Welcome to HAMK, you’re here to make a change!
Thank you for choosing HAMK as your place of study! On this page, we have compiled information for a smooth start to your studies.
Did you start your studies at HAMK but are not pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree? Here you will find instructions for other new students:
We´re happy to have you with us
We hope that studying with us will be an opportunity for you to gain new experiences and collect best tools for your future career.
At HAMK, studying is about doing and acting together. We embrace student-centred approaches and support you in developing your own study path according to your interests. All of us – students, teachers, staff members and other stakeholders – have their own role in making this experience the best it can be.
We are proud of being able to enhance your learning experience through our caring environment and supportive community. HAMK values and respects students from all over the world, no matter their age, gender, religion, disabilities, sexual orientation, or any needs that students may have.
All the important information to start your journey at HAMK is covered here. We will guide you through the registration and arrival processes to become a student at HAMK.
Mandatory steps to secure your studyplace
These steps are the most important ones – don’t skip any!
International students: Your study place is conditional until HAMK has checked your eligibility and your final original degree certificates after your registration at campus. If you are not able to complete the registration process by the given dates or have given incorrect information during the application process, your study place will be cancelled and you must return back to your home country.
After you have been admitted to a degree programme, you will receive an email with a confirmation link.
Please confirm your study place as soon as you can to ensure a smooth start at HAMK and allow time for other important preparations.
The study place must be confirmed by 10 July 2025 at latest. If you do not accept the study place by the given deadline, you will lose the study place offered to you. Once you have confirmed your study place, it is binding and irrevocable and cannot be altered.
All our messages will be sent to the email address which you have gave us in your application.
- If you have a Finnish ID number and online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or an electronic ID card you can confirm the study place by logging in at the My Studyinfo service.
- If you don’t have a Finnish ID number nor online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or an electronic ID card, please read the instructions on the My Studyinfo email notification you received.
- If you are for some reason not able to confirm your study place electronically, please contact the Admission Services of HAMK.
Notice: One study place during one semester
After confirming this study place, you can’t accept any other study places leading to a higher education degree in Finland for autumn 2025 if the studies begin during the same semester.
Important information:
When accepting your study place to HAMK, you accept and confirm the conditions written in the acceptance letter.
Your study place is conditional until HAMK has checked your eligibility and your final original degree certificate has been checked after your registration.
HAMK may withdraw admission if you do not provide the certificates by the deadlines given or if you have given false information in the application process.
Document forgery and misuse may lead to criminal responsibility and belong to police authority.
If you are required to pay the tuition fee, we advice you to do it immediatelly after you have accepted your study place.
Check the due dates of first year tuition fee and all the instructions:
If you are required to pay a tuition fee, you should do it before you apply for a residence permit. We strongly recommend that you pay the fee immediately after you have accepted the study place.
Please notice, that you can register for the academic year only after you have paid the fee.
Do I need to pay tuition fee or confirm my nationality?
- I am a citizen of country, which is not part of the EU/EEA-area:
- Yes, you need to pay the tuition fee. See the instruction: Tuition Fees and Scholarships
- There are few exemptions based on your residence permit, which might exempt you from paying the tuition fee. If some of the reasons applies to you, contact us right away by email: [email protected]
- I am a citizen of EU/EEA -country
- You don’t need to pay a tuition fee
- Make sure, that you have submit a copy of your passport/identity card in your application. If you have not done so, sent it immediatelly to [email protected]
- I am a Finnish citizen
- You can skip this step as you don’t need to pay any tuition fees and we have confirm your nationality during the application process.
After you have confirm the study place and paid the tuition fee (if required), you need to enroll yourself to the academic year.
You will find the link to the enrolling service from StudyInfo.
Students, who have paid the tuition fee: Link will be active after we have process your payment. This might take a few days, so please wait couple of days after your payment before you try to enroll.
If you are unable to enroll in Studyinfo service, please contact [email protected].
You need to complete the enrollment for the academic year at latest 31 July 2025, or you will lose your study place. However, we advice that you enroll yourself right away.
You must start your studies Autumn 2025 semester and arrive by the start of studies. You can delay the start of your studies to next semesters ONLY IF there are legal grounds for your absence.
