New student

You will need to have the username and password at use when the studies begin. If you have online banking codes from a bank in Finland, you can get Xamk username by logging in to the identity service.

The username for new students is available in the service 30 days before the studies begin.

The service uses online banking codes from a bank in Finland for authentication and to activate your Xamk username you need to change your password there.

Please write down the username you get from the service.

In case you face problems either in authentication or in creating your own password, please try again later. If it still will not succeed, you can create a service desk help request to IT support at Xinfo.

If you do not have access to the identity service:

• Students who do not have a Finnish ID number and therefore cannot access the identity service will get the instructions for receiving the username and password from the Student Affairs Office in the beginning of August via email.
• If you have a Finnish ID number but do not have online banking codes from a bank in Finland to access the service with, please contact the Student Affairs Office at Xinfo and request for the username.

With the username you can access the intranet Lux.

Please add @edu.xamk.fi after your username when you are logging in. During the studies all news, instructions and other information are provided for students through the intranet service.

Students are expected to use their own computers in their studies. Teaching primarily aims to use software that does not incur costs for students, such as Microsoft Office products, Autodesk products and IBM SPSS, which students can access free of charge. Students are responsible for ensuring that their computer is licensed in accordance with the law. Teaching is also provided in the campuses’ computer labs if the software required in the programme cannot be installed on students’ own computers.

It is a good idea to have a laptop by the time your studies begin. If you already have a computer, you can start your studies with it and, if needed, purchase a new one later. Apple computers can be used, but their selection of applications is more limited and, overall, more issues have been observed in our environments compared to Windows computers.

You may want to consider a more powerful computer in the following fields, where the software used may require more from the device:

• Engineering
• Maritime and logistics
• Forestry
• Design
• Game industry and ICT

Familiarize yourself with studying at Xamk and the services available for students, as well as digital studying environment by completing these two online courses in Xamk Learn – digital learning environment. You can work with the course materials and tasks when it suits you best, and sign out whenever you need without losing any completed tasks. When you are finished, you may upload a certificate to be used later on in Study and career planning course. You are able to join the course, when you have activated your username for Xamk services (The username for new students is available in the service 30 days before the studies begin.)

Online orientation course 1: Xamk Digital environments (2026) | Xamk Learn

Online orientation course 2: Xamk orientation (2026) | Xamk Learn

Information package for new students you’ll find here

Study skills course

You can acquire the first 2 ECTS credits by completing the optional course Study skills. The course consists of 8 sections including versatile material, and assignments about various study-related topics. After completing all assignments, the teacher will give you the grade ‘Pass’ in Xamk’s Peppi system. You are able to join the course, when you have activated your username for Xamk services (The username for new students is available in the service 30 days before the studies begin.)

You can join the course here: Study skills May 2026 – December 2026

When signing in the course for the first time, use the course key: study26.

This course is a valuable source of different study skills and a new student can reflect his/her readiness for higher education studies. Note that this course is a bachelor-level course. If a master student completes this course the 2 credits will be included in your personal study plan as extra credits.

Introductory Finnish Course

Introductory Finnish is a self-study online course that teaches Finnish from no prior background to a lower beginner level. The course introduces everyday language and includes many activities to practice listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking.

With the course, it is possible to build a very useful vocabulary and a grammar knowledge of the Finnish language: Introductory Finnish – Self-study: About the course | Aalto OpenLearning.

Many other online materials are available free of charge:

• http://tasteoffinnish.fi/
• https://uusikielemme.fi/
• https://jaamo.itch.io/kielipolku-test
• https://hoivaasuomeksi.fi/
• Learn Finnish | Kielibuusti

Tuudo is a mobile app designed to help students in their everyday life.

1. Download Tuudo app free of charge from the app store of your phone (Google Play Store, Apple App Store).
2. Open Tuudo and select South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences – Xamk from the list of institutions.
3. Log in with the student account from the menu and you will have access to all sections on Tuudo.
4. Or select “Proceed” in the New student section (no login required) and you can check new student’s orientation path.

All degree students (bachelor and master degrees) enrolled for attendance in higher education can use the health care services provided by FSHS. Students can use the health care services primarily in the town where the studies are located in but also remote services and consultations are available.

Students need to pay the fee on their own initiative according to instructions given by Kela. The fee must be paid by the given deadline (see Kela website) in the beginning of the semester.

Students who are entitled to FSHS services are required to pay the health care fee annually to Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, regardless if they use the services or not. Kela is a government agency that provides basic economic security for everyone living in Finland.

You do not have to pay the fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom and you send the required document of it to Kela. Students from other EU or EEA countries than Finland will have to provide a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when accessing FSHS services. The card must be obtained before coming to Finland. Students from Britain and Northern Ireland may provide a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).Students will have to present the card at each visit, whether remote or in person. In the absence of a card, students may provide a provisional replacement certificate. Read more on FSHS website

Check the instructions for new students at FSHS page.

Information about Tuberculosis.

Finnish students: Kela financial aid is available in the form of study grant, government guarantee for a student loan and housing supplement (available on certain conditions only). The qualifying conditions for student financial aid are: full-time study, academic progress and need of financial assistance.

Students are eligible for housing supplement. Find out more from Kela website.

If you are unemployed or about to lose your job in Finland, consult your municipality for information on the possibility for independent study supported by unemployment benefit.

If you are not a Finnish citizen and have come to Finland for study purposes, the general rule is that you cannot get financial aid from Finland. The eligibility criteria for financial aid from Kela is available on their website.

Student Union Kaakko is present on all four campuses of South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences: Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Kouvola and Kotka. Any member of Student Union Kaakko may apply to become an active operator in the student union. The work to promote and support student life is important and interesting – if you would like to join, keep your eyes and ears open year-round so that you will not miss the application process.

Joining student union as a member is the official and for this reason the recommendable way to receive the official student statement and student card,

which gives you access to numerous student discounts and makes your life much cheaper and easier in Finland. The student card also works as a smartphone app (android and IOS) under the app called slice.fi.

The undertakings specified in the Universities of Applied Sciences Act will continue to be the most important responsibilities of the student union: it acts as a link between its members, promoting their social and intellectual objectives and efforts, as well as their objectives related to studies and students’ position in society. For its part, the student union prepares students for an active and critical citizenship and promotes social awareness. South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences has various bodies and steering groups that include representatives from Student Union Kaakko.

• The meal subsidy card entitles students to Kela’s meal subsidy.
• The meal subsidy card can be found in the Slice.fi app.
• Students order credentials for the meal subsidy card from Slice.fi/XAMK and download the Slice.fi app from their app store. Once they have completed these two steps, they will receive credentials via email, allowing them to log into the app.

A personal study plan is drawn for all students in the beginning of the degree studies together with the Studies Coordinator.

You can familiarise yourself with the study plan for your programme (curriculum) in advance in the Study Guide. Compare the content of your prior university-level studies (if you have any) and your existing competencies to the course contents and learning outcomes. This will give you an idea on how your prior studies and competencies may benefit you in your studies and if you could apply for a credit transfer based on prior studies. If you are employed while working, consider if your work gives you some competencies you could use in your studies.

New students enrol for their studies during the orientation week.

You need an access badge to move around the campus

All Xamk campuses use an electronic access control system. To move around the campus, you need a personal access badge, which can be obtained from the campus info desk or caretakers. These services are located near the main entrances of the campuses.

When collecting the access tag, you must be prepared to prove your identity.