Registering for courses by higher education institutions
Visit higher education institutions’ websites to see what courses are available. Find out the following information about a course:
- content
- scope (1 credit = 27 hours of work)
- method of completion
- schedule.
If necessary, talk about the course with your guidance counsellor.
To register for courses, go to the higher education institutions’ websites.
Completed courses
- Once you complete a course, the completion is recorded in the higher education institution’s study records. You can access your completed studies in the My Studyinfo(Link leads to external service) service. The service also allows you to share information about a completed course directly with your guidance counsellor, for example. You can also order a separate certificate about a course you have completed.
- It is usually possible to incorporate these studies into your future studies at a higher education institution.
- You can also incorporate the studies into your general upper secondary education. Please contact the guidance counsellor at your school for more information.
Courses by higher education institutions
Students of the city's general upper secondary schools can take some courses offered by the Open University free of charge. They can choose from hundreds of courses available in different subjects.
We recommend that general upper secondary school students take introductory courses or courses indicated with the ♦ symbol, which are well-suited for general upper secondary school students.
Open University semesters
- autumn semester: September–December
- spring semester: January–May
- summer semester: May–August
Registration
- You can sign up independently for courses available free of charge.
- For courses subject to a fee, you must register through the guidance counsellor at your school.
- Registration opens 45 days before the start of the course.
See the Open University courses offered by the University of Helsinki(Link leads to external service).
You can browse the courses under the following headings:
- tutustumiskurssit (introductory courses, only in Finnish)
- open online courses or MOOCs
- Open University studies by degree programme
- Open University studies by theme
Aalto University offers courses such as the following free of charge:
- social media phenomena course
- Starting Up entrepreneurship course
- programming and other IT courses online.
For more detailed information about the courses and registration, visit the Aalto University Junior(Link leads to external service) website.
The Finnish institute of Technology (FITech) offers free-of-charge university studies from all universities in Finland that specialise in technology. For example, beginner’s level courses are also well-suited for general upper secondary school students. Read more about the courses available and register on the FITech website(Link leads to external service).
Haaga-Helia offers free-of-charge courses for general upper secondary school students in subjects such as
- business
- service design
- languages .
Register for courses onthe Haaga-Helia website. Read more about the courses available on the Haaga-Helia website (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service).
Laurea offers online courses that give you a peek at what it is like to study at a university of applied sciences. The courses are free of charge for upper secondary level students. You can complete courses at your own pace, regardless of time and place. Register for courses on the Laurea website.
There are studies available in subjects such as
- entrepreneurship
- safety and security leadership
- beauty care and cosmetics.
Website for Laurea’s sneak peek courses (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service).
Metropolia’s free-of-charge courses for general upper secondary school students include courses such as
- several IT and communications technology courses online (on different programming languages, among other things)
- introductory course on business studies at a university of applied sciences
- course on experiences gained of live music.
Register for courses on the Metropolia website (In Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
DIAK’s orientation courses for general upper secondary school students in the autumn:
- Prevention of infections and aseptic technique (includes information required to complete a Hygiene Passport, among other things)
- Insights into young people’s wellbeing
- Communication and interpretation
Read more about the courses available and register on the DIAK website (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service).
Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University offers courses that are suitable and free of charge for students in upper secondary education.(Link leads to external service)
The course calendar of Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University has the filter “Suitable for students in upper secondary education”, which gives you a list of all the suitable courses. Visit the Uniarts Helsinki's website to browse the courses, register and learn more.(Link leads to external service)