Checklists for admitted students

First of all, congratulations on being selected to the EDISS programme! On this page, you will find important information on what steps you have to take after being selected to the EDISS programme and what you should do when arriving in Finland for the first-year studies at Åbo Akademi. Please read the information carefully.

Checklist: To Do after receiving a letter of admission for the EDISS programme

  1. Accept your study place, and the possible EMJMD scholarship, at the Studyinfo.fi portal. The deadline for accepting the offer is stated in your admission letter.

    Please note that you may only accept one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland per term. If you have applied to more than one programme, you should check the status of your applications for all programmes in Studyinfo.fi before accepting this offer. Accepting a study place is a binding choice, and you cannot cancel or change your choice later. When you accept a study place bindingly, all your other study programmes will automatically be cancelled.

    Note that if you do not accept the study place in the EDISS programme within the deadline, your study place and possible scholarship will be automatically withdrawn and transferred to a student on the waiting list.

You will find the invoice and instructions on how to pay for the first academic year in the admission letter for the EDISS programme. You can choose if you want to pay the participation cost for the first academic year in one or in two instalments. The payment is done in the Åbo Akademi webshop.  After you have accepted the study place for the EDISS programme and paid the participation cost, send a receipt of the paid participation cost (or the first instalment of it) as a scanned copy to the EDISS programme office (ediss@abo.fi). The participation cost must be paid before enrollment.

2. Admitted students who have a degree from a country listed in the country-specific requirements, must submit documentation in accordance with these requirements by 26 July 2024 at 15:00pm (Helsinki time).

If the documents are to be sent by regular mail, please use the address below:

Åbo Akademi University
EDISS programme office
Dept. of Information Technology – Bldg. Agora
Tuomiokirkontori 3,
FIN-20500 Turku, Finland

3. Apply for a residence permit (non-EU/EEA citizens). Usually such a permit is applied for the whole duration of the programme (2 years) but please verify this with the Finnish Immigration Service Migri.

Please note that all Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders in the EDISS programme have sufficient funds to be eligible for the residence permit. Enrolled EDISS students are also insured by Erasmus Mundus Student Protection which follows the coverage requested by the Finnish Immigration Service and is needed to acquire a residence permit.

Self-funded students must have 13 440€ as a bank deposit/other scholarship in order to get the residence permit. Self-funded students are also provided an insurance certificate by the Erasmus Mundus Student Protection. EU/EEA citizens do not need to apply for a residence permit.

The Finnish Immigration Service instructs students to start their residence permit process as soon as possible at EnterFinland. After creating an account and uploading the required documents follow the bulletins issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and book a time for identification.

Step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a residence permit are given in the video below.

4. Apply for accommodation. The EDISS programme office recommends to apply for accommodation through the Turku Student Village Foundation (TYS) which offer affordable student accommodation in Turku (Finland). It is also possible to look for housing through the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University or on the private market.

5. Plan your travel to Turku, Finland. You need to be in Turku in time for the start of the academic year. More information on the exact dates of the orientation week and start of courses will be published soon.

6. For self-funding students, pay the participation cost for the first academic year in the EDISS programme (either in one or two instalments). Please see more instructions in the admission letter.

7. Enroll as present for the academic year and pay the compulsory Åbo Akademi University Student Union fee as well as the compulsory Student health care fee in higher education. The registration as present is done through Studyinfo and instructions are given in the admission letter. If you cannot register automatically via Studyinfo, you can register in person at the Student Office “Gripen” in Turku. In such a case, contact ediss@abo.fi for more information.

Please note that it is compulsory for all students to pay the Student Union fee and the Student health care fee in higher education. They must be paid in order to register to the university and to start your studies. For more information on the benefits, please visit the Student Union website and the KELA website.

8. Check your email regularly for additional information. Please note that all information will be communicated to the email address that you have given in your online application. Thus, please notify the EDISS programme office in case you change your email address. You will also be assigned a student tutor closer to the start of the academic year. We encourage you to be in contact with your tutor as s/he can help you with practicalities when arriving in Finland.

9. Before leaving for Finland, remember to bring with you:

  • your letter of admission and the signed Student Agreement
  • your passport, residence permit and your personal insurance card
  • original certificates and certified translations of the academic qualifications used in your application
  • a positive and open-minded attitude

You can either travel to Turku with the Matkahuolto company, which is the national long distance bus service, or with Onnibus.com, which provides low-price long distance services. For both companies, tickets can be bought directly on the website and for Matkahuolto buses it is possible to buy tickets also from the driver.

