Beginning the studies

Welcome to study at Xamk!

You can find information on the following study-related topics on this website:

New student’s checklist

helps you to remember the most important things before the studies begin.

New student’s checklist

Information package for new students

is available here in electronic form (PDF file). You’ll get a hard copy of it in the beginning of studies too.

Information package

 

Confirming the study place and enrolling for the studies

There are two phases in confirming the study place: accepting the study place and enrolling as student. Please also make sure all certificates used for applying are uploaded on your application form on Studyinfo.fi.

1. Confirm your study place by 8 July 2019 (3 pm Finnish time)

You confirm the study place through the link you have received by email, or by logging in to My Studyinfo -service. You have access to My Studyinfo -service if you have a Finnish personal ID number and Finnish online banking credentials, mobile certificate or an electronic ID-card.

If the study place has not been confirmed by the deadline, you will lose the study place reserved for you.

Confirming a study place is a binding choice, and you cannot cancel or change your choice later. When you confirm a study place bindingly, all your other study programmes will automatically be cancelled.

If you are offered a study place to a lower preference study programme and you are on a waiting list for one or more of your higher preferences, you can

  1. confirm the offered study place and if you want, choose to remain on a waiting list for your higher preferences.
  2. confirm the offered study place bindingly. In this case the higher preference study programmes will be automatically cancelled and you will not remain on their waiting lists.
  3. decline the offered study place. In this case you will still automatically remain on a waiting list for your higher preference study programmes.

If you are offered a study place to your highest preference study programme, the lower preference programmes are automatically cancelled and you cannot be admitted to them.

 

Help and instructions

Detailed instructions for confirming the study place electronically and information about remaining on waiting list for higher preferences are available on Studyinfo.fi service.

If you cannot confirm the study place electronically, please contact the Admission Services at Xamk: admissions@xamk.fi.

 

The email from Studyinfo.fi service that includes the link you need for confirming your study place, is sent automatically within 24 hours after the admission result has been published.

 

Notices of admission

You will receive a notice by email both from the Studyinfo.fi service and Xamk Admission Services, when you have been admitted to study at Xamk.  The email from Xamk Admission Services  includes the official admission letter that you can use as proof of your study place. You may receive either one of the emails first.

2. Enrol as an attending or non-attending student when confirming the study place.

The link for enrolment appears on the screen after you have accepted the study place bindingly.

The deadline for the enrolment is 8 July 2019 (3 pm Finnish time). Note however that

  • if you are liable to pay tuition fees, you can enrol as student after the fee has been paid (see instructions below).
  • if you confirm the study place but choose to remain on the waiting list for higher preferences, you should only enrol as student after it has been confirmed where your future study place is.

You are granted study right when you have been accepted as a student to Xamk and you have enrolled as an attending or non-attending student.

All students are required to enrol for attendance or non-attendance also during studies, it is done for all academic years during the enrolment periods given in the academic year timetable of Xamk. Academic year is the time between 1 August and 31 July.

 

Enrolment and tuition fees

  • The admission is conditional if you are liable for paying the tuition fee: you first confirm your study place and pay the tuition fee by the given deadline. You enrol as an attending student after the payment has been received at Xamk.
  • The Admission Services notifies you by email when the payment has been checked and will ask you to enrol as student through the electronic service.

Do you want to postpone the beginning of studies?

It is possible to postpone the beginning of studies by confirming the study place and enrolling for non-attendance. You can enroll for non-attendance for the first study year for the following reasons only:

  1. You need to complete military service, civilian service or voluntary military service for women in Finland.
  2. You are on maternity, paternity or parental leave.
  3. You are unable to begin your studies due to illness or disability.

Instructions for non-attendance

3. Make sure you have uploaded the qualification and employment certificates used for applying to your application form on Studyinfo.

Information about your qualifications used for applying is checked and the student selection is conditional until the check-up is complete. Qualifications are verified either from the national database in Finland or from the certificate copies submitted on the application form. The certificate copies are verified by checking them against the original certificates in the beginning of studies.

Uploading certificate copies on the application form

The certificates used for applying must be uploaded on the application form by 8 July 2019. If you confirm the study place at Xamk but remain on a waiting list for a higher preference study programme: you can submit the certificate copies after it has been confirmed where your future study place is.

