Studying

Education is highly valued in Finland, and the high standard of education forms one of the corner-stones of the Finnish national strategy, which is based on a desire to develop the country as an information society.For foreign students, studying and training in Finland offers a safe, though quite exotic way to acquire academic and professional experience, as well as to gain personal growth through living in a foreign country and culture.In this section you will find basic information about the Finnish education system and a closer look at the higher education in Finland. We have listed the student exchange programmes with which you can come to study in Finland, as well as practically all study programmes taught in English at Finnish universities and polytechnics. Here you will find also important information about various practical matters related to studying in our Northern country.
Studying Finnish
The Finnish language is taught at more than 100 universities around the world. In Finland eight universities offer degree studies in Finnish and besides, most universities in Finland offer Finnish courses at their language centres.There are several organisers of Finnish summer courses in Finland. The Centre for International Mobility CIMO arranges summer courses that are intended for students of Finnish at foreign universities.
Suomea - Finnish 2007 (pdf).Annually published brochure on CIMO programmes for students of Finnish language and culture
Practical Training
In Finland, there are many practical training opportunities for international students and recent graduates. By training in Finland you will have a unique opportunity to experience first-hand Finnish culture, commerce and industry, education, and technological expertise. At the same time, you can take the advantage of Finland's unique natural surroundings.By following the links under Practical training on the left you'll get information about trainee exchange programmes in Finland, practicalites in coming here as a trainee as well as about voluntary work and employment.
Youth Exchange
There are various possibilities for spending some time in Finland also outside the studies. You just need to put a little effort into finding out about all these possibilities.If you are interested in voluntary work, there are several organisations that can help you. For example the Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi and the Service Civil International offer voluntary work periods ranging from a couple of weeks to a whole year. The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is part of the EU YOUTH Programme; within EVS you can do a voluntary service period of 6 to 12 months.If you have a group of friends who would like to meet a group of Finnish young people, the groups may receive support from the Youth for Europe – youth exchanges programme, which is also part of the EU YOUTH Programme.If you would like to spend a year or a couple of months living with a Finnish family and going to school in Finland, this can be arranged through several programme organisers.In addition, you may belong to a youth club that has international cooperation or an exchange programme. Or, your hometown may have a twin town in Finland, and youth exchanges may be part of their cooperation.