Start of studies:
Your studies start on Thursday 8 January 2026 at 10 a.m. on SAMK Campus in Pori. The address is Satakunnankatu 23, Pori, Finland. We’ll see you at the meeting point in the main lobby.
We recommend that you arrive in Pori at least a couple of days beforehand so that you have time to settle into your new city.
On the first day of your studies, please bring:
- Your Finnish online banking codes (verkkopankkitunnukset in Finnish) for identification, if you have them.
- If you don’t have Finnish online banking codes, please take your passport.
- Your original degree certificates. We’ll review them and return them to you later.
- A copy of your vaccinations certificate (see below).
You can find the schedule for the first days herearrow_forward (Click “Participate in the Welcome Days”).
⏰ Important!
If you are delayed in getting your residence permit:
- Latest arrival date: 12 January 2026
- You must be on campus by this date to start your studies this semester. This is the absolute latest possible date.
- After 12 January 2026: You will not be able to join campus or enter Finland during this semester.
- If you cannot make it on campus by 12 January 2026, please contact Admissions Office at admissions@samk.fi for guidance.
Please inform us of your arrival schedule:
As soon as you receive your residence permit and finalise your travel plans to Finland, kindly fill in the Arrival Formlaunch to let us know about your arrival schedule. Please note that if you are arriving with family members, you need to also fill out the Family Formlaunch.
Thank you!
Information about studies:
- Degree programme: Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing.arrow_forward
- Extent of programme studies: 210 ECTS
- Study completion: approximately 3.5 years
- Group number: NNU26KP
- Form of teaching: Studies are conducted during daytime generally Monday-Friday as contact teaching on Pori campus. Your degree programme requires full-time studying and presence on our campus.
- Curriculum: You can take a look at the detailed study content in the curriculum.launch
Curriculum includes Finnish language studies. If your native language is not Finnish, you will study Finnish in accordance with the curriculum in order to achieve the Finnish language skills needed to pursue profession. In Finland Finnish is used in clinical practices.
In addition to the Finnish language studies included in the curriculum, other Finnish language courses are also available. Those are recommended to be studied as elective studies to achieve the language level required for the nursing profession.
Vaccinations:
It is extremely important that you have a certificate of adequate valid vaccinations when you start your studies. The law in Finland requires health care students to be vaccinated. Please see the instruction for vaccinationslaunch and be prepared to provide a certificate of your vaccinations in the beginning of your studies. The certificate needs to be written in English or Finnish.
Bring Your Own Device:
Studying at SAMK requires you to have your own laptop. Check here the minimum requirementsarrow_forward for your laptop.
Cost of studies:
The tuition fee is 9,500 euros per academic year for non-EU/EEA students. In addition to the tuition fee, students need to pay for study expenses e.g. computer, meals, travelling, nursing uniform and shoes, books, handouts etc. themselves. Your studies will include travelling to clinical placements which can cause expenses too. Nursing clinical placements are located in various parts of Satakunta area. Every semester you need to pay the student health care fee (in 2025 it was 35,60 euros).
Nursing uniform and shoes:
During your studies, you will be required to wear nursing scrubs (uniform) during learning simulations at school campus. Please make arrangements to purchase the nursing scrubs in advance. Feel free to independently explore the available nursing scrubs and purchase the one that appeals to you. Scrubs will only be used at school during learning situations. During your practical training, the place you will go for the placement will provide you with their official nursing scrubs. However, you will need to buy your own work shoes. According to the EU standard, shoes need to be antistatic. The shoes are also suggested to be easily washable for hygienic reasons.
Accommodation and travelling:
Our web page for integration servicesarrow_forward provides practical information before arriving to Finland. On our pages you can find information on:
- finding an apartment
- health insurance
- information on budgeting and what to bring with you to Finland
On our webpage on how to get started once in Finlandarrow_forward you can find information on:
- planning your arrival
- handling mandatory administrative practicalities in Finland
Our web page for family servicesarrow_forward provides practical information on:
- day care and school placements.
Recognition of your previous studies:
You can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) if you have previously completed:
- studies in nursing at a university or
- studies in nursing at a University of Applied Sciences or
- Practical Nurse’s Degree in Finland or
- other previous degree/studies in University of Applied Sciences in Finland.
Collect your diplomas, description of contents of each course and possible letters of reference so that you have them ready when your studies start. You will need to provide a detailed course description in addition to the diploma. If your diplomas and descriptions are not in Finnish or English, you must provide English translations. When you start your studies at SAMK, you will have a one-on-one meeting with your tutor teacher to discuss the recognition of your previous studies.
Timetable:
You can find timetables in TimeEditlaunch. Choose Public timetable -> Groups’ timetables -> search using the group number or your class NNU26KP. Please note that the schedules will be finalised only in December and may still undergo changes during early January. Also, note that courses often include various assignments and projects for which no time is allocated in the schedule. Therefore, a week that seemingly has few contact hours may still require group or independent work.
Online orientation sessions:
We offer several online orientation sessions before the studies start. In these sessions you will gain practical insights into studying at SAMK and living in Finland. The sessions are free of charge and there is no need for registration. Check out the schedule here.arrow_forward
Who to contact if you have questions:
Ms Anna-Sofia Salminen, anna-sofia.salminen@samk.fimail (Out of office 21 December – 4 January 2026)
Mr Amos Mulu, amos.mulu@samk.fimail (Out of office 21 December – 4 January 2026)
Your tutor teachers can answer questions concerning academic issues and vaccinations. For all other inquiries, contact the Admissions Office, International Relations Coordinator or Migri.
- International Relations Coordinator:
Ms Szilvia Simon-Nagy, tel./Whatsapp 00 358 44 710 3409, szilvia.simon-nagy@samk.fimail
International Relations Coordinator can help you with preparing for your life in Finland:
- accommodation
- administrative issues in Finland
- daycare and school placement for your children
- everyday life in Finland.
You can contact Ms Szilvia Simon-Nagy prior to the beginning of your studies or upon arrival, if necessary, to get help in having a smooth start for your studies in Finland. You can also visit the International Office on campus.
Admissions Office can help you with inquiries related to tuition fees and your arrival schedule.
Curious about student life at SAMK? Chat with our international students and ask them about studying at SAMK, life in Pori and Rauma, and more! Start the conversation at samk.fi/unibuddyarrow_forward
We recommend that you check out the frequently asked questionslaunch about residence permits for students on Migri’s web page. Please be aware that you cannot speed up the processing of your residence permit application in any way, and we at SAMK cannot expedite it either. To ensure that you receive your residence permit on time to start your studies on campus in August, start your residence permit application as early as possible and upload all the required documentslaunch on your application at once.
