Student tutors and activities

Student tutors

Student tutors help all incoming international exchange students to adjust to the local life in Rovaniemi, Kemi and Tornio and to familiarize themselves with surroundings and study facilities after their arrival. When you arrive your own student tutor will be there to meet you. Your tutor will show you your apartment, familiarise you with the neighbourhood, guide you to the nearest grocery store and show you the way to campus.

Student tutors also organize different kind of activities during the study semesters to help new students to integrate to a student life on the institution and a local community as well as learn about Finnish culture and way of life. Every now and then student tutors organize different kinds of trips and events where you are all welcome.

Lapin Materiaalipankki

Activities

Lapland University of Applied Sciences organizes different kind of activities for its students. Lapland UAS has active student union ROTKO which organizes all kind of events, support the students’ right and make sure that the students’ voice is heard in the institution and surrounding society. Lapland UAS offers also various kinds of sport activities for international students.

Activities in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is surrounded by beautiful nature and there are lots of things to do through the year. Since the nature is close to the city it is easy to go hiking, skiing, swimming, cycling, fishing etc. Also various gyms and sport centers offer lot of exciting sport activities.

Rovaniemi is also a city of culture and you can visit for example museums, exhibitions, theatres, cinema, library, concerts and familiarize yourself with different kind architecture. Also different kind of organizations and associations organizes different kind of events, infos, lectures, shows and theme days.

For more information on activities
City of Rovaniemi
ROTKO Student Union
LUC Sport

Activities in Kemi and Tornio

Kemi and Tornio are located on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, into which the region's three great rivers - the Simo, Kemi and Tornio Rivers - flow. That is why the Kemi and Tornio area sometimes called Sea Lapland. There are many kinds of opportunities to enjoy the surrounding nature: skating, ice fishing, skiing, hiking etc. Both cities have their own swimming pools. There are also gyms and sport centers in both cities. You can also join floor ball and volleyball turns for students of UAS in the university gymnasiums.

Kemi and Tornio area also gives something to those interested in culture. There are museums, libraries and cinemas in both cities. There is also a city theatre in Kemi. Cultural events vary from blues and jazz festivals to traditional whitefish festival. 

For more information on activities
LUNKKI - Student's Guidebook to Kemi-Tornio
ROTKO Student Union
LUC Sport

City of Kemi
City of Tornio 

Lapin materiaalipankki / Kirsi Ukkonen

Finnish Friend Programme

General Information

One of the things that make Finnish Lapland unique is its friendly people and diverse cultures. The local universities are committed to giving their international students first hand experiences of life in Lapland by pairing participating students with friends from the local area.

Lapland University of Applied Sciences and University of Lapland together organise the Finnish Friend Programme. The idea of the programme is to introduce Finland, Lapland and Finnish culture to international students. In doing so, the local friends also have the chance to learn about the home country of the student and about his/her language and culture. The Finnish Friend Programme not only offers students an opportunity to experience everyday Finnish life and culture, but also helps them adapt to their new surroundings by connecting them with a welcoming Finnish friend.

There are a number of families, couples and people living alone in the Rovaniemi region who are interested in meeting international students in an informal way. They are often interested in making friends with a newcomer, inviting a student for a visit every now and then, or are just interested to share their free time with an international student.

Finnish friends can be families with two parents, two children and a dog. Some families have only one parent. Some don’t have children. Your Finnish friend can even be just one person and that is typical in Finland as well. Finnish friends are from all different ages. Some are already retired from working life, some are still studying, and some of the members of family are not natively Finnish. So be open‐minded.

How to apply?

The Finnish Friend Programme will be introduced during the orientation programme in the beginning of each semester, in August and in January. For the spring semester 2019 you can submit your application here. The deadline for the student registration is 18 January.