Non-attendance in the first study year
As a first year student, you can delay the start of your studies (enroll as non-attendig) only by the following reasons, which are based on law. You must prove the legal grounds for your absence with the given documents:
- Completing Finnish military service, civilian service or voluntary military service for women in Finland, service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women’s Voluntary Military Service (194/1995)
- required document: Call-up order or a conscript card
Note! ONLY the military service of the Finnish army
- required document: Call-up order or a conscript card
- Child’s birth or adoption. Please note that pregnancy itself is not a valid reason for statutory leave of absence. The due date must fall within the semester for which you are applying for leave.
- required document: Kela’s certificate regarding parental leave. If you have not yet received the Kela certificate, a medical certificate confirming the pregnancy and due date.
- corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave provided in English.
- Personal illness or injury that prevents you from starting your studies
- Sickness allowance decision or, if no decision exists, a medical certificate. The medical certificate must clearly state which illness or injury the student suffers from, and that this condition prevents the student from starting their studies.
- Practical arrangements required by the illness or injury that cause considerable obstacles for studying or arriving: an adequate clarification such as a certificate from the student housing foundation that the student is on the waiting list for an apartment required by his or her injury.
Documents must be notarized* submitted and translated to English, Finnish or Swedish.
Please notice, that you need to send a written document as a proof before you can enroll yourself as non-attending student and before the start of the autumn semester, 31st of July at the latest.
In case of personal sickness or injury the medical certificates need to be translated in English, Finnish or Swedish and notarized*. In these cases, please contact [email protected].
If the documentation is not sent before the due date, the tuition fee will not be transferred and the enrollment status will not be changed.
Notice also that Finnish immigration Services will always be informed when 1st year student enrolls as absent!
* A notarized letter or document is certified by a notary public, a licensed public officer who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of documents and establishes the authenticity of the signatures. A notary’s signature and seal are required to authenticate the signature on your letter or legal document.
No matter if you are an exchange student or international student studying for the whole degree, the first thing to do is to find out if you need a permit for studying in Finland. Finnish citizens do not need to do this.
Find out what kind of permit you need:
There are many things, such as nationality and length of the studies, that affect on which permit you need. A Convenient way to figure out if you need residence permit, right of residence or visa, is to follow Finnish Immigration Services MIGRI‘s guidelines according to your own situation:
- I am an EU citizen
- I am a family member of an EU citizen
- I am a Nordic citizen
- I am a citizen of some other country (Usually residence permit required)
Once you know which permit you need, please follow the Finnish Immigration Services guidelines how to apply for the permit.
If you need a residence permit, you should apply it immediately after you have accepted the study place. The processing time can be over two months during peak application times. In some countries, it can even take over four to six months.
Finnish immigration service provides clear instructions on how to apply for a student residence permit. Please select the electronic application as you will save both time and money.
Register yoursef at your own campus´ Student Services when you arrive to Finland and your campus. This must be done right away, at the latest by 25 August. 2025.
Student Services will register your arrival. Your study place is conditional until HAMK has checked your eligibility and your final original degree certificate has been checked after your registration.
Please prepare to have the following documents with you:
• Official original identification document (e.g. passport)
• Original educational certificates (which you attached to your application)
• Your residence permit decision/card.
• Master students must have their original work documents (which were attached to your application)
If you do not complete the registration process, your student selection will be cancelled (Law Universities of Applied Sciences Act §28 and §25). In this case HAMK will refund your tuition fee back but charges 500 € office fee (will be deducted from the paid tuition fee).
Notice also that Finnish immigration Services will be informed about the cancellations. When reviewing request for discretionary refunds of academic year fees, factors unrelated to the student are also taken into consideration in case of arrival in the country.
What if I don’t get my final certificate on time?
If your final certificate is delayd for official reasons, please contact admission office: [email protected]
Important steps – Before arrival
Are you curious to see who’s also going to HAMK? Or maybe you wish to make new friends with HAMK’s students?
Via HAMK’s virtual student community Goin’ Connect, you can find other students from the same nationality, study programme or campus. You might even find students who are into the same things as you!
The guidance for registration can be found from your acceptance letter and from email sent to you
Please check this video about Goin’ Connect to more information.
In case of any problems, please contact [email protected]
Visit the local bank at your country of origin and make sure that banking services are available when you are in Finland.
It will take some time – sometimes even couple of months – to open a bank account in Finland, so it is important to have international banking services from your own bank.
International banking services are also needed when you pay for the deposit and/or rent for the first month of the accommodation. Opening Finnish bank account can take few months, so it is important that you have working bank account until that.
