WELCOME TO FINLAND AND TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN UIAH HELSINKI !

Congratulations, you have been accepted to study at UIAH! You are most welcome to stay with us. Here is some information you might need to get started.

TERMS AND HOLIDAYS

The autumn term will begin latest 26 of August 2002 and it will last to 13 of December 2002.
Spring term will begin latest 7 of January 2003 and it will last to 23 of May 2003.
Some of the departments might have different schedules to begin the lectures, therefore it is important to contact your own department at UIAH and confirm the dates.

Christmas holiday is from 17 of December 2002 to 4 of January 2003.
Summer holiday is from 1 of June 2003 to 31 of August 2003.
During terms we have so called green weeks. Often no teaching is given during green weeks but, Departments might organise something in a form of exhibition etc.

Green week during autumn term is between 11. -17.11.2002.
During spring term the green week is between 17. -23.2.2003.
Other holidays: Finland's Independence Day 6.12.2002, Epiphany 6.1.2003,
Eastern holiday 18.4. -21.4.2003. MayDay 1.5.2003.
University is closed during general holidays.

NOTE! Most of the University's staff is on their summer holiday from mid June to the end of July.

VISA

• If you are staying in Finland LONGER than 3 months, you need a residence visa.
• EU-citizens can apply for the visa in Finland. You need 2 photos and a certificate of your scholarship. Visas can be applied from the Alien's permit office/Police station, address: Punanotkonkatu 2, 00120 Helsinki tel. 09-1891.
• Students coming outside of EU must apply for the visa before coming to Finland. For further details, please contact the Finnish embassy in your own country. For the visa application form you need a letter of acceptance form UIAH and you have to prove that your own funds will cover your living expenses during your studies. 2002 the amount of the funds was 5050 € for the whole year.
• Nordic students do not need visas.
• Passports are needed for the trips to the Baltic countries and to Russia.

More information from, http://www.poliisi.fi/english/index.htm

FINANCING YOUR STUDIES

• UIAH does not have grants or scholarship for international students. Students have to finance their studies themselves by using their own scholarships, grants, loans etc. Further inquires from the Ministries of Education and Scholarship centres in your home country.
• You may also contact the Centre for International Mobility CIMO for scholarship for international post-graduates and young researchers. Cimo, P.O.Box 343, 00531 Helsinki Finland. Tel. +358 1080 6767 Mon - Thu 10am to 12am and from 1 pm to 3 pm. http://www.cimo.fi, email cimoinfo@cimo.fi

HOUSING

• When you arrive in Helsinki late in the afternoon you can stay overnight for a reasonable prize at a Youth Hostel, http://www.srmnet.org/general_hostel_information.html
• UIAH does not have its' own dormitory.

There are two separate organisations renting flats for students.

• HOAS (The foundation for student housing in the Helsinki region) tel. +358 9 549 900, fax. +358 9 5499 0345. HOAS address is Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 29, 00101 Helsinki. http://www.hoas.fi, email asiakaspalvelu@hoas.fi. Rents from 150 € to 220 €. You have to pay a deposit of 170 € and one month's rent at signing the tenancy agreement.

You can fill in your application in the net http://www.hoas.fi and when signing in the contract you'll have to take a separate certificate with you. This certificate has been sent to all accepted students.

SOME STUDENT FLATS ARE FURNISHED, BUT SOME ARE NOT, BE READY FOR THAT! Usually, no bed linen, dishes or other furnishing belong to the room. The Office for Study Affairs has a small store of bedclothes to borrow against a deposit of 100 €.

• SATO Oy. address Mannerheimintie 3 B 00100 Helsinki. Tel. +358 9 3519 410 fax.+358 9 351 9296. A rent about 170 €, deposit fee is one month's rent.

STUDENT UNION, TOKYO, MEMBERSHIP

• All degree (BA, MA) students have to be members of student union. DA students may join TOKYO if they want. DA members may use Health Services at FSHS for student price. More about the Health Services, http://www.yths.fi, Finnish Student Health Service FSHS
• Exchange students studying at UIAH longer than 3 months have to pay the Student Union, TOKYO, membership fee 2002-2003 is 88 € for the hole academic year, and 44 € for a term. Health Service, FSHS, fee is included with TOKYO fee.
• Members of TOKYO can get discounts for example of meals in University's canteen as well as in other Universities canteens
• Discounts in book shops, museums, galleries
• Low cost health care at the Student Health Service Centre, FSHS

More information about National Union of Finnish Students, SYL, look http://www.syl.helsinki.fi/

