Checklist for new students

Master's Degree Students

You have to confirm that you will accept the opening by following the instructions sent to you via Studyinfo. Please note that the confirmation is binding. If the confirmation has not been done by the given deadline, you will forfeit your right to enroll in the programme.

If you were conditionally accepted to the University of Vaasa based on an unfinished degree, you need to send the officially certified copies of your Degree Certificate and the final Transcript of Records to the University by the given deadline. If you fail to submit the documents to the University on time or you fail to meet the admission criteria (such as CGPA requirement), your study place in the programme will be cancelled.

If you were conditionally accepted to the University of Vaasa due to not meeting the country-specific requirements, you need to meet these requirements by the given deadline. Instructions will be sent to you by email together with your acceptance details.

The international Master's programmes offered by the University of Vaasa are included in the one study place per term provision. As per the Universities Act (558/2009) you may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term. The academic term (1.8.-31.12. and 1.1.-31.7.) is the set framework for implementation. Please also note that, similarly, if you are admitted into more than one international Master's programme at the University of Vaasa, you can only register and pursue studies in one of them during the academic term.

Exchange students

Exchange students do not have to confirm their study place.

Degree Students

New degree students who will start their studies in autumn semester 2025 must register for the academic year within the given deadline. Typically, registration period is open from beginning of June to the end of July. Students will be informed on this website about exact date when the registration period opens before the beginning of June. Registration for new degree students is done online through Oili-service, which students can access through the link they used to confirm their study place. At the same time, students are instructed to pay the Student Union (VYY) membership fee, which is compulsory for all degree students.

If you were conditionally accepted or you are required to pay tuition fees, you can only register after your conditional acceptance has been confirmed or after you have paid the tuition fee.

After registration, students can activate their user accounts online on the IT Service's website, with Finnish online banking credentials. If you do not have a Finnish bank account, you need to have your user account activated on campus in August/January depending on when your studies start - more information will be sent to you close to the orientation days.

Registration as Non-attending for the First Academic Year

New degree students cannot register as non-attending for their first year or postpone the beginning of their studies to the next semester or academic year. Exceptions may be mandatory Finnish (non-)military services, parental leave, or the student's own illness/injury - in these cases please contact the Admission Services as soon as possible. 

If you meet one of the criteria for non-attendance mentioned above, and the reason for being non-attending is only valid for one semester during your first year, it is still possible to register as non-attending for the whole academic year. As non-attending, students are not required to pay tuition fees, Student Union membership fee, or FSHS (YTHS) health care fee.

Degree verification

Students who have graduated from a higher education institution outside Finland, must bring the following documents for verification when beginning their studies:

• original Degree Certificate(s)
• original Transcript(s) of Records

All information given by the applicant in the application form will be compared with the applicant’s original documents upon registration to verify their authenticity. The presence of counterfeit, fraudulent or altered documents will lead to a refusal and the student’s right to study at the University of Vaasa will be terminated.

Time and place for the verification sessions will be communicated to you via e-mail before the orientation days. If you have applied to the Master's programme with a degree from a Finnish Higher education institution, this does not concern you.

Exchange and Double Degree Students

Exchange students and Double Degree students register by filling out the Registration form provided by the Mobility Services. Accessing the University systems is only possible after registration. Your personal uwasa IT credentials are provided to you by the Mobility Services on the first day of orientation. If you are unable to attend the orientation you must contact the Mobility Services well in advance. 

Double Degree students are required to pay the Student Union fee as all other Degree students, as a part of the registration process. (Paying the Student Union fee is optional for exchange students).

For studies in Finland that take longer than three months (90 days), a non-EU/EEA citizen must apply for a student’s residence permit before arrival. Citizens of the EU/EEA countries are not required to acquire a residence permit; however, they need to register their residence in Finland.