Please notice that it is not a good idea to bring much cash with you to Finland. Here you cannot pay for example rent in cash so internationally working bank card and banking services are crucial. Also traveller’s checks are not accepted in Finland.
Check out different accommodation options available and fill the application. We strongly advice you not to come to Finland before you have an accommodation arranged.
Kindly remember that you can only apply to HAMK´s accommodation in the campus that you are studying. If you look accommodation on the free market, you can choose to live which ever city you like, but remember to check the public transportation connections to the campus.
You can easily get to Finland by plane, by boat, or by car. Make sure that you have the valid ticket for your chosen means of transportation.
Arriving by plane
Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL) is the largest airport in Finland, and it is located near the capital city of Helsinki. The airport located in Tampere is another airport that our international students often arrive at. All HAMK campuses can be reached by public transport from either airport. Besides Helsinki and Tampere airports, there are several other national airports, such as Rovaniemi and Kittilä in Lapland. Direct international flights are available from those airports but note that they are far away from the major cities in southern Finland as well as from all HAMK campuses.
Airport pick-up (Helsinki-Vantaa)
We have an airport pickup service for specific dates available! See it from our Arrive to HAMK section.
Local public transport
Finland is a large country with considerable distances between its municipalities. Yet, public transport works well within and in between cities. You can travel to almost everywhere in Finland by bus or by train. You can also fly to some destinations within the country. Some bigger Finnish cities can offer transport services by tram and, in case of the capital – Helsinki, also by metro. Within cities, you can reach suburban areas with local transport.
In Finland, you can get student discounts for public transport.
But in order to get student discount, you need to have valid student card. Read more about our student association HAMKO, how to become a member and get the student card which gives you an access to many discounts.
To plan your travel within Finland, use route services perille.fi to get your itinerary suggestions. For example, you can type in “Helsinki airport” as the place of departure and one of HAMK´s campuses as the place of destination. The service will provide you with itinerary suggestions.
By train
The rail network in Finland stretches from Helsinki to Kolari in Lapland. VR is the Finnish Railway Service. You can check the routes and stations on the VR website. Some train services and parts of the routes may be replaced by buses due to track work. Those bus transport services are organised by VR, so you do not need to get extra tickets. Read more about the replacement buses.
By bus
Another option to travel in between cities in Finland is by bus. There are three major bus connection services providers in Finland.
Matkahuolto (there is also national parcel transport service provided by Matkahuolto. Matkahuolto is used as a public transport in some cities. See the section below for more information.)
The best way to find out which bus suits you the most is to visit bus operators´ websites. You can also use route services perille.fi to get more detailed itinerary suggestions.
Local transport by major city
There are different public means of transport available in different cities in Finland. When you are travelling inside a city, it is good to use the local public transport route planner to navigate and to get the tickets.
In Helsinki you find the information in the link HSL area and zones (you need to check the zones you travel through and buy a ticket accordingly).
Häme Region (Kanta-Häme: Evo, Forssa, Lepaa, Mustiala, and Riihimäki campus)
Local transport and journey planner:
Taxi:
Taxi Häme phone number: +358 (0)100 0700
Please notice that taxis in Finland are very expensive so always check the distance and price before taking the taxi!
Bike:
There are also electric scooters available on the streets. You can scan the QR code on the scooter and follow the instructions from different service providers.
Tampere Region (Pirkanmaa: Valkeakoski campus)
Local transport and journey planner:
Taxi:
Taxi Tampere, phone number: +358 (0)1004131
Please notice that taxis in Finland are very expensive so always check the distance and price before taking the taxi!
Bike:
There are also electric scooters available on the streets. You can scan the QR code on the scooter and follow the instructions from different service providers.
There are many things to be considered if you wish to bring your family to Finland with you.
Read more about it from here:
Bring your original school and work certificates (master’s students) with their official translations in either Finnish, Swedish, or English.
You will need the documents when you register your arrival in campus. Your original documents will be checked and your study place will be cancelled, if you don’t have the certificates with you.
If you plan to develop your career in Finland, you should also bring the original work certificates with you. If you are studying in the Master’s Degree programme, work certificates are mandatory part of your registration process and you need to have those with you.
In Finland, employers usually request the original work certificates to be sent during or after the recruitment process. It is good to have your certificates notarised. If the certificates are not in one of the three languages: Finnish, Swedish or English, the official translation is required.