• If you study at UIAH for whole academic year, it is advisable to apply for the separate membership card. For that you need 7 €, a photo and a separate application form. It takes about two to three weeks to get the membership card. Further details from the Office for Study Affairs tel. +358 9 7563 0508 or TOKYO's office Hämeentie 135 C, 4 floor B, 00560 Helsinki tel. +358 9 7563 0431 fax. +358 9 612 41261

ENROLMENT PROCEDURES

• All students have to enrol at the Office for Study Affairs 6 floor, before beginning their studies.
• Exchange students will get Credit Books when enrolling.
• Various certificates for busses, trains etc., will be given at the same time.
• A List of courses will be given to you as well
• Check our homepages www.uiah.fi for general information

CREDIT BOOK

The teachers will mark all the courses that you enter and complete on your Credit Book. The Department Secretaries or International Student Counsellor will write you a certificate of your studies at UIAH. It is very important that you collect all credits to your Credit Book.

ABOUT PAYMENTS

• After paying the membership fee to the Bank, you will be given a stamp of enrolment on your Credit Book by officials at the Office for Study Affairs. You are entitled for the discounts only when you have the enrolment stamp on your Credit Book.
• Your own Department will charge you some material fees. It is difficult to estimate for how much, since it depends on the field of studies. More detailed information of the material fees, you will get from your own Department.
• If you do not have your own e-mail address, for example hotmail, and you would need an e-mail address, you can apply it from the Office for Study Affairs. The fee is 9 €.
  BA and MA students do not have to apply for the e-mail address.
• "A Liquorice" as we call the key to UIAH, can be given to you for a deposit of 17 €. Your own Department at UIAH will give permission for the key to you.

Lots of useful information can be found from these addresses:

Finnish Virtual, http://virtual.finland.fi/
About weather in Finland, http://www.fmi.fi/en/index.html
Discover Finland, http://finland.cimo.fi/
Finnish Embassies, http://www.formin.fi/english/
Travel in Finland, http://www.travel.fi/
The Finnish Tourist Board, http://www.mek.fi/intro.html

Finland Festivals, http://www.festivals.fi/
Education and Training in Finland, http://www.edu.fi
Helsinki Summer University, http://www.kesayliopistohki.fi/
The Finnish Language, http://www.helsinki.fi/kksc/language.services/

Shuttle busses from the airport to Helsinki
http://www.ytv.fi/liikenne/kamp/yhteydet/Lentoasema/lentoas.html
Helsinki Site map, http://www.hel.fi/english/sitemap.html
The City of Helsinki, http://www.hel.fi/english/index.html
Local traffic in Helsinki, http://www.hel.fi/HKL/

The list of contact persons at UIAH Departments

Dept. of Art, 8 floor, Börje Helenius, borje.helenius@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0363
Dept. of Art Education, 6 and 7 floors, Annika Fredriksson, annika.fredriksson@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0256
Dept. of Film and Television, 1 floor, Jussi Etto, jussi.etto@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0100
Dept. of Graphic Design, 5 floor, Sari Tarvainen, sari.tarvainen@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0509
Dept. of Design for Theatre, Film and Television, 4 floor, Varpu-Leena Lakkonen, varpu-leena.lakkonen@uiah.fi tel. +358 9 7563 0510
New Media, 3 floor, Anna Arsniva, anna.arsniva@uiah.fi, tel.+358 9 7563 0597
Dept. of Photography, 9 floor, Mari Saukkonen, mari.saukkonen@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0517
Dept. of Ceramics and Glass, 4 ad 7 floors, Merica Ahjonlinna@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0564
Dept. of Product and Strategic Design, 8 floor, Aila Laakso, aila.laakso@uiah.fi, tel.+358 9 7563 0525
Dept. of Spatial and Furniture Design, 7 floor, Ilkka Kouri, ilkka.kouri@uiah.fi, tel.+358 9 7563 0501
Dept. of Clothing and Fashion Design, 6 floor, Kaija Tolvanen, kaija.tolvanen@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0357
Dept. of Textile Design, 6 floor, Jaana Pesonen, jaana.pesonen@uiah.fi, tel. +358 9 7563 0334

You can also contact us:

HOW TO REACH UIAH

• Taxi or public transportation from Seutula airport to the Centre of Helsinki
• From the railway station, tram number 6, and busses 71, 71V, 73B, 68
• From Hakaniemi market square, busses number 73 and 74
• From Kasarmitori market square bus number 77S
• Push the signal button when you see the Arabia factories
  Chimney on your right hand side.

Single fare-tickets cost 2 €. The driver collects the fare.

TERVETULOA !

This page has been updated 24 May 2002