This is alist of the universities in Finland. Institutions of higher education are designated asuniversities by Finnish legislation.[1] Only universities have the right to confer degrees in the categories ofalempi korkeakoulututkinto/lägre högskoleexamen (bachelor's degree) andylempi korkeakoulututkinto/högre högskoleexamen (master's degree) and doctoral degrees.[2]
In addition to the universities, Finland has another, separate system of tertiary education consisting of theammattikorkeakoulus/yrkeshögskolas, which used to be translated as polytechnics but now call themselves universities of applied sciences (see thelist of polytechnics in Finland). The universities of applied sciences offer a more practical, vocational approach to their education[3] and have the right to confer degrees in the categories ofammattikorkeakoulututkinto/yrkeshögskoleexamen andylempi ammattikorkeakoulututkinto/högre yrkeshögskoleexamen. In international usage, these degrees have the same names as those conferred by Finnish (normal) universities, i.e. bachelor's and master's degrees.[2]
The Finnish universities are (sorted by the year of establishment):
| No | Name | Established date | First establishment | Type | Location | Students | Administrative staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Helsinki | 1640 | 1640 | Public | Helsinki | 34,833 | 8,000[4] |
| 2 | Åbo Akademi University | 1918 | 1918 | Public | Turku andVaasa | 5,500 | 1,300[5] |
| 3 | University of Turku | 1920 | 1920 | Public | Turku,Pori | 19,488 | 3,319[6] |
| 4 | University of Jyväskylä | 1934 | 1863 | Public | Jyväskylä | 14,492 | 2,583[7] |
| 5 | University of Oulu | 1958 | 1958 | Public | Oulu | 14,221 | 2,852[8] |
| 6 | University of Vaasa | 1968 | 1968 | Public | Vaasa | 5,048 | 498[9] |
| 7 | University of Lapland | 1979 | 1979 | Public | Rovaniemi | 4,349 | 633[10] |
| 8 | University of Eastern Finland | 2010 | 1966 | Public | Joensuu andKuopio | 15,000 | 2,800[11] |
| 9 | Aalto University | 2010 | 1849 | Public | Espoo andHelsinki | 18,116 | 4,424[12] |
| 10 | LUT University | 2019 | 1969 | Public | Lappeenranta andLahti | 7,770 | 1,380[13] |
| 11 | Tampere University | 2019 | 1925 | Public | Tampere,Pori andSeinäjoki[14] | 20,600 | 3,550[15] |
In Finland, there are a few institutions of higher education that have full university status, but which specialize in certain academic fields:
| No | Name | Established date | First establishment | Type | Location | Students | Administrative staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanken School of Economics | 1909 | 1909 | Public | Helsinki,Vaasa | 2,200 | 130 |
| 2 | National Defence University | 1993 | 1919 | Public | Helsinki | 850 | 350 |
| 3 | University of the Arts Helsinki | 2013 | 1848 | Public | Helsinki | 1,993 | 729 |
TheNational Defence University is not considered a university by Finnish law, although it has the authority to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and to pursue free research, and its rector is a member of the Council of Finnish University rectors.[16] The practical effect of this distinction is minor, and most notable in the administrative organization of the university, which is military instead of civilian.