Students studying for higher education degree are entitled to the services of the Student Health Foundation (YTHS). Check payment due dates on Kela´s website.
You can read more and apply for special arrangements for studying here.
If you want to plan your studies further, you can find all the information you need here.
Here you will find all the information you need to start studying.
Arriving to HAMK
Airport pick-up
Good time to arrive to Finland is before the studies and orientation starts. HAMK will provide free transportation for individual students from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to campus on specific days in August 2025. More information about the exact dates will be updated here later.
- We will inform you later on how can you book a place for the free airport pick-up! Stay tuned.
Beginning of the studies
Beginning dates for the degree students
The studies will start on August 2025. More specific dates will be updated here later.
After arriving Finland
To register your arrival at HAMK, you need to visit your campus Student Services. This is a mandatory and important step, as your study place is conditional until HAMK has checked your eligibility and your final original degree certificates after your registration at campus.
If you are not able to complete the registration process by the given dates or have given incorrect information during the application process, your study place will be cancelled and you must return back to your home country.
Please see more instruction from above: Mandatory Steps
After you arrive in Finland, it is important that you register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). With DVV, you take care of Finnish personal identity code (if you have not received one) and municipality of residence. Check out the registration instructions here. Registration of a foreign student | Digital and population data services agency (dvv.fi).
If you have a Finnish identity code, you can apply for an identity card – Police (poliisi.fi). A Finnish identity card allows you more access to banking and mobile phone SIM card services.
Important:
When you apply for a identity card it is highly recommended to make an appointment for the police station in advance! This is especially important when visiting the police stations in Forssa and Hämeenlinna.
You can book an appointment online without logging in via the “Appointment Booking | Electronic Services of the Police” section on the police’s website, or by calling +358 295 41 800.
If no appointment slots are available, you can also contact the police via email at [email protected].
You need a valid student card or a stamped KELA meal subsidy card to get the student discounts for lunch and other student benefits in Finland.
Check how to get a student card from student union HAMKO and see the differences between a stamped KELA meal subsidy card and a student card here: Student cards – HAMKO.
You can get a stamped KELA meal subsidy card from the Student Services points on HAMK campuses. Check Student Services – HAMK for more information on opening hours of the service points.
Remember these before you start your studies
After you have enrolled for the academic year, you will receive an automatic message requesting you to activate your HAMK user ID.
You can activate your HAMK user ID via self-service user registration.
You will receive an email once your HAMK user ID has been created. Before receiving the email you can not activate your ID.
This HAMK user ID gives you access to all HAMK’s student systems.
For more information and in case of an error, please contact ServiceDesk. Service desk is a customer services system that HAMK uses for advising students and staff. By using the ServiceDesk, a customer services ticket will be generated specifically for you and for your matters. The IT department can keep track with your questions and offer advice to you by following the same ticket.
NB: you can log in to ServiceDesk only after you already have acquired and activated your HAMK student ID. If you don’t have a HAMK student ID yet, please contact the IT department by the email [email protected] instead. That also creates a ticket automatically. When you contact the IT service, remember to include a descriptive subject line and detailed description!
Once you have activated your HAMK user account, log in to HAMK’s M365 environment, where you’ll find all the Microsoft tools.
In the left-hand menu, you’ll find your Outlook email, where we will send emails related to your studies.
Remember to log in to your new student email a few days before your studies begin to check if you’ve received any additional instructions for starting your studies.
Please note that we will no longer send messages to your personal email; instead, we will communicate with you through the school’s email (and other internal communication channels).
M365 – Microsoft Tools
Your student email in Outlook
Which username should I use to log in?
You can log in to all HAMK services, such as your email and other M365 services, using either the short or long username, along with the password you created.
The short username is written in the format: username12345.
The long username is written in the format: [email protected].
All students must have their own laptop.
The operating system of the laptop should be Windows (64-bit). The professional software used at HAMK is Windows software.
Using a MacOS computer in your studies
You can study on a macOS computer, but for only a few educational programmes, the applications available for macOS alone are sufficient. These include teacher training and social and health education programmes.
Most programmes require students to install software on their own computers that is only available for Windows computers.