Residence permit

Every foreign person staying in Finland for more than three months needs to have either a residence permit or register their stay at the Finnish Immigration Services. Please note that without a valid registration / residence permit, the person won’t be allowed to enter Finland again if they have left the country and they might have problems with authorities also in Finland. For up-to-date information on residence permits, please visit the Finnish Immigration Services' website.

Citizens of the Nordic countries only need to register their residence in Finland at the Digital and population data services agency (DVV).

EU/ European Economic Area (EEA) citizens only need to register their right to reside in Finland at the Finnish Immigration Services if their continuous stay in Finland exceeds 90 days. 

Citizens of all other countries must obtain a residence permit from the Finnish Embassy or Consulate in their home country before arrival in Finland. We strongly advise you to apply for the residence permit immediately after being accepted to the University of Vaasa, preferably within one week of receiving the acceptance letter. It might take about 1–3 months to get the residence permit.

You are asked to attach documentation of the paid tuition fee to your residence permit application, or if you have not yet paid the fee, you have to attach proof of having the funds for your tuition fee on your bank account. In addition, you need to have funds to cover your living costs on your bank account, when applying for a residence permit.

More information is available on the Finnish Immigration Services' website.

For students arriving in Finland

Income requirement for students

Extension of the residence permit

A residence permit for studies can be granted for one year or for the duration of your studies. If your studies continue and your residence permit is about to expire, you will need to apply for an extension to your residence permit before it expires. In order to have your residence permit extended for studies, you must still be enrolled in the same educational institute and present a proof of having studied full-time and having completed the courses required by the educational institute concerned. The extension of residence permit is granted by the Finnish Immigration Services.

Visa

Usually students coming to the University of Vaasa do not need a visa. 

Visa is needed only for a shorter visit (maximum three months), for example if a student coming from a non-EU country had to participate in an entrance exam in Finland prior to being accepted at the educational institution. The University of Vaasa does not arrange entrance examinations for the international Master’s degree programmes or doctoral studies, thus the students do not need to apply for a visa. Exchange students do not need a visa either, but non-EU/EEA nationals need a residence permit.

For up-to-date information on visa matters, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Finland’s website or Finnish Immigration Services' website.

You must have a sufficient funds to cover your living costs to be allowed to move to Finland. When applying for a residence permit or registration of right of residence, you must be able to prove that your living costs in Finland are covered. You must have at least EUR 800 at your disposal every month to be able to pay for your accommodation, food and other needs.

Foreigners are required to register themselves to the Finnish Population Information System. The registration is done at the local office of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). 

Finnish Identity Number

A personal identity code is used to identify persons in Finland. Everyone who is registered in the Population Information System receives a personal identity code. The code is used for example in the information systems of the authorities and it is needed to be able to operate in the Finnish society. Finnish identity number can be granted to non-EU/EEA citizens together with the residence permit, if they apply for the identity number on the residence permit application form. If you have not applied for the identity number on your residence permit application form or if you are not required to apply for a residence permit (for example if you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country), you can apply for the ID number in Finland.

Home Municipality

A Finnish municipality of residence is registered for a foreigner who has moved to Finland for longer than a year. Your municipality of residence and your address in Finland will also be registered in the Population Information System. If you are in Finland for a shorter period, for example for an exchange semester, you will not get a municipality of residence, but your address will be entered in the Population Information System as temporary.

Registration requires a visit at the local Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). University of Vaasa will send you information about obtaining the Finnish identity number in the beginning of your studies.

For more information about registration, home municipality and Finnish ID number for international students, please visit Digital and Population Data Services Agency website.

Vaasa, Seinäjoki and Pori offer many possibilities for living on rent. There are apartments both in the city centre as well as further away. 

Note! We recommend you to pay the rent for 2-3 months in advance. It might not be possible to pay from your foreign account when in Finland, and it can take up to 3 months to open a Finnish bank account. Cash is not accepted for the payment.

European Health Insurance Card for EU citizens

Students from other EU or EEA countries have to provide a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when accessing FSHS services. The FSHS is required by law to ask to see a European Health Insurance Card to identify students who are covered by state-provided health insurance from a country other than Finland. The card must be obtained before coming to Finland. Students from Britain and Northern Ireland may provide a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).

