Welcome!
Congratulations on your place of study and welcome to Tampere University and to the Student Union! We have created this Fresher’s Guide for you to get started with your new studies. The guide includes the most important topics to consider when beginning your studies at Tampere. You will learn the key information about living, health services, public transport, events, clubs for students and much more! We wish you rewarding reading moments with the guide!
Prologue: Welcome to our community!
Studies at Tampere University await you – congratulations on getting in and welcome to the big local university community in Tampere! Through your university studies, you’ll get to the source of all kinds of knowledge and competences to educate yourself and to acquire skills specific to your field. But everyday life at the university is much more than just studying. You will meet people from all over Finland and the world, you will get to try out new hobbies and make lifelong friendships. So arrive with an open mind in August!
This guide has been put together for you in the student union. The purpose is to introduce you to student life in Tampere, student union activities and the University’s services. On the pages of this guide, you can find a lot of useful information on completing studies, housing, healthcare, leisure activities, associations and student culture. During the first steps of your student life, this guide will hopefully provide you with information to help you navigate the freeways and side alleys of the local academic culture.
At the beginning of your studies, you will be supported by trained student tutors. They will help you get started with your studies and introduce you to your study environment. In your tutor group, you will meet other students from your field and get introduced to the activities of the subject association or guild of your field. Participate actively in the tutoring, ask and ponder on things out loud and tell your tutor about any concerns you have. The beginning of the term is full of new experiences and information for new students, and it’s our duty to help you steer through it.
But for now, let’s just enjoy the summer and relax before our studies start – see you in autumn!
With warm regards, TREY’s tutoring sector
Start with these!
Accept your study place by following the instructions given to you by the University.
You might be subject to fees and eligible for scholarships. Check your own situation and act accordingly!
Start sorting out your arrival in Finland. Moving to a different country requires closely following the official procedures, and those procedures vary depending on your home country.See the Student’s Guide for more information on this; you can find it on the University’s website! The Welcome page of the Student’s Guide in particular includes relevant links and info pages at the beginning.
Apply for a student card via TREY’s website. This is possible only after you have accepted your study place.
Activate your personal user ID for the University’s electronic services via salasana.tuni.fi. This can only be done after you have accepted your study place.
Apply for housing! Find out more about housing options on the Housing-page.
Make sure you are covered by health insurance. Find more information on the Student’s Guide.
Connect with your student tutor and arrange your arrival in Tampere before Welcome Week begins!
Greeting: Vivat Academia!
Hello fresher and welcome to university! You are now on the verge of excitement. Starting in university can be nerve-wracking: I was nervous about finding my own place in the university community and whether everyone was smarter than me here. I found my place in this community and figured out that not everyone in the university is an Einstein of any kind. Especially not me.
There are definitely some practical problems in the beginning; classrooms are nowhere to be found, enrolling for a course can be a challenge and the people in overalls cause a lot of questions. Tutors, association actives and your fellow fresher friends help with these questions. Here in the university you are all in the same boat. The one who asks always gets a response!
First of all, I would warmly recommend getting actively involved in student activities! Personally, I hadn’t volunteered to do anything before university, whereas here association activities totally drew me in. It’s a place to make an impact, meet new friends and have a lot of fun.
Our field of associations is extremely wide. Most of you are certainly going to be familiar with your own home association, but various hobby association activities are also worth getting acquainted with. You can do almost anything: for example all kinds of sports, singing, playing board games and even watching anime.
However, not everyone has to amass a huge list of association tasks, after all your studies are the reason you are here! However, even in your studies, it is worth wandering around and trying something new. I recommend taking advantage of our university’s free right to study different subjects! As a student of administrative sciences, I have additionally studied both communication and psychology. By trying out something new, you may find a unique perspective on your field of study!
We in the student union are also cool folks, and you will be able to influence our activities as freshers in the upcoming representative council elections in the autumn! You can find out more about us, our work and other ways to get involved in this guide.
The most important thing, however, is to go to university with an open mind! Many people claim that this is the best time of their lives, but it is pointless to feel pressured by such statements. However, this is a very good time to try new things, challenge yourself and form friendships.
I wish you a very rewarding fresher autumn and university tenure!
With warm regards, Aleksi Niemi, student of Administrative Sciences and Chair of the Student Union of Tampere 2022