Nursing, Bachelor's Degree - Aimed at Immigrants
Study in bilingual Nursing programme and work in Finland!
Studies
Metropolia and Tampere University of Applied Sciences organize bilingual Nursing education targeted especially at immigrants.
Studies will begin in English without the Finnish language proficiency requirement. The role of Finnish as a language of instruction strengthens as language skills increase.
The Nursing education combines both diverse practical internships and strong theoretical skills. After graduation, you will be able to work in Finnish language in Finnish healthcare with excellent employment and career opportunities.
Bilingual Nursing studies
The purpose of the bilingual (English and Finnish) Nursing degree programme is to train nursing professionals, who are capable of working in health care services in Finland using the Finnish language. Applicants must have the minimum of B2 level in the English language (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) to be accepted to the programme. There is no requirement for Finnish language skills.
In the beginning, the studies will mostly be conducted in English, with Finnish language teaching gradually taking over. Finnish language is integrated in the courses from the beginning of the studies. During the studies, the Finnish language skills are improved, and by the time of graduation, students will have reached the sufficient language proficiency in order to work in Finland as a nurse. In the curriculum, there are no elective studies other than Finnish language.
How will you study?
The studies combine practical skills with strong theoretical knowledge. To be able to help others, a nurse should be in good health and have the ability to function. As a nurse, you will plan, conduct and evaluate the care of patients together with the patient themselves and their next of kin. You will guide and advise patients. The job requires independent decision-making, as well as taking initiative and responsibility.
The studies highlight intercultural communication and operating in the environments of Finnish health care services. The studies require commitment and self-organization skills. The student must be motivated and committed to study Finnish in order to reach the required proficiency.
The studies consist of theoretical nursing studies, multidisciplinary studies, practical training and the final project (15 credits), which is usually carried out in workplace-oriented projects.
The study programme uses a variety of teaching techniques. The studies are mostly provided as contact teaching on campus, as simulation learning, and by training practical skills both independently and with other students. Some theoretical studies take place online.
On Myllypuro campus you will be studying in globally unique learning environments, including simulation spaces for an ambulance, emergency care and reception, midwifery, an operating room and intensive care. You also get to practice pharmacotherapy and nursing of children, etc.
Clinical practice and final project
About one third (75 credits) of the programme consists of supervised practical trainings in various social and health care environments, with customer contact. The training periods are spread along the studies. Please note that supervised training in the respective unit may be in three shifts and can take place on the weekends.
The aim of the Bachelor's thesis (15 credits) is to develop your competence in the area of your choice, in cooperation with working life. With the final project, you will demonstrate putting your skills and knowledge in practice in tasks related to your professional studies. You will also have to follow ethical research principles at every stage of the project. As a rule, the final project is completed in the language of study.
Internationalization
You will be studying in a multicultural group, with English and Finnish as teaching languages. You will have the opportunity to participate in international activities such as projects and joint teaching by international partners. International student exchange is also a possibility.
The programme is organized by TOKASA project, which is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project is run by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University of Applied Sciences. The action period is from January 2021 to December 2024.
Language proficiency requirements
The programme is conducted bilingually with English and Finnish. Applicants must have the minimum of B2 level in the English language. There is no Finnish language requirement when applying, but please note that a considerable part of the teaching will be conducted in Finnish, and by the time of graduation you should have reached the required skill level to be able to work in Finland as a nurse.
At the end of the studies, the students must demonstrate having reached the required language skills.
Qualification
The degree in Nursing is a Bachelor level degree. The programme meets the standards of the European Union Directive (2013/55/EU) on the recognition of professional qualifications, as well as the national criteria and European Qualifications Framework (EQF level 6) set for degree programmes.
Only certified professionals who have completed the appropriate degree may work as a registered nurse. Once students have completed their degree, they apply for the right to practice their profession from Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, according to the Act on Health Care Professionals (559/1994). Health care professionals are required to have the sufficient oral and written Finnish/Swedish language proficiency.
Good employment and further education opportunities
Graduates will be able to work in a wide range of positions in the health care field, working both independently and in multi-professional teams. You may find employment in primary health care, specialised nursing units or the private health care sector. In addition to these, the nurse’s degree will enable you to work as an expert or consultant, for a non-profit organization or in international duties.
Graduates are equipped to work in multicultural environments. The Finnish Nursing degree allows for the comparability of the degree and employability as a nurse in other EU countries. In case you wish to work outside the EU/EEA area, you need to check the country-specific qualification requirements upon graduation.
The Bachelor of Health Care degree gives you eligibility for Master's programmes in Finland and abroad. In Finland, further education can be for example in the fields of Health Care Management, Public Health or Nursing Science. There are also options for continuing education.
