

It is very important to settle all housing matters well in advance, and if possible, to have these matters taken care of before you depart from the U.S. Also, please note that the Fulbright Finland Foundation does not organize housing for grantees.
The video answers the following questions:
Core Fulbright scholars, Distinguished chairs, and Specialist Program participants should have their lodgings arranged by their respective host institutions. Any necessary or special requirements should be clarified at the time of applying. If this is not the case, please contact your host as soon as possible, prior to arrival. The Fulbright Finland Foundation provides the housing for the Bicentennial Chair.
The MCPD grantees and the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching grantees must arrange their own housing. The host institution is not responsible for arranging housing for the grantee (although in some cases they may do so). If you need assistance with locating housing, the host institution should be able to advise you on possible contacts.
All students are responsible for their own housing arrangements. You will see further down this page that we have collected many website links that will help you in your search for housing. In practice, most grantees (completing a master's degree) live in student housing. Remember also to purchase home insurance for your apartment in Finland.
Student housing in Finland is organized by Student Housing Foundations in each city such as with HOAS in Helsinki and TOAS in Tampere, etc. The various Students’ Unions, Student Nations, and some universities may also provide student lodgings. Please contact the Foreign Student Advisor or International Coordinator at your host institution for more information. You can also visit SOA web page for links to student housing organizations in different cities in Finland.
Usually, you are not able to apply for student housing before receiving the student status at the university. Contact your Finnish host university International Office staff for detailed information on the process of applying for the student status. If you are accepted in to the university as a visiting student or degree student, remember to fill in the standard housing application form (not the exchange student form).
Please note that the students’ housing situation has been extremely difficult during the past few years. Housing applications are processed on a first come - first served basis. Therefore, early application is essential! Please let the Fulbright Finland Foundation know when you have secured your housing or if you have any problems in finding housing.
Please note that depending on the city, Doctoral students can have very limited access to student housing and need to look for housing from other sources. It is also worth asking possible housing tips from your host.
Some students choose to live in private housing, and in order to secure your lodgings in advance, you should also apply for housing from the private market. Please see the following list given below to further explore private housing options.
It is recommended that you contact the Foreign Student Advisor at your host institution to find out whether or not assistance with housing arrangements is available, but please note that your host institution is under no obligation to assist you with alternative/private housing arrangements. Also note that rent costs can be very high, especially in the Helsinki area, and suitable private housing may be very difficult to find. Furthermore, please keep in mind that the Fulbright Finland Foundation does not organize housing for grantees.
Finland is generally a very safe country, but we advise you to use caution when looking for apartments from a private renter. If you are not using a rental company, we recommend you to see if your university contact or Fulbright Buddy would be available to go see the apartment before you sign a lease to verify its legality.
As your Fulbright buddies are experts of your host city, we recommend you to consult your Fulbright buddy in regards of housing:
General Accommodation Information
Good Places to Start
Renting an apartment from a private person:
Furnished apartments:
Please note that even though some of the web pages are in Finnish, you can still send out a search announcement in English! Contact the housing service directly by email and ask for assistance.
Student Housing Options:
Helsinki
University of Helsinki’s student clubs rent apartments, but the applicant has to be a member of the club in order to apply.
Hämeenlinna
Joensuu
Jyväskylä
Kemi
Kotka
Kuopio
Lahti
Lappeenranta
Mikkeli
Oulu
Rovaniemi
Savonlinna
Seinäjoki
Tampere
Turku
Vaasa