Welcome to Vaasa University of Applied Sciences
Feel right at home on our cozy campus with a lively student community. Enjoy new friends, your first apartment, and newfound freedom. Explore exciting courses, internships, and job opportunities with top global companies.
At VAMK, you’ll gain access to Finland’s leading companies and professional networks while you study. Our international university, with 3,700 students, is known for its friendly community and is located in Finland’s largest energy cluster. We will help you graduate as an Engineer or Business professional.
Welcome to a world of opportunities at VAMK!
Commencement of Studies 2024-2025
- Information Technology, International Business: studies commence on 2 September 2024.
- International Business Management, Project Management, Cloud-Based Software Engineering: 30 August 2024.
More detailed schedule will be provided latest in August before studies commence.
The schedules for the autumn semester of 2024 will be published by July. You can find
your own schedule using the class ID. You’ll get your class ID no later than the first day when students are divided into their own groups.
The first day of school starts immediately by getting to know your own homeroom teacher and your own group of tutors. Tutors will hold several tutor classes during the fall, which are marked on the schedules. The lessons will cover important information about the school, educational tools, courses and information about Vaasa, student life and activities. Tutors are also an important link for class grouping.
Good to remember from the first day of school!
- Remember to have an open mind and good spirit!
- You will not need a laptop* with you on your first day, but taking notes on a paper might be handy.
- It’d be recommended to arrive at school by bus or bicycle. There are very few parking spaces near the campus and an incorrectly arked car is easily fined.
- Have you remembered to enroll for the academic year? You may do it trough the OILI (Digital Enrollment Service for Higher Education Institutions) after confirming study place. If not, tutors will help on the first day. Tutors will also guide you through registration for the courses.
- You can also read about the student card and student union benefits in advance. Tutors will tell you more about them during the first few days.
- The school is completely non-smoking area, so don’t smoke even outside in front of the school. Tutors will guide you to the right smoking areas.
It is worth to reserve the entire day off, as the day will continue well into the evening with the tutors giving a tour around the campus and the city. While you’re getting to know your classmates your day will culminate in the first night’s party.
*) Every student should have a laptop or tablet computer to use in their studies. There isn’t computer in every classroom and you might need one in classes. There isn’t any special requirements for a computer. Anyhow, if you are starting your studies in Information Technology program, you should have a more powerful computer (min. 8GB ram, plenty of hard
disk space and windows operating system for professional programs)
IT arrangements will be explained more detailed in beginning of your studies.
Your username for VAMK IT systems will be given in beginning of your studies. More information can be found here.
You will find your schedule:
Eating and discounts
During the first day, all students will be given a meal subsidy card issued by Kela (The Social Insurance Institution). All higher education students are eligible for discounted meals at participating student restaurants. You will also get a discount eg. from coffee and tea from the cafes in campus. You will not need the separate meal subsidy card once you start using your student ID card.
Eligibility
You can get a meal subsidy if you are based in Finland and are completing
- a bachelor’s level university degree
- a master’s level university degree
- a bachelor’s level degree in a university of applied sciences
- a master’s level degree in a university of applied sciences
- a university-level occupational or specialisation programme that qualifies you for a meal subsidy.
- an exchange student*
*) You can qualify even if you are not a Finnish citizen. If you are attending a higher education institution in Finland as an exchange student, you qualify for the meal subsidy for the duration of your exchange.
How to qualify
You qualify for the meal subsidy at the student restaurant by
- Presenting a valid student ID card issued by eg the student union VAMOK
- Presenting a meal subsidy card issued by Kela
The meal subsidy is not available with a post-graduate student ID card or a VR/Matkahuolto student card.
Where to eat?
Juvenes is the company in charge of the Vaasa campus restaurants. There are all together 8 restaurants around the campus. The most popular restaurants for VAMK student’s are Restaurant Serveri, Cafe Wolfstreet, Restaurant Alere and Cafe Alere by their locations. All the menu’s you can find from their web page or from the kurnii.fi which is popular by the students (only in finnish).
Besides the Juvenes restaurant’s there’s restaurant Cotton Club, which offers also the student priced meals. More information about Cotton Club from their web page.
Student ID Card
More information about the student ID card, student discounts and the membership at the web page of
As a VAMOK member you can use digital student card in Pivo- or in Slice -app. You can download the apps free of charge to your phone from the App Store or Google Play. There are all the same national- and local benefits and discounts in both apps, so you can choose which one is more suitable for you to use. For more information please see the details below. You may also order a physical card. With the physical VAMOK membership card you are able to use all of VAMOK’s local membership benefits, but are not eligible for national student discounts (like VR, Matkahuolto, Kela).
