helsinki (UH) on Erasmus+ teacher or staff exchange, please begin by contacting your home university’s international office. In Erasmus+ teacher and staff exchange, the applicant’s home university always selects the candidates. Therefore, please check your home university’s teacher exchange application instructions and deadlines.
At the University of Helsinki, the first step is to look for an academic host for your teacher exchange. In order to find an academic host for your teacher exchange, please contact the University of Helsinki unit which is similar to your own discipline with your CV and a description of your field of expertise, including possible lecture topics. In addition to the list of units and Faculties, you can use our Research Database to look for an academic host for your visit.
Please note that teacher exchange visits are only possible during the academic year during the teaching periods of the University of Helsinki.
Erasmus+ teacher exchanges are based on an inter-institutional teacher exchange agreement. When you fave found an academic contact person and have agreed on the content of the visit, the University of Helsinki can sign a teacher exchange agreement with your university, if the agreement does not already exist. We recommend contacting International Exchange Services and Eduction Cooperation's staff exchange at least 3 months before the intended teacher mobility in order to allow enough time for the agreement process. The International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation unit is responsible for the inter-institutional teacher exchange agreement.
It is up to the department/unit to decide whether they can accept teacher exchange visitors. The academic staff will discuss and plan your program with you. Your academic host will sign the mobility documents of your visit. If your hosts have questions concerning your exchange they can contact the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation's staff exchange.
University of Helsinki also welcomes administrative staff from partner universities. However, due to high demand, we are unfortunately usually unable to accept individual Erasmus+ staff training (STT) visitors or visitor groups. In order to give the best overview of our institution, University of Helsinki offers International Staff Exchange Weeks (ISEW). During the ISEW week, it is also possible to visit the University of Helsinki departments and units of your choice.
For more information, please visit the ISEW webpage.
Teachers applying for exchange under the Erasmus+ ICM programme (University of Helsinki’s Erasmus+ ICM partner universities) must first be nominated by their home university to qualify for an exchange at the University of Helsinki.
Teachers must first contact the international office of their home university for instructions and the application deadline. Nominations for Erasmus+ Global teacher exchange should be sent from partner universities to International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation's staff exchange at least eight weeks before the estimated arrival date.
Teachers should independently contact the appropriate faculty and teaching unit at the University of Helsinki. The applicant must arrange the details of the exchange with the academic staff of the hosting unit and determine who can serve as the contact person for the exchange. Here you find the Faculties of the University. For finding an academic host, please feel free to use our research portal.
Teachers arriving at the University of Helsinki under the Erasmus+ Global programme must also complete a teacher exchange application in the Mobility Online portal. For further information, please contact the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation's staff exchange.
Incoming teachers/researchers/ non-academic staff should take care of necessary insurance for the duration of the exchange for their own part.
University of Helsinki can send an official invitation if one is needed for a visa application, however, please note that you must take care of the visa and other possible immigration matters yourself.
For more information, please contact your home university's international coordinator or the University of Helsinki's International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation's staff exchange.
When establishing a new bilateral student exchange agreement with a partner university outside EU, University of Helsinki always asks whether it is possible to also include teacher and researcher exchange. We believe that student exchange and researcher and teacher exchange support each other. If the bilateral exchange agreement includes researcher and teacher mobility, the exchange quota and possible duration of teacher and researcher mobility are indicated in the exchange agreement.
Potential teacher and researcher exchange applicants should always begin by contacting their home university’s international office and the receiving unit at the University of Helsinki. For finding an academic host, please feel free to use our research database. Please note that you can apply to University of Helsinki only after being nominated and that the application process, including practical arrangements, at the University of Helsinki takes up to eight weeks.
Nominations for researcher and teacher exchange should be sent from partner universities to University of Helsinki's International Exchange Services' staff exchange at least eight weeks before the estimated arrival date. Please note that teacher exchange visits are only possible during the academic year. Here you can find the University of Helsinki’s teaching periods.
Required documents for the researcher and teacher exchange application: CV, description of the content of the visit, approval from the academic host at the University of Helsinki. For further information, please contact the International Exchange Services' staff exchange.
Incoming teachers/researchers/ non-academic staff should take care of necessary insurance for the duration of the exchange for their own part.
University of Helsinki can send an official invitation if one is needed for a visa application, however, please note that you must take care of the visa and other possible immigration matters yourself.
For more information, please contact either your home university's international coordinator or the University of Helsinki's International Exchange Services' staff exchange.
Our exchange activities are based on our strategic goals. By 2030, the University of Helsinki aims to be the best place to study, teach, work and engage in research. The University aims to be an attractive employer and partner both nationally and internationally.
Our international outlook will advance our understanding of the world. We are open to international activities and encourage physical and virtual mobility. During the strategy period, we will strive to take advantage of our increasing international connections and offer our students the opportunity to participate in virtual international mobility during their studies. We hope our global responsibility and impact will bear fruit through interaction with partners and alumni who share our interest in promoting high-quality research and teaching.
In order to keep the quality level high in studies abroad, our outgoing exchange students are required to agree to abide by the terms and conditions in the student exchange scholarship form, for instance:
This requires that our partners can offer enough and suitable courses for our students.
*For the partner universities which do not use ECTS, a minimum amount required from students is determined in partner university's own credits
Faculty specialists at the International Exchange Services coordinate agreements’ validity and quality assurance matters. Student and staff feedback is monitored regularly and systematically.
In addition to regular monitoring, International Exchange Services conduct a broad evaluation of all its Erasmus+ agreements every 2-3 years, and evaluates each agreement when it is about to expire or a new proposal is received. The broad evaluation is based on following materials.
You find information on the university and it's campuses under the menu About us. Here are highlighted some hopefully useful links you may wish to use when promoting us as an exchange destination.
International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation coordinates all mobility programs and provides support for international education project funding applications such as Erasmus+ Key Action 2 projects at the University of Helsinki.
studentexchange@helsinki.fi (mobility partners, exchange and visiting student applicants)
staffexchange@helsinki.fi (teacher and staff mobility)
exchange-agreements@helsinki.fi (exchange agreements)
educationprojects@helsinki.fi (international education cooperation projects)
Student exchange: +358 2941 22401 on weekdays between 12–14
International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation, P.O. 53, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland