Details

• Finland
• MAFW&RW-13
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application is really easy for master students but I would still recommend starting early with the motivation letter and the organization for your stay especially with the application for housing.

2. Accommodation

Like everyone I applied at HOAS. They offer housing for students and you can get a more cheap option for living. However I would definitely recommend to also check private housing market (you will get instructions from the uni for that) because HOAS won't offer an apartment to everyone since they have limited capacities. Additionally not all locations are that nice, I lived in Espoo and it took me around 45 minutes to uni and 1 hour to Helsinki city center. It was still totally fine but it can be really annoying sometimes. However it's also important to mention that HOAS only makes you an offer once and if you don't accept it it's unlikely you get an other one.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is really large and there is a lot going on. The courses were not that hard but at least for the courses I took, I feel it was a lot of work load sometimes. The system is similar to the one at WU, there are project works, assignments and exams.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is more expensive than in Vienna, You have to pay 40€-60€ per month for public transport (depending on where you are living). In general I always felt save in Finnland, people were really friendly and didn't make you feel uncomfortable. The student culture at Aalto is really nice, they organize a lot for students and you will have a tutor group which is a great way to meet people. I would still also recommend to join some events from other organizations (like ESN) to get in touch with people from other departments or universities as well. The uni provides a lot of information on free time activities and events going on. There is also uni sport and they have a good offer for your stay.

6. Testimonial

Finnland was an amazing choice. The culture and nature is just so beautiful and I really felt in love with it. You also meet so many amazing people from different countries and make friends for life.