University of Helsinki

About University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest university in Finland. It was founded in 1640 in Turku as the Royal Academy of Turku and moved to Helsinki in 1828. Today it has about 32,000 students in 11 faculties and teaches in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Helsinki is consistently ranked among the top 150 universities in the world. Four Nobel Prize winners and a Fields Medal winner have links to the university.

Founded

1640

Type

Public

Students

31,800+ (2024)

Faculties

11

Location

Helsinki

Rankings & recognition

The University of Helsinki is regularly placed among the world's top 150 universities by QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU.

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki, Finland

The university has four campuses in Helsinki: City Centre, Kumpula (science), Meilahti (medicine) and Viikki (life sciences). Helsinki is Finland's capital, a safe and modern city on the Baltic Sea, often rated among the best cities in the world for quality of life.

For international students

The University of Helsinki welcomes students from Pakistan for English-taught master's programmes (and a few bachelor's programmes). It offers scholarships for non-EU students that can cover the tuition fee.

Most English-taught programmes in Finland start in late August or early September. Applications for the autumn intake usually open around December–January through the national Studyinfo service or the university's own portal. Students from outside the EU pay tuition fees, and Finnish universities offer scholarships that can cover part or all of the fee. After admission you apply for a Finnish student residence permit, which normally lets you work part-time while studying.

Frequently asked questions