About
Metropolia
Urban, cosy and bohemian. Welcome to our culture campus, located in the art district of Arabia, 5 kilometres from the city centre of Helsinki. The area holds cultural and historical significance and is well known for its old factories of glassware and ceramics. Our campus is located inside these old factories, along with a design centre, two libraries, multiple homeware boutiques and a brand new XR centre. Nearby are a beautiful bay area and the neighbourhood of Kumpula with its colourful wooden houses. Across the bay is the beautiful outdoor recreational area of Lammassaari.
Amazing opportunities. Metropolia itself is the largest, the most international and the most popular University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Our student unions, such as Metka, our umbrella student union, and Demoni ry, the culture students union offer multiple opportunities to immerse yourself in the Finnish student life and take part in different activities all over our beautiful country.
Helsinki
Vivid city life and nature. Helsinki is a unique and fascinating city to spend your exchange in. Being the largest city in Finland, we are located in Southern Finland by the shore of the Baltic Sea. All services and activities here are close by, and the city centre is entirely walkable. Our public transportation is top-notch, ranging from trains to city bikes. Outdoor recreational areas and opportunities are just behind the corner; take a relaxing after work stroll in the Central Park, hike in the Nuuksio National Park or explore the archipelago on your days off. Fresh and clean environment and well-organised services provide a practical and enjoyable lifestyle.
Plenty of activities throughout the year. During winter snow lights up the city with different illuminations, transforming familiar buildings and spaces into art. Savour the winter days by ice skating in one of the city’s multiple ice parks or travel to Suomenlinna sea fortress to hunt some gnomes on The Trail of the Fortress Gnome. During summer, Helsinki is filled with live music and performance artists. Up to 19 hours of daylight make the city bright even in the evenings. Travel to Seurasaari to adore the Midsummer bonfires or jam out to local music at Kallio Block Party. Weekend getaways are easy to arrange, as the cities of Turku, Tampere and many others are only a few hours away. You can reach St. Petersburg by train and Stockholm and Tallinn by ferry for a more international escape.
Diverse and lively community. Helsinki is known for its culturally active citizens. Residents of all ages and backgrounds blend nicely together with temporary visitors, coming together to enjoy the city’s multiple cafes, museums and design boutiques. Each year, Helsinki plays host to numerous events, such as the Lux Light Festival, Helsinki Coffee Festival, Tuska Metal Festival, Flow Festival, Night of the Arts, Slush and multiple Christmas markets.
Finland
Versatile surroundings. Finland is the land of thousands of lakes and forests. Commonly known as a cold winter wonderland, but over the course of a full year you will experience four full seasons of the year, each having their beauty and feel. In contrast to the darkness and cold of winter, the Finnish summer is warm and full of sunshine.
A special blend of cultures. Finland has a fascinating geographical location as a place where East meets West, Scandinavian flavour with a touch of Eastern Europe and the Baltics. You can sense it in the atmosphere and culture as well as find it from your plate. Finnish cuisine has been inspired by Swedish, Russian and even German cuisines. It’s one of a kind when it comes to the Finnish language. Often considered one of the most challenging languages to learn, it’s one of the reasons your exchange in Finland will be unforgettable. But don’t worry, if you are new to this distinctive language, English is widely spoken, and you can easily get service both in English and Swedish.
Incredible natural phenomena. The Helsinki metropolitan area offers practical and organised city life, but you must head towards the North to experience Finland’s most striking natural phenomena. Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, offer an all-natural light show, whereas the Midnight Sun and the Polar Night transform the North with different illuminations.
Student Story
I have studied digital design for a half a year now and our studies still continue to amaze me every day. There is always something new for you to learn. Studying here is nothing what I originally thought it would be — it has been even better!
I think the coolest thing is when you can see your hard work pay off. The coolest thing was when we studied coding and did an assignment using media queries in CSS. And for the record, I have no background in coding, but I still learned to use media queries and got the website working.
I enjoy trying new things that we have never done before. I highly appreciate that we are actually doing the things that we have been learning, rather than reading books or listening to long lectures.
I think one of our best assets is our employment rate. Overall, I think that one of the best things about our studies is that they are wide and diverse. Communication skills are always needed, and our field is always changing so there is always something new for you to learn. We also have good and competent teachers here at Metropolia UAS. We also get a good touch with working life long before we graduate.
Janita, Digital Design