The final stop in Turku for both companies is the Turku bus station (linja-autoasema) which is located in the city center. Depending on the route and the chosen company, it is also possible to stop at the Turku Cathedral (close to the university) or Hotel Caribia (near the Student Village).

The Finnish national railway company VR operates throughout the country. It is possible to take the train directly from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Turku. This trip takes around 2,5h and you have to transfer trains in order to reach Turku.

There are two railway stations in Turku. The main station (rautatieasema) is located in the city center and the Kupittaa railway station is located about 1,5 kilometers from the city center.

The cruise lines Viking Line and Silja Line operate regularly between Stockholm (Sweden) and Turku (Finland). When you arrive to the Port of Turku, situated around 2km from the city center, you can take the local bus number 1 to reach the city center.

Checklist: To Do after arriving in Finland

  1. Arrive in time for the orientation week for new students at Åbo Akademi University. The EDISS orientation week is organized during the last week of August and it is followed by the Åbo Akademi University orientation week. You can find more information about the orientation weeks below.

2. Get your keys and move into your apartment. Remember to be in contact with your student tutor as s/he might be able to help you with the installation and getting to know the city when you arrive.

3. Enroll as attending student at the Åbo Akademi University. Remember that you must have paid the Student Union fee and the Student health care fee in higher education for the whole academic year in order to be able to register as present, to have the right to study, receive credits and have your study results registered.

You can register as present at Åbo Akademi University via Studyinfo. To do so, please use the same link that you used when you accepted the study place in the EDISS programme.

If you are unable to do the electronical registration, you can also register in person at the Student Office (Studentexpeditionen) Gripen on Tavastgatan 13 in Åbo. If you register in person, you must bring with you the following documents:

  • Proof of identification (e.g. your passport)
  • Receipt of the paid Student Union fee (please note that if you pay the fee using an internet bank, the filing number/arkiveringskod must be written on the receipt)
  • Your letter of admission
  • Proof of scholarship

Please note that your original academic documents required for eligibility are to be handed in to the EDISS programme office for verification. The EDISS programme office is situated in the Agora building (Vesilinnantie 3). The documents will be returned to you after the registration period.

4. Attend the orientation weeks. You will not only meet other EDISS students, but also the other new international degree students and exchange students at Åbo Akademi University during the orientation weeks.

The EDISS orientation week is held the last week of August. The tentative orientation programme will sent to all admitted EDISS students that arrive in Åbo.

The Åbo Akademi University orientation week is organized the following week. You can access the schedule for Åbo Akademi University orientation week programme (Åbo campus) on this page.

5. Activate your Åbo Akademi username and get access to your university email address and student number. This can be done from August onwards. You need to have Finnish bank codes, an electric ID card or a mobile certificate in order to activate your username electronically. To use any of these, click on the “Log in via Suomi.fi” on the SelfService login page. When you log in, you can see your student number, which contains several numbers. You will need this number to order your Student card.

If you have any problems or do not have Finnish bank codes, please contact the Åbo Akademi Helpdesk: helpdesk@abo.fi

6. Order your Student Card. You can find more information on how to order your Student card here and here. Remember to get your student number before ordering the card. When your card arrives, please note that you will need to take it to the Åbo Akademi Student Union office (Kåren building, Tavastagatan 22, 2nd floor) so that it can be validated for the academic year. Pick up your library card (free of charge) from any Åbo Akademi library desk. You will get more information on how to pick up your cards during the Åbo Akademi orientation week.

7. Submit your study plan and register to courses. The registration to courses is done in Peppi. Information on the EDISS courses is found in the Åbo Akademi Studyguide. If you are interested in learning basic Finnish or Swedish during your first year in the programme, Åbo Akademi University offers also beginner courses in these languages.

8. Register your residence at the Finnish Immigration Service (EU/EEA citizens) in order to get a Finnish personal identity code. If you applied for a residence permit (non-EU/EEA citizens), and you did not receive a personal ID-code, you can apply for one at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV).

9. Open a bank account in Finland. You can e.g. open a bank account in Nordea or in Osuuspankki.

10. Bring your original documents to the EDISS programme office for verification. Please bring also your signed Student Agreement. If you are an EDISS scholar, you will also need to fill in the Grant Payment Form at the EDISS department. Please have your bank details (IBAN and BIC address) with you when you come at the office.

This page contains preliminary information and is subject to change until the signature of the EDISS consortium agreement.