Primarily, information on qualifications completed in Finland is automatically received from national databases to Studyinfo -portal.
All those applicants whose information cannot be received electronically, upload documents into online application form by the given deadline. This concerns applicants applying with foreign qualification, matriculation examination completed in Finland before 1990, applicants with the Finnish general upper secondary school syllabus (without Matriculation examination), eb/ib/rp applicants and applicants with Finnish vocational qualification completed before 2017. This also concerns master UAS applicants whose attachments cannot be received electronically and their work certificates.
UAS can cancel the study place if student fails to present certificates or has given wrong information in the online application.
Student who has enrolled for non-attendance: Documents proving the legal grounds for your absence must be delivered to Admission Services within two weeks after enrolment period has ended. If applicant has not presented documents by the aforementioned deadline, he/she will lose study right.
Non-EU/EEA students: Tuition fee should be paid latest by 11.7.2024 (application period in spring 2024). More information on fees can be found at VAMK website. If tuition fee is not paid until deadline, you will lose your study right.
You can find the schedule from
The schedules for autumn 2024 will be published on Lukkarikone July 2024.
Registration for the courses on the student’s desk (PAKKI).
New students register during the first days of study under the guidance of a group tutor / teacher.
Welcome to VAMK’s Goin’ community
Goin’ is a student-led community platform that helps you to get connected with your future classmates and build friendships already from offer holder status onwards. You can find and share tips and experiences regarding e.g. housing, hobbies, events, activities and living in Vaasa.
Check out your email for the link and join our Goin’ community!
Tutors are your guide in the early stages of your student life.
Get to know about students Vaasa.
The Student Union VAMOK is for students.
Requires login in the external network
What do you study during your studies and what course do the studies consist of? The curriculum says. This listing includes the latest OPS and a link to OPS for all years.
Technology
Master
International Business Management
Cloud-Based Software Engineering
Business
If you’re enrolled in studies leading to an academic degree, you’re considered to be a full-time student and you can get financial aid. The purpose of financial aid is to provide economic security for students. Financial aid is available in the forms of study grant, government guarantee for a student loan and housing supplement. Financial aid for studies pursued in Finland is available for Finnish citizens and, under certain conditions, to citizens of other countries.
Financial Aid for International Students
VAMK students from non EU countries and paying tuition fees are eligble for applying a scholarship.
International students are eligible for Student Financial Aid from the government of Finland if they have lived in Finland at least two years for some other purpose than studies, and their residence in Finland is regarded to be permanent. International students from the EU countries are not eligible for the Finnish government study support if studying is their only reason for coming to Finland.
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 the government.
However, you may qualify for financial aid if:
- You have been granted a continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permit or an EU residence permit for third-country nationals (P-EU or P-EY).
- If you are a citizen of another EU or EEA country or of Switzerland, the family member of such a person, or a citizen of a Nordic country, you only have to register your right of residence or present your residence card.
- If you are living in Finland permanently and
- You have arrived in Finland for some other reason than to study. Such a reason can for example be employment, family ties or return migration.
Financial Aid
You are eligible if:
- You study on a full-time basis for at least 2 months
- You make sufficient academic progress and
- You are in need of financial assistance
Study grant
The amount of study grant (before taxes) for students in higher education is 250,28€/month. More about the amount and special situations which might affect to the amount can be found from here. The study grant does not count as the student’s own income for purposes of the financial aid income check.
Student loan
The student loan is a government-guaranteed loan that you must pay back. If Kela gives you a loan guarantee you can apply for a loan at a bank of your choice. You can get a government guarantee for a student loan if you are being paid a study grant by Kela or an adult education allowance by the Employment Fund. Study grant is considered to mean other kinds of study grant than the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. The monthly amount for students in higher education is 650€ per month. The student loan is disbursed in two instalments in each academic year. Ask your bank what you need to do to have the loan funds deposited into your account. The disbursement dates for the autumn term is earliest 1st of August and for the spring term the earliest is 1st of January.
Housing supplement
Students living in rental accommodation in Finland can get general housing allowance. A household comprises the persons sharing living quarters. The housing allowance is granted to the household collectively. Students can get general housing allowance under the same conditions as all other customers. This means that months of study or the maximum time limits for financial aid will not be considered when awarding housing benefits. The general housing allowance is 80% of the difference between the acceptable housing costs and the basic deductible. You can use an online calculator to estimate the amount of housing allowance you can get.
