By entering a university in Finland, residents of northwest Russia can get a quality European education not far from home. Despite the fact that Suomi is a relatively small country, it has many universities of different focus and popularity. Therefore, when choosing between Finnish universities, it is worth considering the basic information about Aalto University, namely its history, structure, features of admission and training in it. At the same time, it will not be superfluous to find out how much you will have to pay for your studies.
History
Unlike most other universities in Finland, leading history from the beginning of the XX, and even from the middle of the XVII century, Aalto University officially appeared in 2021, when the Helsinki Polytechnic Institute (created in 1849), the Higher School Economics (1904) and the Institute of Arts, Design and Architecture (1871).
The university received its name in honor of the famous architect Alvar Aalto, who in 1921 became a graduate of the Helsinki Polytechnic University. Other notable alumni of the university include Artturi Virtanen, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, Teuvo Kohonen, a neural network specialist, physicist Gunnar Nordström, former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell and Nokia Jorma Allila, and famous skier - Olympic champion and politician Marjo Matikainen-Kallström. Also in the ranks of the university's alumni are three members of the MySQL development team at once.
Aalto University in Helsinki is highly regarded both in Finland and abroad. In the world ranking of universities, it occupies the 266th place, and in the ranking of universities specializing in architecture and the arts, it even "registered" in the top twenty.
The university's MBA program has a "triple accreditation", which only 76 universities in the world can boast of.
Infrastructure information
The main university campus, inherited by the university from the Polytechnic University, is located in Otaniemi, a suburb of Helsinki. The organization also includes two campuses in other districts of Helsinki, namely in Töölö (these buildings were inherited from the School of Economics and now houses the School of Economics of Aalto University) and in Arabianranta (this campus was formerly owned by the Institute of Arts). By 2021, all the main functions of the university are planned to be concentrated in Otaniemi, abandoning two other campuses in order to save money and facilitate logistics.
In addition to the dormitories, academic buildings, libraries and canteens that are familiar to all universities, the infrastructure of the Helsinki university includes modern research centers with powerful equipment, thanks to which students have the opportunity to engage in full-fledged scientific research. Some of these centers have received the status of Center of Excellence from the Finnish Academy of Sciences and are separately funded from the budget. Among them are the centers:
- information nanotechnology;
- informatics;
- laser scanning;
- low temperature physics;
- molecular engineering of biosynthetic hybrid materials;
- molecular immunology and physiology;
- research of the sun.
The university achieved the greatest success in research in the field of low-temperature physics (Aalto University holds the record for the lowest temperature reached), magnetoencephalography, nanotechnology, chemistry and the development of neural networks.
The organization also includes the student-run startup promotion company Aaltoes, an interdisciplinary research institute, several joint institutes with the University of Helsinki, and the Mötsahovi radio observatory.
In total, the university employs more than 2,500 teachers and a little more than 1,200 administrative personnel, and from 15 to 18 thousand students study there annually, up to 15% of whom came from abroad.
University structure
Since 2021, the structure of the University includes six separate schools:
- The School of Business at Aalto University is a direct successor to the Higher School of Economics, offering MBA programs and a variety of specialties, including accounting, economics, management and marketing.
- School of Chemical Engineering, which specializes in different branches of organic and inorganic chemistry.
- The School of Electrical Engineering, which includes the faculties of Electronics and Automation, Radio Engineering, Nanotechnology, Signal Processing and Networking.
- Aalto University Graduate School of Arts, Design and Architecture (School of Arts, Design and Architecture), which includes the famous Department of Architecture, which is considered one of the best in the world.
- School of Engineering, dealing with mechanics, construction and energy.
- School of Science, dedicated to applied and fundamental research in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, biomedicine and industrial technology.
A complete list of specialties and training courses available at the university can be found on its Internet portal.
Admission procedure
Admission to a Finnish university is carried out by personal submission of documents to the faculty of interest to you or by using an online application. All specialties available to foreign students are taught in English.
The specific set of documents varies, but without fail, you will be required to pass entrance tests according to the SAT system and provide:
- upon admission to a bachelor's degree - a school certificate, a language certificate (TOEFL with a score of at least 83 or an IELTS of at least 6.0);
- upon admission to the magistracy - a bachelor's degree, a language certificate (TOEFL with a score of at least 92 or IELTS at least 6.5). You will also have to pass testing according to the GRE standards.
For admission to the MBA, the GMAT test is taken instead of the GRE.
Applications for most faculties open twice a year: in early spring and early fall. The official website of Aalto University will help you to clarify the terms and conditions of admission to a particular specialty. Please note that due to the high popularity of the university, the competition for 1 place can reach 5 applicants.
Price and duration of training
The cost of studying for a bachelor's degree at Aalto University for foreign students differs depending on the specialty, but on average it ranges from 9 to 12 thousand euros per year. A master's degree in Finland will cost an average of 15,000 € per year. The amount of payment for the year is determined in the contract concluded upon admission, and cannot be changed during the year.
When calculating the total cost of training, do not forget to take into account the cost of living in a hostel (about 300 € / month) and meals in the university cafeteria. On average, a year on campus will cost about 9,000 euros.
It is also worth considering the costs of obtaining a student visa. The consular fee is 35 € (70 € for an urgent visa). If you have never applied for a Schengen visa before, you will also have to submit your biometric data, which will cost an additional 150 €.
In addition, the visa application will not be approved unless you purchase a compulsory health insurance policy with coverage of more than 100,000 € (if you plan to study for less than 2 years) or more than 30,000 € (if your study period exceeds 2 years).
Finally, a train ride to Helsinki from St. Petersburg will cost about 5,000 rubles.
The academic year at Aalto University begins in September and consists of 2 semesters: autumn (September - December) and spring (January - May). The duration of study is from 3 to 4 years for future bachelors and 1 or 2 years for undergraduates.
Is it possible to get a scholarship or grant
The Aalto University Scholarship Program offers 3 levels of scholarships based on academic performance:
- Aalto A covers both tuition and living expenses and amounts to about 16,000 € per year.
- Aalto B only covers training costs and is about 9 thousand euros per year.
- Aalto C offers a partial reimbursement of training costs in the amount of 4000 € per year.
In order to qualify for any of the scholarships, you must earn at least 60 ECTS points per year according to the individual curriculum. Further evaluation of the application and determination of the category of the awarded scholarship is carried out by a committee under the leadership of the university.
An application for a scholarship is submitted upon admission to the University or transfer to the next course. There is no mechanism for appealing decisions to award or refuse a scholarship. Scholarships are not paid out directly, but go towards tuition and / or accommodation fees.
You can clarify the current conditions for obtaining and the size of the scholarship on the corresponding page of the university website.
Aalto University grants are provided by most European exchange programs, including ERASMUS + (university code SF ESPOO1), Nordtek / -plus and Bilateral. If you want to receive such a grant, first contact a Russian university participating in the program.
The list of Russian ERASMUS programs can be found on the program website. Further, admission to the university takes place by online submission of documents.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that formally Aalto University is the youngest in Suomi, the traditions of the three old universities from which it was formed are still strong in it. Thanks to the combination of the experience of generations and modern innovations, the university managed to skyrocket in the ranking of European educational institutions, and the faculties of art and architecture are even included in the top twenty in the world.
Those wishing to get an education at this university should plan expenses at the rate of 20 thousand euros per year. Part of the cost of training can be reimbursed through scholarship programs.