The certificate copy can for example be a photo you take of the certificate with your mobile. Please make sure the quality of the photo is sufficient and add the name of your qualification in the file name.

You can access your application form through My Studyinfo -service or through the link you received in the confirmation email after submitting your application. Upload your certificate copies in the “Certificates required in connection with student selection (UAS)” section on the application form. Please check the instructions below for information on what certificates are needed.

Certificate copies in Bachelor’s programmes

Matriculation examination completed in Finland is verified either from the national database or from the certificate copy submitted during application period (if completed prior to year 1990). If you have completed the matriculation examination (yo-tutkinto) in Finland, you don’t have to submit any certificate copies.

Upload your final certificate on the application form if you have applied with:
  • a general upper secondary school syllabus completed in Finland (lukion päättötodistus) without having completed the matriculation examination
  • a vocational qualification completed in Finland
  • a temporary or provisional certificate of a qualification completed outside Finland during spring 2019
  • an EB, IB or RP/DIA qualification completed during spring 2019 (deadline for diploma/transcript of grades 12 July 2019)

If the certificate is not originally written in Finnish, Swedish or English, an official translation of it is also required. Official translation should be confirmed with the signature and stamp of an authorised translator.

Certificate copies in Master’s programmes

Higher education degrees are verified either from the national database or from the certificate copies submitted during application period. If you have applied with a degree completed outside Finland, your eligibility for the studies has already been confirmed and you don’t have to submit any certificate copies now.

If you applied with a degree completed in Finland, please upload your employment certificates on the application form:
  • The employment certificates must cover at least three years of work experience in a relevant field after completing your higher education degree.
  • As a relevant field is regarded both the field being applied to and the field of the previous higher education degree.
  • The work experience can be accumulated as from the date of award of the final degree certificate and obtained no later than 31 July 2019.
  • If you have plenty of relevant work experience, it is enough to submit certificates that cover the minimum requirement for work experince for Master’s degrees (3 years/36 months).
  • If the certificate is not originally written in Finnish, Swedish or English, an official translation of it is also required.

The employment certificate must include the exact time for beginning and end of the employment, contact information for the employer, tasks and work hours in case the employment has been part-time. If the employment still continues, a temporary employment certificate needs to be provided.

 

Entering Finland

Residence permits

If you are a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you dont’ need a residence permit to enter Finland. Please see information about the EU citizens registration procedure on Finnish Immigration Service website https://migri.fi/en/i-am-an-eu-citizen.

Students from outside the EU generally need a residence permit for the studies. It is important that you follow the instructions, submit a complete application and arrange the required visit to the Finnish embassy immediately after receiving the notice of admission. All delays in the residence permit process affect your chances to join the studies in time.

Start by reading these instructions carefully through:

Instructions for applying for a residence permit (pdf) – Finnish Immigration Service’s notice

Also note the following:
    • The possible times for appointments in Finnish embassies during June-July may be limited. The processing of your application only starts after you have visited the embassy for identification and fingerprinting so time is of the essence – submit your application online and book the appointment as early as you can.
    • Request a Finnish personal identity code to be issued with your residence permit. You will need it during the studies.
    • Make sure your health insurance policy and proof of funds meet the requirements for the permit. Incompleteness in insurance or funds can easily cause delays in receiving the permit decision.
    • Note that you need funds to pay the tuition fee and your living expenses (6720 euros for one study year).
    • Also note that after receiving the residence permit decision, you will need to wait about 2-3 weeks to collect the residence permit card from the Finnish embassy. You cannot travel to Finland before you have the card.

 

Health insurance

You need a sufficient health insurance policy which covers you during your travel to/from Finland and during your stay in Finland.

The requirements for health insurance related to the residence permit application are explained in the instructions above. Though you can take out insurance from an insurance company in your home country, it may be better to ask for suitable insurance from an international insurance company. See some examples for such companies on Finnish Immigration Service website http://migri.fi/en/insurance.

One option for the insurance is the company MARSH/SIP, with whom the Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences have negotiated an insurance package for international students. The aim is to provide the necessary insurance coverage for higher education students at a reasonable price. See further information at www.sipinsurance.eu.