Ask Head of Degree Programme for more info about the studies
Ask Guidance Counsellor for more info about the studies
Applying
- Application period-Start of studiesspring 2025
- Day-time studies
Instructions for applying
In the autumn 2024 joint application to higher education, you can apply to degree programmes that start in the spring of 2025. The application period starts on the 28 August 2024 at 8 am and ends on the 11 September 2024 at 3 pm (local time in Finland).
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
The International UAS Exam is a joint digital entrance exam of the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), used for selecting students to study programmes leading to a bachelor’s degree and conducted in English. The entrance exam is completed by the applicant’s own computer remotely online.
Read more about the International UAS Exam and language requirements on the website uasinfo.fi
- Application period-Start of studiesspring 2025Apply now!
- Day-time studies
The Application on the Basis of Metropolia’s Open UAS Studies is aimed at those who have completed open UAS studies at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Studies are considered to be Metropolia's if they are entered in the Metropolia's study register, and open studies if they have not been completed with the right to study for the degree-leading education.
Application period: 1 November 2024 at 8:00 am - 30 April 2025, all times refer to local time in Finland https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/finland/helsinki.
Application instructions: published at Studyinfo.fi
Useful links
More information
For more information on the application process please contact
Metropolia's Student and Admission Services:
+358 40 712 5100
admissions [at] metropolia.fi (admissions[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
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Starting studies
How to start your studies in Metropolia
Welcome to study for a degree at Metropolia!
Congratulations! You have been admitted to Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and we are delighted to have you as a new member of our vibrant community of more than 16 000 students!
You have made an excellent choice - Metropolia offers you unique multidisciplinary opportunities throughout your studies with its strong connections to working life and active role in innovations built around socially significant phenomena.
We are happy to have you with us and help you with any questions you might have. Welcome to Metropolia!
The below information applies to students who have been accepted to study for a full degree at Metropolia. Make sure to complete all the steps in order to secure your study place.
Confirming a place of study requires certain formalities to be completed by the deadline. More detailed instructions below:
Non-EU/EEA students need a student residence permit. You can begin the student residence permit application online at Enterfinland.fi. Remember that you must personally visit a Finnish embassy or consulate as part of this process. Start your residence permit process as soon as possible, carefully following the immigration authorities' instructions and regulations, so that you can receive your permit in good time before your studies begin! You can find detailed information and advice on the residence permit requirements and procedures on the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) website.
Note that participating online programmes does not entitle you receiving residence permit. See more about the topic in Finnish Immigration Service websites.
All Metropolia's students who do not have a Finnish personal identity code, have to apply for it before their arrival or register at the local registry office after their arrival to Finland to apply for one.
Students who have to apply for residence permit (i.e. non-EU/non-EEA citizens) before their arrival to Finland should ask to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System when they apply for their first residence permit. This way they will receive a Finnish personal identity code at the same time as they are issued with the permit. More information on this for residence permit applicants
Other students have to apply for the personal identity code from the local registry office of the city where you are living in.
More information on Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV).
More information on registration to the Finnish Population Information System
After you have received the personal identification code, remember to inform it to the Student and Admission Services.
Metropolia does not have housing services to offer. Thus, it is the student's responsibility to find an accommodation for the period of their studies. There is a lot of competition in affordable housing, so it is important to start searching for a room many months prior to arrival. More information on accommodation
All foreign students (who are not EU citizens or citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland) who come to Finland for the purposes of studying are required to have a health insurance, if the studies endure longer than three months.
More information on insurances
Student financial aid is for Finnish citizens. Foreign citizens are entitled to student financial aid if they live in Finland on a permanent basis for the purpose other than studying and they have registered as permanent residents in the Finnish population register system.
- Find out where your campus is located
- If you have a smart phone you can download the free HSL mobile app to get access to the public transportation Journey Planner and tickets (e.g. for travelling from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport to your apartment or from your apartment to the campus).
- If you have a smart phone you can download the Tuudo mobile app for free to get your digital student ID and student discounts (ID and discounts are available from the first day of the studies onwards)
- Information on student life and well-being, costs and finance, study environment etc.
When you start as a new student you need to activate your user account. Activation is possible when the right to study begins. For joint application, activation is possible from 1 August.
The purpose of the activation is that you personally accept the rules of the account usage policy and start using your account. Activate your user account primarily using Mobile Certificate and Netbank User ID. Please read first the instructions in IT Services wiki.