Impact of your income
Your income will affect the number of months per year for which you will be able to receive financial aid. You must make sure that your annual income does not exceed a specified limit. Kela takes into account your taxable gross earnings, grants, scholarships and foreign income. Tax-exempt grants and scholarships are not taken into account as income, if the grant or scholarship is paid in 2019 or later.
Your annual income limit is determined on the basis of the number of months for which you have drawn financial aid during a calendar year. For example if you draw financial aid for 9 months of the calendar year, your annual income limit is 12 298€. You can check your own annual income limit from here.
VAMK Wolffintie 30
(entrance from the back yard)
Open: Monday to Thursday 8.00 to 15.00 & Friday 8.00 to 14.00
Appointments only by booking in advance!
- General health and mental health: tel. 046 710 1073 (call back service)
- Oral health: tel. 046 710 1085 (call back service)
The general health reception and oral health are located at VAMK’s FSHS premises
- Public health nurses
- Psychiatric nurses
- Physiotherapist
- Dentists
- Oral hygienist
ALERE Wolffintie 27-31 4th floor.
Alere’s premises include:
- General practitioner
- Mental health
Log into FSHS Self when you start using FSHS services
Kaikkien uusien opiskelijoiden tulisi kirjautua Self-palveluun ja päivittää sinne yhteystietonsa. Siellä voit päivittää yhteystietojasi, hallinnoida ajanvarauksiasi, käyttää chat palvelua ammattihenkilön kanssa, uusia ehkäisyreseptejä ja täyttää muitakin lomakkeita.
What is FSHS?
Starting 1 January 2021, the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) will provide student healthcare services for all higher education students. A healthcare fee for higher education students is paid to Kela.
Students who are entitled to use the services of FSHS are students who have registered as attending and who are completing:
- a bachelor’s or master’s level degree earned in a university of applied sciences
- a bachelor’s or master’s level university degree.
Exchange students, students in open university and students in tailor-made, customer-specific training programmes are not entitled to use the services of FSHS.
Information on student healthcare services is available on the website of the Finnish Student Health Service (YTHS)
Healthcare fee for students in higher education
Starting in 2021, students who are entitled to use the services of FSHS will pay a healthcare fee to Kela. No bill will be sent on the healthcare fee, and thus the student has to pay the fee on his or her own initiative.
Up-to-date information on the healthcare fee for higher education students and payment of the fee is available on Kela’s website. Kela’s website
N.B. If you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee. However, you can to use the FSHS’s services. Visit Kela’s website for information about how to proceed if you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom
Contact us
Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu (VAMK),
University of Applied Sciences
Wolffintie 30, 65200 Vaasa
Phone*: +358 207 663 300
info@vamk.fi
VAMK customer service* 0207 663 300
Caretaker, Palosaari Campus* 0207 663 436
Caretaker, Technobothnia* 0207 663 437
*Prices for 0207 calls
Student Services
Wolffintie 30, 65200 VAASA
Phone*: +358 207 663 300
opintotoimisto@vamk.fi
Admissions Services
Wolffintie 30, 65200 VAASA
Puhelin*: +358 207 663 300
hakijapalvelut@vamk.fi
Contact the study counselors
Student Counselling
A student-centred operations model has been prepared in guidelines for study guidance at VAMK University of Applied Sciences. The guidelines comprise communications and guidance, basic counselling and extensive counselling. The communications and guidance are needs oriented – self-directed activity, largely based on electronic materials. Basic counselling consists of group mentoring that is a standard procedure at guidance adherent to all the degree programmes, and which includes among other things freshman interview and development discussions that the group mentors (teacher tutors) are responsible for. At group mentoring occasions, information is provided on international exchange, practical training and Bachelor’s thesis. Extensive needs related study guidance is mainly attended to by academic advisor, head of degree programme and the supervisor of the thesis.
Appointment for student counselling
The reservation for appointment can be done online from the link under.
Even other times can be reserved if needed. Please note that there are no appointments in summertime.
Student counsellors’ reception hours
School of Business:
Student Counsellor, Senior Lecturer, Peter Smeds
Wolffintie 30, room A1108
School of Technology:
Student Counsellor, Senior Lecturer, Henrik Niemelä
Wolffintie 30, room B1035. After 2 pm, please use the back corridor entrance (opposite the classroom B 1057)
- Tuesdays 10 am -11:30 am and 1 pm – 5 pm
- Wednesdays: 10 am – 11:30 am
- Thursdays 1 pm – 3 pm
- Fridays 10 am-11:30 am
