For new Babas · From autumn 2026

You're coming to the right place!

From autumn 2026, the BScBA programme calls Otaniemi home, Aalto University's main campus in Espoo, tucked between the Baltic Sea and the Helsinki metropolitan buzz, about 11 minutes by metro from the city centre. It is a proper campus: architecture by Alvar Aalto, a nature reserve at its edges, a metro station at its heart, and thousands of students from business, engineering, art, and design all sharing the same postcode. You will not be bored.

Moving to a new country is a lot. We've done it too.
Below is the honest, practical guide in the order you'll actually need it.

1. Read Aalto's guide first

Before anything else, go to Aalto's official pages for new international students. They've done the thorough work: visa requirements, enrolling, healthcare, Finnish bureaucracy, what to bring.

Cover that ground first, then come back here for the rest.

→ Aalto's international student guide

3. Get to Otaniemi

The campus has its own metro station: Aalto University. From Helsinki city centre (Kamppi), it's 11 minutes. From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the journey is about an hour by public transport. A taxi from the airport runs around €40–55.

Once you're here, get the HSL app - it covers all buses, trams, metro, and local trains across the whole metropolitan area. As a degree student, you're entitled to a student discount on season tickets. Otaniemi sits in HSL zone B; Helsinki city centre is zone A. Keep that in mind when loading your card.

→ HSL journey planner

5. Connext with your tutors before you arrive

Every new student is assigned a tutor - a senior Baba who has been through exactly what you're about to go through. Your tutor will contact you by email during the summer, before orientation week.
They are your first point of contact for anything practical, from which supermarket to use to what to actually pack.

Orientation week begins on 24 August 2026. The first courses start on 31 August. Everything you need to know will be in your inbox before then but don't wait until August to read your emails.

2. Sort your housing early. Earlier than you think.

The Helsinki metropolitan area is not a renters' market. Demand is high, supply is competitive, and the people who leave this step to the last minute are the ones scrambling in August.
Your two main options are HOAS (Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki Region) and AYY (Aalto's own student union housing). Both are affordable, well-located, and far below private market prices. Apply as soon as your study place is confirmed.

→ Apply through HOAS
→ AYY student housing

4. Register, enroll and handle the paperwork

Once you have your acceptance letter, Aalto will walk you through the enrollment process.
A few things to line up in parallel: open a Finnish bank account (you'll need this for rent, HSL season tickets, and much else), register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) if you're staying longer than three months, and apply for a student card through the Frank app - it activates your student discounts across Finland from day one.

EU/EEA citizens: straightforward.
Non-EU citizens: visa and residence permit paperwork starts the moment you have your acceptance.
The earlier, the better.

→ Aalto enrollment guide

6. Find your people

The official orientation is the start.
The real orientation happens in the evenings, at the events Probba organises throughout the week.
Introduce yourself to everyone. The people you meet in week one tend to stick around for the next decade.

PROBBA

Probba - Aalto yliopiston kauppakorkeakoulun Mikkelin yksikön opiskelijayhdistys Probba ry

Lönnrotinkatu 5

50100 Mikkeli

Finland