Tuudo is a mobile app with which you can use various Metropolia web services easily on your smart phone. With Tuudo you can get VR, HSL, Matkahuolto and Kela student discounts immediately. The benefits are free for all Metropolia students.
In Tuudo you can check Metropolia, Admission Services, and student union METKA announcements, your schedule, study attainments, and cafeteria menus.
Get Tuudo on your phone from the app store for free and start using it!
During your studies, your support of well-being and health is Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS). The specialist in student health care offers you general, mental and oral health services and supports the well-being of study communities.
Our services can be used by students completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree at a university or a university of applied sciences who have registered as attending for the semester.
Master the facts! Familiarize yourself with our services and user instructions on the address fshs.fi, and the Health information resource on the address yths.fi/en/health-information-resource. You can also find information about appointments as well as current information about your service unit on the address yths.fi/en/service-units.
Start using Self! Self is the student’s own online service for health care issues at FSHS. In Self, you can manage appointment bookings, communicate via SelfChat and start a remote consultation. Log in to Self as a user immediately from the beginning of the semester and keep your contact details up to date for as long as you are a student. Read more: yths.fi/en/self-info.
The health care fee for students in higher education will be paid to Kela on your initiative (kela.fi/web/en/healthcare-fee-for-students-in-higher-education).
If you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee. However, you can to use the FSHS’s services.
Already excited about starting your studies in Metropolia and meeting new people? On this page you will find welcome letters for each degree program.
Welcome letters are information packages prepared by your future tutors. They include, for example, important dates as well as information about studying, student benefits, or student life.
Create your own profile and sign up to JobTeaser portal now and stay up to date on job vacancies, training and upcoming recruitment events promoted especially to Metropolia students. There are hundreds of job opportunities available and a lot of information to support your career planning.
JobTeaser is a career portal where you can find lot of career information in one platform.
- Open jobs and traineeships
- Working life events
- Advice & guidance
- Employer profiles
Sign up and start exploring
Sign up to JobTeaser using your @metropolia.fi email address: https://metropolia.jobteaser.com/
You can also download a Jobteaser application.
Start of studies in the Nursing degree programme in January 2025
Starting instructions for new students starting in January 2025:
1. Before the start of studies
2. Students admitted in Joint application
3. Students accepted through open UAS studies, Finnish university studies or transfer application and students with previous studies in Nursing
4. General advice on starting your studies
1. Before the start of studies
- Answer the Survey for New Students by 20 December 2024. If you are registered as an absent student for spring 2025, answer the questionnaire only when you start your studies as a present student.
- Familiarise yourself with the curriculum of your degree.
- Attend a virtual Zoom meet-up on 18.12.2024 at 9-10.30 (Finnish time) together with your career coaches Anna Sievers and Jenni Sinisalo and Finnish language teachers Hanna Lenkola and guidance councelor Riikka Sorri. Join the meet-up here.
2. Students admitted in Joint application
Start of studies:
All orientation events will take place on Myllypuro Campus, Myllypurontie 1, 00920, Helsinki (if not stated otherwise).
8 January 2025 at 9.00 - 16.00 at Myllypuro Campus MPD1002: Finnish language level test
This concerns students, who already live in Finland and have studied Finnish before. The test is just to map out the overall Finnish language skills in the group and support your individual study planning. Please, reserve a full day for the language tests.
13-15 January 2025: Individual online meet-ups with career coach and Finnish language teacher
The purpose of these meetings is to build everyone their individual study plan for both Nursing studies and Finnish language. Please, book your meeting times in here.
20 January 2025 at 9.00: Official start of studies
We will officially start the studies together simultaneously at Myllypuro Campus and Online (if you have not arrived yet in Finland)! Be prepared to have a full schedule throughout the semester.
The first days are orientation days, and it is very important to attend these classes. The beginning of the first semester will be held hybrid (= simultaneously in-person at Myllypuro Campus and Online). Online-participation is only offered for students who have not arrived in Finland yet. In-person participation for all is required at Myllypuro Campus from week 12 onwards.
Please make sure that you are able to attend the start of your studies. There will be no separate tutorials on the topics covered at the start of your studies, so it is very important that you attend from day one.
If you have a previous degree, your studies will start as early as week 3.
Spring 2025 timetable, daytime attendance
The spring semester timetable will be available in week 52 at https://lukkarit.metropolia.fi.
The daytime timetables for the nursing course can be found under SXN25K1T. Please bring your own laptop on the first day.
Please note that there might be some changes in the schedule before your studies begin.
Student tutors will help you to start your studies. They will create a WhatsApp group, and the link will be distributed later by email.