Programme-specific information

Bachelor's Programmes on Kouvola Campus

Time, place and other instructions for beginning the studies in the Game Design and Digital International Business programmes in Kouvola.

Bachelor's Programmes on Mikkeli Campus

Time, place and other instructions for beginning the studies in the Environmental Engineering and Information Technology programmes in Mikkeli.

Master's Programmes on Kouvola Campus

Time, place and other instructions for beginning the studies in the International Business Management programme in Kouvola.

Master's Programmes on Kotka Campus

Time, place and other instructions for beginning the studies in the Cybersecurity programme in Kotka.

Studying at Xamk

Information about study right

Right to study

The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) studies are regulated by the University of Applied Sciences Act and Decree defining e.g. the right to study and the enrolment for attendance and non-attendance (Act 932/2014/§ 28-30).

You have a right to complete the studies leading to a UAS degree according to the guidelines stipulated in the degree programme and its curriculum, as well as in the degree regulations.

The regular study time is determined by the extent of the degree. The notified time of non-attendance that is in accordance with the regulations explained before will not be included in the maximum time of taking the studies.

Extent of the degree Regular study time Time of study right
240 cr 4 years 5 years
210 cr 3,5 years 4,5 years
90 cr 3 years 4 years
60 cr 2 years 3 years
Double degrees based on DD agreement regular study time + 1 year

Certificate on the study place

You can use the admission letter sent from Xamk by email as a certificate of your study place.

 

Losing the right to study

If you have not enrolled for attendance or non-attendance or do not deliver the required documents proving the legal grounds for your non-attendance by the set deadline, you lose your right to study.

A student who has failed to enrol, has a right to apply for restoration of study right from the Director of Education for the study programme. It is not possible to restore the study right if the student’s study time has ended. There is a handling fee in the amount of 50 euros collected for processing the application (Council of State Decree 1440/2014 § 3). The application is handled after the fee has been paid.

If you have not completed the studies in the given time, you lose the right to study, unless the UAS for a particular reason extends your time for completing the degree.

Getting the username for Xamk services

If you have online banking codes from a bank in Finland, you can get Xamk username by login in to authentication service before the studies begin. The username for new students are available in the service from Tue 6 August 2019 onwards, provided that you have confirmed the study place and enrolled as an attending student.

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. While applying for the username you also accept the network rules.

Please write down the username you get from the service.

If you start changing the password in the service, you have to follow the procedure until the end. 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 at xinfo.xamk.fi.

Note. The usernames for students selected through the supplementary application are available in the service appr. 1-2 working days after the student has confirmed the study place and enrolled as an attending student.

Bring the details (username &password) of your user account with you when you come to start your studies. You will need them to be able to log in to our services and systems.

Access to Student intranet with your username

With the username you can access Student, the intranet for Xamk students, at https://student.xamk.fi. During the studies all news, instructions and other information is provided for students through the intranet service. You will receive more information about the service in the beginning of studies but it’s possible to start familiarising yourself with it already in advance. You can also download a mobile app called Tuudo for free from the app store of your phone and login with the username.

Applying for a student card

After receiving your username and password, you can order a student card by becoming a member in the Student Union Kaakko. Submit the membership application through Kaakko website. You need your student number for the application, please find instructions for it below. The student card can be used for many purposes: it is your library card, payment card for student priced lunch and card for logging in to the printer/scanners on campus.

This is how you find your student number: Log into Peppi service at https://opiskelija.peppi.xamk.csc.fi > Open your profile by clicking your name on the top right corner of the page > Settings > Student number is the number sequence of 7 numbers given on the top of the page after your own name, e.g. 1800123.

Requirements for your new password:

  • the password must be at least 10 characters long (max 15 characters)
  • use large and small letters, numbers and/or special characters like: !:;)(?=+@*-#

Do not use:

  • your own name
  • date of your birth or the rest of your social security ID
  • ä, ö, or å letters
  • previous passwords

NOTE! Some special characters could cause log in problems!

