Living costs for exchange students
There are no tuition fees for exchange students in Finland. In general a student should have minimum 600 €/month/person in his/her use. This amount covers only the most necessary costs and does not include leisure activities. There will be some extra costs right in the beginning of the exchange but some of those fees are refundable and several of them are optional.
Studying
- Membership of the Student Union is 90 €/Academic Year and 45 €/one Semester in 2011-2012. The membership fee of the Student Union is voluntary for exchange students but it is recommended because of the excellent benefits.
- Student card (Lyyra) 17 € (after paying the Student Union Membership fee)
- Books and material will usually be available in the libraries or if copies are handed out by teachers, it might cost few euros.
- An electronic key 15 € gives 24/7 access to the computer labs. You will get 10 € back after returning the key. (This service is optional.)
- In student housing (TYS), it is possible to use a fixed Internet connection . The monthly fee is included in the rent.
Living
- The right to reside in Finland (citizens of EU/EEA-countries) has a registration fee of about 45 € which will be charged at the local police station. For non-EU citizens the cost of visa/residence permit varies depending on the home country. More information on the Minisitry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
- Rent in the student housing is about 280 €/month + 60 € admission fee (paid only once). The deposit is 250 €, which will be paid from the home country, and it will be returned to the student at the end of the exchange period.
- Starting Package 65 € (including a 50 € deposit which will be refunded if all the items are returned clean and in good condition). This package includes some useful household items such as plates, cups, curtains, pillow, blanket etc. (This service is optional and only for the members of the Student Union.)
- Meals cost 2,50 € in student cafeterias with a student card (Lyyra).
- Bus card (student priced) for the local buses costs 28 €/month. (This service is optional.)
- A prepaid mobile phone card (sim-card) start-up kit is about 17 € and includes about 10 € for calls. Calls inside Finland cost about 0,16 €/minute and SMS about 0,10 €/message. These are only estimations and the prices vary from one operator to the other.
- Opening a bank account is free. Other service fees will vary from bank to bank.
- Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) is for students who have paid the Student Union membership fee. Some services are free of charge (e.g. consultations with a general practitioner and laboratory tests), however there might be a small fee for some doctors (e.g. specialist 6,00 €).
- University sports fee for the whole Academic Year is 45 € and 30 € for one semester. (This service is optional.)
- Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is organising all kinds of free time activities for exchange students. They also organise trips e.g. to Lapland, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. These are always very reasonable priced excursions. (This service is optional.)
In addition, there are e.g. the cost of travel, insurance and possible visa costs.