Please note, that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not the same as Finnish Kela card. Usually international students don't need the Finnish Kela card. Kela card is only for persons covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme.

FSHS services and the healthcare fee

You are entitled to use the FSHS services (YTHS in Finnish) if you are studying for a bachelor’s or master’s degree at a Finnish university, and you have registered as an attending student. All students in universities and in universities of applied sciences, who are entitled to use the services of the FSHS must pay the healthcare fee directly to Kela. This health service includes daily healthcare, such as doctor’s appointments, dental care and mental health. You are still required to have a health insurance by the Finnish Immigration Services in order to receive a residence permit, to cover more extensive healthcare e.g. at hospitals.

Insurance

All international students coming to Finland are recommended to be covered by a valid medical insurance. For the citizens of non-EU/EEA countries, it is obligatory to take out a private health insurance covering the entire period of stay in Finland. Insurance must be arranged before the arrival in Finland and the insurance certificate is requested when applying for a residence permit.

The activation of user account can be done from early August onwards. Note that you must register as a student first. You can activate the user account through our IT Services’ website. If you don’t have Finnish online banking credentials, your user account must be activated on campus, during the orientation days.

Upon registering as attending, Degree and Double Degree students need to pay the Student Union membership fee for the academic year. Degree students need to pay the Student Union membership fee when registering as attending. Double degree students can pay the fee on campus and bring the receipt to the registration session. Student Union membership is mandatory for Degree and Double Degree students during all semesters the student is registered as attending.

After paying the Student Union membership fee and successfully registering as a student at the University, you can apply for your student card. You can either use an electronic card on your smartphone or order a plastic card. For more information, please visit the Student Union website. If you order a plastic student card and need a proof of your student's status while waiting for the card, you can get a Certificate of Attendance from the Peppi system. 

Joining the Student Union is optional for exchange students. Exchange students will receive the Certificate of Attendance in the registration session.

Keep in touch with your tutor

Each student will be assigned a tutor – a fellow student who will support you in the beginning of your studies. Tutors will be appointed to you in summer, and your own tutor will contact you. Please note, that if you were conditionally accepted or are required to pay tuition fees, you will only be added to the tutor programme once your conditional acceptance has been changed into confirmed, or after you have paid the tuition fee.

Read more about tutoring

We've put together some pre-arrival material for new students on Student Intra Jolla. You log in to Jolla with your university username and password, which you can activate according to the instructions in the "Activating your user account" section.

Please check the preliminary materials before the orientation days start, but they will also be available later. 

New students start their studies with orientation days, where you can get useful information both about studying at the University of Vaasa in general and about your degree programme.

Download Tuudo app to your smartphone. It provides e.g. campus maps, campus restaurant menus, your study records and other information about your studies.

You will need a bank account in order to handle your day-to-day finances. When opening a bank account, you need a residence permit, Finnish personal identity number, Certificate of Admission from the University of Vaasa and passport or other official identity card. You may need a bank account in Finland to pay for your rent. Opening a bank account can be a long process (up to 3 months) depending from the number of applications the bank has received. Therefore, you should open the bank account immediately after arriving to Finland and after receiving the Finnish ID number.

The foreign citizen identification service, or the Finnish Authenticator Identification Service, allows foreigners to use Finnish public administration e-services on a Finnish Authenticator application. Many Finnish services require this Strong Identification, e.g. to read your doctor's diagnosis or many things in working life.

You can apply to have access to this Strong Identification service at the bank when you apply for a bank account. Depending on your nationality (EU or non-EU), please make sure if you need to have a Finnish Identity Card (henkilökortti) to have access to this service. You can find this out from the bank when you make your first appointment.

If you will be employed or an entrepreneur, you need a Finnish tax card. If you have just moved to Finland, you can get a tax card from a tax office (verotoimisto). 

More information on the tax administration website