In case you do not have online banking codes from a bank in Finland and cannot access the authentication service, you will receive your username in the beginning of studies. Be prepared to have your official ID (e.g. passport, Finnish driver’s licence) with you then.

 

Student Union Kaakko

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.

For example following bodies include student representatives: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Ltd’s Board of Management, Financial Aid Committee, Examination Committee and also other teams and task forces in our uas. Student representatives have an important role in this work, as students themselves are the only experts on student life. They provide the other members of the team, mainly representing the UAS staff, with important information. Student Union may also where necessary, participate in carrying out the responsibilities provided for in the Health Care Act concerning the provision of student health care and of the Health Insurance Act concerning the basic health care of students.

More information on student union and on becoming a member: http://opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi/en/

Study guide

Curricula and content of studies in the degree programmes

Find out more

Bring your own device

Students primarily use their own devices like laptops in the studies. There are given recommendations for the device and support available also before the studies begin.

Find out more

Studying at Xamk

See e.g. the academic calendar with schedule for tuition and holiday periods 2019-2020

Read more

Beginning your studies after non-attendance?

Information about enrolment as student and the right for non-attendance for those who have been admitted as students earlier

Read more

Accommodation

Degree students arrange housing themselves prior to their arrival in Finland, Xamk cannot offer accommodation for students.

Most of the student residences have the basic furniture including bed, desk, chair, and table and benches in the kitchen. Make use of all the second hand shops available for other things you will need: mattress, pillow, blanket, dishes etc!

See more info on student housing and travelling to the campus cities on the programme-specific info pages

Tuition fees and scholarship scheme

Your liability for paying the tuition fee has been checked in the application process. The tuition fee is to be paid by the deadline for confirming the study place according to instructions given in the admission letter.

The scholarship scheme at Xamk is based on student’s progress in studies. You can find more information about the fee and scholarship policy from www.xamk.fi/tuition-fees.

 

 

Funding your studies

Financial aid for Finnish students

Information about Kela financial aid for students: in Finnish / in English

  • The period for the financial aid at Xamk is 9 months/academic year (September-May). You have a limited amount of financial aid months at your use. The amount depends on the extent of the degree and if you have received financial aid for higher education studies before. You can apply for the financial aid with one application for the regular study time. Xamk financial aid advisors help students in matters related to Kela financial aid (contact: opintotuki@xamk.fi).
  • 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 (Financial aid for foreign students).

General housing allowance

  • Students are eligible for general housing allowance on the same terms as everyone else. Find out more from Kela website: in Finnish / in English

Information on the adult education allowance (aikuiskoulutustuki): in Finnish / in English

If you are unemployed or about to lose your job in Finland, consult your TE services office for information on the possibility for independent study supported by unemployment benefit. Find out more on TE-services website in Finnish / in English

The cost of living

Students have to pay for their own living expenses (including food, accommodation, clothing and social activities) and costs for books and other study material.

When planning your studies in Finland it is important to know the costs for the living and studying and to arrange sufficient funding for your studies.

Costs for basic necessities per month are estimated to be:

  • housing (student apartments) appr. EUR 300-400
  • lunch (canteen on campus) EUR 60
  • self-cooked food EUR 100
  • books and material EUR 40
  • incidental expenses EUR 90
  • Total EUR 590-690

In addition, costs per month for clothing, travelling, commuting or social activities should also be considered. An average Finnish student spends a total of EUR 600-800 monthly.

Working while studying

In the full-time studies there are requirements for presence on lectures and other practical study methods daytime, during weekdays. Though students may work part-time during the studies, one is not adviced to plan the personal finances on it. Finding a part-time work may be diffcult, especially without knowledge of the Finnish language.

Students with a residence permit for studies have a limited right to work during the academic year, see Finnish Immigration Service website for more information: http://migri.fi/en/studying-in-finland . Also then the main purpose of the stay in Finland is studying and making progress in the studies.

Start building your career in Finland

Career planning is a continuous process that helps you manage your learning and development. This is a model for international students starting their studies and heading for employment in Finland.

This model helps you better understand the study path in the Finnish universities of applied sciences and guides you to working life in Finland.

We hope this model is a useful tool during your studies in Finland!

 

For more information, please see www.xamk.fi/kilkaseng.

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