Other necessary items
In addition to your own computer, you’ll need headphones (for watching videos) and an external mouse (to make it easier to use applications), as well as a camera for tele-editing. Your computer is connected to the data projector via an hdmi cable, so make sure you have an hdmi (type A) socket on your computer or, if necessary, get an hdmi (type A) adapter for your computer.
Starter Kit of Digital Skills will help you to start using HAMK online tools, equipment, environments and methods used in higher education studies.
The Digistart -course contains 14 parts. Before starting your studies, we recommend that you complete at least parts 1-6. You should also follow the guidelines for your field of study to find out which parts are compulsory and the timetable for completion.
When you see this pattern ⬡ it is possible to complete the section with a competency mark. Remember to take advantage of the completed badges.
Below is the table of contents of the digital starter kit and the average time needed to complete each section.
1. Welcome to the Starter Kit of Digital Skills
2. Basic digital services for students (1h)
3. Learn online learning environment ⬡ (0,5-1 h)
4. Study planning | Pakki ⬡ (1h)
5. Microsoft 365 – supporting communal work
6. For internal communication Tuudo and Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) ⬡ (0,5h)
7. Teams – for teamwork ⬡ (1h)
8. Manage documents with OneDrive for Business ⬡ (1h)
9. Online meetings with Zoom ⬡ (1 h)
10. Office software ⬡ (2-5 h)
11. Library and web library HAMK Finna ⬡ (0,5-1 h)
12. Studying and well-being ⬡ (0,5 – 1 h)
13. How do you display your open badges?
14. Feedback on Digital Starter Kit
Instructions:
Log in to Learn-Moodle using the link below, and sign in via the HAMK-login link at the top. Then, from the top menu, select the Search link and look for the Starter Kit of Digital Skills (choose the correct year). The enrolment key is “Digistarter-24”.
Enrolment key is: Digistarter-24
If you have any questions related to Starter Kit of Digital Skills, please contact to [email protected].
The student mobile app Tuudo is free and can be downloaded from the Android, iOS and Huawei AppGallery app stores.
The app allows us to offer students a comprehensive and modern service package.
Students can buy software from a few places at student prices or purchase software free of charge. Microsoft offers the full Microsoft 365 ProPlus package (including Word, Excel and Powerpoint) free of charge to students during their studies. The Microsoft 365 package can be installed on five PCs/Macs and five tablets. You can install some professional software on your own computer, subject to certain restrictions. For example, the software cannot be used for commercial activities. The software required for your studies is described in the study information in the Pakki.
When you start your studies, you should only install the Microsoft 365 package and Chrome browser (see instructions below).
What types of licences can applications have?
The most common types of application licences are:
- open source – usually freely available
- educational licence – sometimes includes access to students’ own computers
- commercial licence – for commercial use
- trial licence – limited duration and purpose of use
When you install an application on your computer, always find out what the terms of use are.
Microsoft 365-services
Under an agreement with Microsoft, students have access to Microsoft 365 in the cloud. Microsoft 365 is a collection of different applications and services that are cloud services. You can access them online from anywhere.
Services include:
- Outlook Mail and Calendar
- People
- OneDrive for Business Sites
- Tasks
- Microsoft 365 WebApps i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
- Viva engage
- Delve
- Sway
- Class
- Notebook
- Groups
- Planner
- Forms
- Teams
- PowerApps and Flow
For more information of M365 visit here
Installing a Microsoft 365 package
Installing a Microsoft 365 package Students will have access to many Microsoft applications during their studies. As soon as you start your studies, you will need Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and OneDrive for Business.
Download and installation instructions for the Microsoft 365 ProPlus package can be found here.
Installing web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Your computer already has a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or Safari (MacOS). Internet Explorer is no longer recommended, use Edge instead. You need at least one other web browser on your computer, because not all web services and applications work properly with one and the same web browser.
Install at least Google Chrome browser on your computer, including MacOS, with installation instructions here.
Online meetings
Students have access to Teams for remote meetings and group work. For distance learning, the Zoom cloud service is also used for online sessions, depending on the course. Teams requires installation on your own computer to use all its features and can be downloaded from the web.
For more information:
Teams
Zoom
MOT-language engine
Students can use the MOT language engine (a cloud service), which offers a dictionary, language checkers and machine translation.
More information
From here you will find more information about studying with us in Finland:
- Stories
- Student voice
- Stories
- Student voice
- Student voice
- Student voice
- Student voice
- Student voice
- Student voice
- Stories
- Stories
- Student voice