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 450 outgoing students, 800 incoming students and around 100 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 the European Union's external action budget and a large part of it is aimed at cooperation with the Union's neighbouring areas. E+ ICM funding is available mainly for incoming student exchange and to some extent, also for incoming and outgoing teacher exchange. We have participated in the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme since its beginning. Our ICM funding:
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. University of Helsinki is also part of the Nordlys-network, which is a university-wide network for Nordic universities.
Many Nordplus networks use Erasmus funding for long-term student exchanges. You can see Erasmus Key data above for further information on student exchange.
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.
Nordplus-coordinator at the International Exchange Services is also happy to assist: Heidi Säävuori,
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.
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.
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
Benin
Egypt
Kenya
Namibia
Rwanda
Somalia
South Africa
Zambia
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Mexico
Peru
United States
Uruguay
China
India
Japan
Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Bosnia-Hertzogovina
Georgia
Kosovo
Ukraine
V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Erasmus+ ICM KA171 2024-2028
Erasmus+ partners in Erasmus+ programme countries in Europe
Egypt
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Palestine
Australia
New Zealand
In line with the recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Culture, all institutional collaboration with Russian and Belorussian universities and other institutions is suspended. For more information please check the
These projects are form the funding period 2023.
Networks coordinated by the University of Helsinki
Networks where the University of Helsinki is a partner in
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
Information regarding application process as well as practical information during exchange can be found in the Instructions for
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
We have been using an electronic mobility management system since 2009. All our partner data, mobility agreements, application rounds, nomination 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. A "Check-in Event" 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
The University of Helsinki does not automatically send the transcript of studies. Students need to order it themselves by following the
University of Helsinki's
Student exchange is always based on valid agreements. We recommend that students are nominated at least two weeks before the
You will get a pop-up notification of the succesfull nomination, once you have submitted the nomination form. The nomination does not send a separate confirmation email. Registration link will be sent to your students once the application period opens.
Please observe the
You should nominate students to study in the field of study included in the agreement.
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.
University-level bilateral exchange students are required to choose the majority of their courses from one faculty, closest to their educational background. Exchange students need to have sufficient prior academic background in the disciplines taught at the receiving Faculty. One year of completed studies is required from all applicants.
Additionally, the following disciplines have a more extensive requirement:
- The prerequisite for Medicine is two full years of pre-clinical and one full year of clinical studies. In Psychology (Faculty of Medicine), the prerequisite is two full years of university-level studies in Psychology. Medicine and Psychology are also highly restricted and access to them cannot be guaranteed to exchange students admitted via university-wide agreements.
- For Life Sciences (the faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Pharmacy), the prerequisite for studies in Helsinki is two years of completed university studies in the field in question.
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.
North2North exchanges work differently: UH makes the preselection of incoming students based on a national selection process and contacts the sending institution's coordinator for nominations. Please contact
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
Please note that teacher exchange visits are only possible
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 based on your university's initiative, if the agreement does not already exist. We recommend contacting
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. Individual teacher exchange visitors receive guidance from
University of Helsinki also welcomes administrative staff from partner universities. University of Helsinki organizes staff exchange events, during which colleagues work together on the topics of the staff exchange event. Partner universities receive information about staff weeks for partner universities. Most administrative staff exchange visits take place during the
Individual staff training visits (minimum duration 2 days) are possible if you have been invited by a University of Helsinki staff member who works at a unit which is ready to be the host unit of your visit. Individual staff training visits usually have a specific topic which the visitor’s home university and the receiving unit are both interested in developing. Individual staff training visitors receive guidance from
Potential Erasmus+ ICM teacher 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
Required documents for the researcher and teacher exchange application: description of the content of teaching visit, approval from the academic host at the University of Helsinki. For further information, please contact the
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
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.
Student exchange:
International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation, P.O. 53, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland