Aalto University - Schulich, Haskayne & SAPL Only

Aalto offers English-taught courses in Engineering, Architecture, and Business. As most English courses are at the masters level, undergraduate exchange students must be in 4th year or higher during the exchange to enrol in courses.

Course requirements: Students at Aalto typically take 24-30 ECTS (European credits) per semester. 6 ECTS = 3 units at UCalgary. 

When browsing courses, note that there are five teaching periods: I & II are in the autumn term while III, IV & V are in the spring (winter) term. We recommend preparing a list of backup courses in case of timetable conflicts or changes.

The academic year is divided into 2 terms:

• Autumn term runs from late August to late December
• Spring term runs from early January to late May

There is also a summer program available at Aalto University in July/August, open to students in all faculties. The summer program can be done by itself or potentially combined with a semester exchange.

Aalto University does not operate its own student dormitories. The main student housing providers for Aalto students are the Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki region, HOAS (hoas.fi) and Aalto University's Student Union, AYY (ayy.fi). The apartments are located in Espoo and in Helsinki, all with furnished rooms and public transportation connections to the university campus.

A quota of rooms are reserved annually, however, demand is high and neither HOAS nor AYY can guarantee that all exchange students will receive housing. Therefore, we strongly recommend that exchange students start their application as soon as they have been nominated for the exchange, and also prepare yourself to search on the private rental market.

You can find more information and advice on Aalto's housing page, or on the Aalto arrivals page.

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in:

• The Schulich School of Engineering at UCalgary, who will have a 4th year academic standing at the time of their exchange (upper 3rd year may be allowed), with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
• The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 or approval of their UCalgary department.
• The Haskayne School of Business – see detailed eligibility requirements on the Haskayne Outgoing Exchange Students page. 

When applying in the online application portal, be sure to select the version of the exchange application corresponding to your faculty!

Finnish is not required to participate, as English courses are available in all areas. However, if you wish to take courses taught in Finnish, you must have a command of Finnish language (Suomen kieli) at minimum B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR); certification of language proficiency may be required.

Do I need to speak Finnish?

No. For studies in Finnish it is required, but for courses in English it is not, and most Finns speak excellent English. However, part of the experience of living in a foreign country is learning its language and culture, so you might want to learn at least the basics of the Finnish language before or while studying in Finland.

How can I learn or practise Finnish?

Exchange students can take various language & communication courses during their exchange, led by Aalto's Language Centre.

Unfortunately, one-semester exchange students cannot take other courses at the Language Centre, because the courses are extremely popular and priority is given to full-year or degree-seeking international students. However there are other opportunities to learn or practice Finnish in Helsinki, whether formally or informally; for example, past students shared that Kulturkontakt Nord (an association for building cultural cooperation in the Nordic countries) hosted language exchange nights at their Helsinki office location.  

What's so special about Aalto University and Finland?

Finland is considered the greenest country in the world, and is in the top 2 worldwide for freedom, safety, gender equality, innovation, and quality of life, making it an incredible choice for an exchange. It is known worldwide for innovation in design in the fields of architecture, technology, and fashion - from brands such as Marimekko, tech start-ups like Rovio and Supercell (creators of gaming apps Angry Birds and Clash of Clans respectively), Nokia, and famous architectural designers Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen. Due to its innovative tech sector and support for entrepreneurship, Finland has one of the strongest economies in Europe.

It is also the "Land of Lakes" with over 180,000 picturesque lakes with cosy cottages, pristine woodlands, and citizens who truly value health and the outdoors, including their famous love of saunas (invented in Finland, there is 1 for every 2 citizens!). For information on outdoor or sport activities and clubs, visit their sports page. 

Aalto emphasizes on the importance of multidisciplinary teaching of science, technology, business and art. So in addition to technical studies, there are diverse opportunities available for your exchange students to get involved in cross-disciplinary activities and projects, for example, by selecting interdisciplinary courses, University Wide Arts Studies and Aalto Cross-school courses.

Aalto also has a strong student union (AYY) as well as one student Nation for Engineering and Architecture students (Teknologföreningen), which owns an unusual building Urdsgjallar, with a sauna called "Pi" (which has a radius of 3.14m). 

International Startup Event Slush in Fall.

Fall exchange students have also had a unique opportunity to volunteer in an international start-up event Slush which takes place in Helsinki at the end of the year. Slush is an annual event, where startups and technology talent meet with international investors. Slush started in 2008 as Aalto students’ initiative with 300 participants and in 2018, Slush brought together over 20,000 attendees, 3100 startups, 1800 investors, and 650 journalists. Previous exchange students have greatly enjoyed the Slush experience!

Student Tips: "With plenty of layered-style clothing and other basic gear, I was able to get on absolutely fine with what I brought. If I come back to Helsinki, however, I will be making room to pack (a) rain boots – I was told that this autumn was “unusually dry” and indeed, there was almost zero snow but more rain than I had anticipated; and (b) some more semi-formal clothing – Finnish students tend to dress a bit nicer for university than I normally see in my Calgary classes, and sometimes “blending in” in this way is important!"

"For transit, there are buses, trams, and metro for getting around the city, plus ferries for getting between the metropolitan islands; tram tickets are the cheapest, but bus is the cheapest way to go long-distance between cities e.g. Onnibus – just buy your ticket in advance as prices double about a week before departures!
In Helsinki, definitely visit:

• the Central Park forest
• long shoreline walking trails that run along the cliffs from Kamppi to Meilahti and beyond
• the Kallio neighbourhood (which is comparable to Kensington in Calgary)
• Seurasaari historical open-air park
• unique aesthetic cafés like Café Regatta and Café Plootu
• the restaurant Savotta for lovely higher-end Finnish cuisine

More places to go (outside of Helsinki) include:

• the WeeGee centre in Espoo hosts a whole assortment of cool museums
• Tampere has an interesting arts/music scene in addition to the famous moominvalley
• Tornio is a good city for wilderness hikes
• Of course you must hop a ferry to the beautiful city of Tallinn."

What kind of supports and services are available at Aalto University?

For LGBTQ+ students, Aalto University operates on high equality standards regardless of gender, race, or sexuality. Queer Aalto, or "Q" for short, is a student association that arranged activities for LGBTQ+ individuals.

For students struggling with mental illness and/or depression or are finding it hard to cope with the transition, the Nyyti - student support centre also offers counselling support. 

For students wanting a space for prayer or reflection, Aalto offers a quiet room for prayer and meditation and a chaplain centre as well. 

For students with accessibility needs, Aalto offers support for exams and technical aid, though personal assistants and some adaptive technology may need to be self-funded. More information can be found on the Accessibility page for International students. 

For information on accessibility and support services at campuses across Europe, please check out Inclusive Mobility. For city-specific services and places in Europe, the Jaccede interactive platform (website and/or smartphone app - both Android and iOS) also provides a searchable user-built database to identify important accessibility information of public places and locations.