Cost of living
The cost of living in Finland is approximately the same as in
other EU-countries. In average it is estimated that a student spends about EUR
500- 700 per month. This amount includes accommodation, transportation and
meals. Usually students do not need to buy many books because the library
services are good.
NB! If you are spending the winter in Finland you should be
prepared to buy some warm clothes.
Students do not
currently pay any tuition fees but
students must be
able to cover all expenses themselves.
University of
Kuopio has no scholarship programmes and cannot offer any financial aid to
international students. Because education is free in Finland, there are not many
scholarship programmes available for undergraduate students (Bachelor's and
Master's). Therefore you should search for scholarship and grant possibilities
in your home country.
NB! Please note
that finding a job in Finland is very difficult. Therefore you should not count
on financing your studies by working in Finland.
Getting to
Kuopio
Kuopio is located
in Eastern Finland, about 400 kilometres to North-East from Helsinki, the
capital of Finland. Travel connections from Helsinki to Kuopio are excellent. There
are about 5 -10 daily
flights, 7 trains and 5-10 coaches from
Helsinki to Kuopio.
For fares and
timetables, please see:
http://www.vr.fi,
http://www.matkahuolto.fi
http://www.expressbus.fi/?id=101
For domestic
flights in Finland, please visit: www.finnair.com or
www.blue1.com
Distance and travelling times to Kuopio:
|
From |
Distance |
By
car /coach |
By
rail |
By
air |
|
Helsinki |
390 km |
4 h 45 min |
5 h 15 min |
50 min |
|
Tampere |
300 km |
3 h 45 min |
3 h 30 min |
n/a |
|
Turku |
450 km |
5 h 30 min |
5 h 40 min |
n/a |
Please avoid
arriving at weekends, for the university, offices, shops and banks are closed.
The University of Kuopio has no on-campus housing but the student apartments are
located within in a few kilometres distance from the university campus.
Health care
Because the University of Kuopio does not have an insurance
policy for its students, student should make sure that they have a valid
insurance to cover for any medical treatment they may need.
The easiest and usually the cheapest option is to buy the
insurance in student's home country before leaving for Finland. Students should
check that the insurance also covers travel to/from Finland.
Members of the Student Union are entitled to
use the Health Care Services offered by the Finnish Student Health Care Service
(www.yths.fi). FSHC
provides students with preventive health care, medical care, mental health care
and dental health care. Please note that FSHC does not deal with emergencies.
-
Citizens of EU / EEA countries
Citizens of the EU/EEA countries are
entitled to use the public health services on the same basis as Finnish
citizens, provided that they are covered by health insurance in their home
country.
In order to be
covered by the National Sickness Insurance Scheme (NSI), you need to have
the
European Health Insurance Card issued by your local Social Security
Office in your home country. Note that the European Health Insurance
Card is not valid during your journey to/from Finland and during trips to the
third country.
You should note
that health care is not totally free of charge even for the EU/EEA citizens,
especially if you suffer from a long and serious illness. Therefore we
strongly recommend for you to take out a private health insurance.
-
Citizens from countries outside the EU/EEA
Non-EU/EEA citizens are usually not covered by the National
Health Insurance unless there is a reciprocal Health Care agreement between
your country and Finland (Australia and Québec). Please be prepared to
present a proof of insurance when applying for the residence permit in your
home country.
Here are a few examples of insurance companies you may consult:
