University of Oulu


The University of Oulu is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 14,200 students and 3,800 staff. 21 International Master's Programmes are offered at the university. The university is often ranked as one of the best universities in Finland and in the top 400 worldwide.

History

There are two campus areas:
  • The main campus is located in Linnanmaa, about north of Oulu city centre. It includes six faculties, four centres for multidisciplinary research, Botanical Gardens and Museum, and university library Pegasus, and Tellus co-working spaces. Also, Thule Institute and Giellagas Institute are situated in Linnanmaa.
  • Faculty of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine are located at the Kontinkangas Campus southeast from the city center, Kontinkangas, Oulu. Oulu University Hospital, Medical Research Centre and Biocenter Oulu are also located there.

    Faculties and units

The University of Oulu has eight faculties:
  • Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
  • Faculty of Education and Psychology
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Technology
  • Oulu Business School
There are four centres for multidisciplinary research at the University of Oulu:
  • Biocenter Oulu
  • Eudaimonia Institute
  • Infotech Oulu
  • Kvantum Institute
In addition to the City of Oulu, the University of Oulu operates in several locations in Northern Finland:
  • Kajaani University Consortium
  • Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory
  • Oulanka Biological Research Station
  • Kerttu Saalasti Institute ,
  • *Callio Lab
  • Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius

    Research

The University of Oulu has a wide range of scientific disciplines and promotes interdisciplinary research through university's profile areas and multidisciplinary research centres.
There are about 2,000 researchers and hundreds of ongoing research projects at the University of Oulu. About 50-60 invention disclosures are done yearly from the University of Oulu. The university has also served as a birthing place for over 70 research-based companies.

International cooperation

The University of Oulu is an active partner in numerous local, national, and international networks in research, education, and innovations. The university is for example an active member of the University of the Arctic. UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region.
The University of Oulu aims to promote mobility among its students. It takes part in several international exchange programmes, such as Erasmus Programme, ISEP and International to International ISEP, north2north. Besides, the University of Oulu has about 60 bilateral agreements with partner universities around the world.

Academic rankings and statistics

The University of Oulu has been consistent in gender equality securing a ratio of 53 men to 47 women. The University has also consistently increased in citation per faculty ratio over the years, with positive increases each year.
The University of Oulu has rapidly risen in rankings in recent years, and is ranked in the top 3 Finnish Universities according to the QS 2024 World University rankings. Overall, the university is a popular choice for both international and domestic applicants in Finland and has been steadily improving in academic reputation.
In the year 2022, The University of Oulu received 17,667 domestic applications, and accepted 2,497 new students, making the University's 2022 domestic acceptance rate 14%. Because of this, The University of Oulu is a competitive university to get accepted into.

Notable alumni

University of Oulu alumni body is over 55,000.

Rectors

Student services

Student Union of the University of Oulu provides services to and supervises the interests of all undergraduate degree students in the University of Oulu. All bachelor's and master's degree students at the University of Oulu belong to the Student Union. By paying the Student Union membership fee, students are entitled to a student card which allows them to get student services and discounts. This way, students get inexpensive or free medical and dental care from Finnish Student Health Services, traveling discounts in trains and buses, student meals reduction, etc.
There are a number of students organizations or so-called student guilds presented within the University.

Student housing

Student Housing Foundation of Northern Finland is the leading provider of student accommodation in Oulu. The organization operates on a foundation basis which ensures affordable rents for students. Following its mission, PSOAS offers housing services for people studying in Oulu as economically as possible. The residents of PSOAS houses in different areas around the city elect tenant committee for that area, which e.g. organises different activities, maintains club rooms and does other related issues, depending on the active members.
The new international student house, named Aurora, was built next to PSOAS housing office in downtown Oulu. The building was finished during the spring of 2013. The house is supposed to be accommodated both by international degree students and Finnish students. The main purpose of the new building is to support the internationalization of Oulu and give the international students better access to Finnish culture and local people. The premises will also support these efforts: More space is dedicated for casual get-togethers, as there is a lounge space on every floor and a café of high level will be serving both Finnish and foreign customers on the ground floor.
The International Student Barometer 2019 ranked the University of Oulu first in the world when it comes to internet access and sixth in overall life satisfaction.