3. Students accepted through open UAS studies, Finnish university studies or transfer application and students with previous studies in Nursing
Please attend the following guidance meetings at Myllypuro Campus:
- Tuesday, 7 January 2025, from 12.30 to 15.00, Myllypuro campus, MPA1014. Contact person Riikka Sorri (riikka.sorri [at] metropolia.fi (riikka[dot]sorri[at]metropolia[dot]fi))
- Individual meetings / book your own time for Wednesday 8 January 2025 from 9.00 to 15.00 or Thursday 9 January 2025 at MPA1016 from 9.00 to 12.00. Contact person Anna Sievers (anna.sievers [at] metropolia.fi (anna[dot]sievers[at]metropolia[dot]fi))
- RPL workshop Thursday 9.1.2025 at MPA6010. Bring your own laptop. Contact person Anna Sievers (anna.sievers [at] metropolia.fi (anna[dot]sievers[at]metropolia[dot]fi))
- For those with other higher education studies, there is separate information on how to use previous studies as part of your study pathway at the beginning of your studies.
If you have previously completed nursing degree studies, please familiarize yourself with the curriculum beforehand and compare your studies with the Metropolia curriculum. Bring your laptop and a transcript of your previous studies to the guidance meeting. Ask for a transcript of records from your previous higher education institution, which also shows your course credits. This will make it easier to compare your studies with the Metropolia curriculum and continuing your studies smoother.
The studies start in week 3, so it is essential that you attend the guidance meetings. Otherwise, the start of your studies may be delayed.
4. General advice on starting your studies
Activating your Metropolia user account and Microsoft Pro Plus 365 software package
Please see the general instructions for starting your studies at the top of this page. Follow the instructions to activate your Metropolia user account before starting your studies. Activation of the user account is possible from 1 January 2025. If you have been accepted to study earlier and have been absent you can activate your account before 1 January 2025.
Get to know Metropolia's e-services and download and install the Microsoft Pro Plus 362 software package free of charge before the start of your studies. You can download and install the software package after activating your user ID. Instructions: Student Survival Guide - e-services at Metropolia
Public transportation student discounts (HSL, VR, Matkahuolto) and Meal subsidy
- You will be able to use the benefits when your student status starts on 1 January 2025.
- You can access the benefits with the free Tuudo app downloadable on your phone with a digital student card
Study certificate
- You can request a certificate from Metropolia's Student and Applicant Services once your study rights have started, i.e. from 1 January 2025.
- If you are applying for student accommodation from HOAS, it is sufficient to submit a study certificate at the start of your studies.
TE Office form (TEM621 form)
If you are applying for unemployment benefit for full-time independent study, you must first accept the study place and register for attendance. The Student and admission Services will fill in the TEM621 form and send it to the student by e-mail. Send your request by e-mail to this address: studentservices [at] metropolia.fi (studentservices[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Contact details for career coaches and guidance counsellors
Students registered as absent
- If you are registered as absent for the spring semester 2025: see the instructions for starting studies in autumn 2025 on this same page in May 2025.
- If you are registering as absent for the spring semester 2025 and the autumn semester 2025: See the instructions for starting your studies in spring 2026 on this same page in November 2025.
- Enroll for the academic year 2025-2026 according to the instructions sent by Metropolia Student Services by e-mail. Student Services will send the instructions in April 2025. Enrolment must be done between 1 May and 31 May 2025 in Metropolia's OMA system. If you do not register for the academic year, you will be marked as resigned as of 1 August 2025.
E-mail addresses: firstname.lastname [at] metropolia.fi (firstname[dot]lastname[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Anna Sievers
Head of the Programme in Nursing education (Bilingual Programme), Career coach
Anna.Sievers [at] metropolia.fi (Anna[dot]Sievers[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358 50 593 3746
Vivien Nagy-Wikstedt
Senior Lecturer, Career coach
Vivien.nagy-Wikstedt [at] metropolia.fi (Vivien[dot]nagy-Wikstedt[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358 50 471 8072
Jenni Sinisalo
Senior Lecturer, Career coach
Jenni.sinisalo [at] metropolia.fi (Jenni[dot]sinisalo[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358 50 569 8141
Hanna Lenkola
Finnish as Second Language teacher
hanna.lenkola [at] metropolia.fi (hanna[dot]lenkola[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
tel. +358 50 467 1308
Suvi Korhonen
Finnish as Second Language teacher
suvi.korhonen [at] metropolia.fi (suvi[dot]korhonen[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358 50 528 5084
Riikka Sorri
Guidance Counsellor
riikka.sorri [at] metropolia.fi (riikka[dot]sorri[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
tel. +358 50 465 6631