YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe)
How does it sound to build your own degree from courses offered at ten European universities? Young Universities for the Future of Europe, or YUFE Alliance, to which the University of Eastern Finland belongs, makes this possible. YUFE offers, for example, academic courses in English and in the languages of partner universities, language courses, exchange periods, volunteering activities, development of professional and working life skills, as well as lecture series open to everyone. You can take part in YUFE activities online, on home campus or in exchange.
YUFE is one of the 65 European university alliances to which the European Commission has granted funding for the development of European-wide university models. In addition to the University of Eastern Finland, YUFE includes Maastricht University in the Netherlands, Antwerp University in Belgium, Bremen University in Germany, Carlos III University of Madrid in Spain, University of Essex in Great Britain, University of Cyprus, University of Rijeka in Croatia, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland, and Sorbonne Nouvelle University in France.
Part of the YUFE Alliance activities are open to all UEF students. These include for example the YUFE Academy lectures and events, volunteering and the Challenge Teams. Some of YUFE’s offerings, such as credit-based language courses and Open YUFE studies, YUFE Minors and the short and long exchange programmes, are only open to degree students.
In addition, YUFE offers Lifelong learning courses, as well as summer and winter schools for all. Most of these offers have a fee. Find out more via the link Skills of the Future.
Currently in YUFE
Would you like to volunteer and get a YUFE Civic Star? Sign up and take part in the Civic Engagement intro training now, so you can start as soon as you spot a suitable role!
Could you be the next UEF student representative at the YUFE Student Forum? Our PhD student and doctoral researcher positions are becoming vacant, with applications opening in early autumn 2025!
YUFE stars are going digital: from autumn onwards, you can link your Civic, Language, Professional or Mobility Star as a digital badge e.g. to your LinkedIn profile!
Applying to OpenYUFE programme is now quick and easy. You can get onboard in just a couple of days!
UEF also has its own bilingual YUFE @UEF eLearn environment. There you can get to know more about the opportunities offered by YUFE. Link to YUFE @UEF eLearn environment.
Important YUFE dates:
4 July 2025 at 10.00 CET (11.00 Finnish time) YUFE Civic Engagement intro training.Sign up via the link Intro Trainingby 1.7 at the latest!
Exchange Call, yearly dates (YUFE exchange and YUFE Minors’ exchange), Erasmus+ : 1.15.2., additional calls in May and September. For more details, check the Kamu page Calls for applications for student exchange.
UEF degree students are eligible to apply for YUFE exchange if one of the following conditions is met:
The student has an active Open YUFE status (former YUFE Student Journey study right)
The student has signed up to complete a YUFE Minor during the exchange period
NB! If you have an employment contract with UEF (for example as a 10 % grant researcher, trainee, research assistant etc.), your contract must expire well before your student exchange period begins. You cannot go abroad for student exchange as a member of staff – see instructions regarding staff exchange. It is permitted to apply for student exchange during a valid employment contract, but the contract must end/expire before the exchange period begins.
Remember:
Open YUFE application is separate from the exchange application.
Read more about Open YUFE and YUFE Minors below.
In YUFE you can also do a short-term exchange. You can apply Erasmus+ funding for all YUFE exchanges. There is no additional YUFE funding for the exchanges.
Open YUFE (former YUFE Student Journey)
Open YUFE (former YUFE Student Journey)
Open YUFE a programme that allows the degree students of the University of Eastern Finland to study at universities included in the YUFE Alliance free of charge for a maximum of four semesters or until completing ones degree in the partner university.
As an Open YUFE student, you can take credit-bearing language courses and academic studies at YUFE or do exchange studies at the YUFE Alliance partner universities of your choice. You can also take part in YUFETHON challenge competitions, where the winning team will spend a week in Madrid to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills. You can study at several universities at the same time.
After completing your Open YUFE, you will receive a certificate showing all your studies and other activities in the alliance. It is possible to include the credits gained in YUFE to your UEF degree.
Eligibility to apply
Participation in the Open YUFE programme is possible at all degree levels and you can apply anytime during your studies.
The Open YUFE programme lasts a maximum of 4 semesters. It usually ends when the student completes the degree. However, if the student continues studying in the same partner university, the student's Open YUFE programme can continue until all the 4 semesters are covered. There is only one Open YUFE programme period per student, so it is worth considering, at what point of our studies would you benefit the most of this opportunity.
The requirement is at least B2-level English. The Open YUFE applications are open all year round, so you can apply when it is most convenient for you.
How to apply?
Students of UEF can apply for the Open YUFE programme on the network’s Virtual Campus.
Create your profile ("Create account") as a student, with your UEF email.
Fill in the application form (-> Student -> Application Form YUFE Student Journey) during the application period. The required attachments:
transcript of records from Peppi
language skills: English (B2)
Is not required from students of the international study programmes in which the language of instruction is English
Any completed B2-level course of English language in UEF (e.g. the obligatory academic English courses included in the study programme). Attach a transcript of records where the completed course is visible.
A prior result of an English proficiency test.
Matriculation examination certificate, when English has been one of the tests completed.
If you cannot prove your English proficiency with a test result, degree certificate, official document or other proof accepted by your own university, you can do a self-assessment through the app-basedCore Skills Testby EnglishScore.
For more information about the opportunities offered by the Open YUFE, it is recommended to participate YUFE's Online Open Day information sessions organized several times during the academic year. At these sessions, you can also approach the representatives of the YUFE University that you are interested in directly to request further information. These events are organised in English.
You can also contact yufe@uef.fi for more information.
Student exchange
As an Open YUFE student, you can apply for a physical exchange during UEF’s annual application rounds. Student exchange to member universities of the alliance is financed with the Erasmus+mobility grant. You may apply to YUFE exchange if you fulfill one of the criteria below:
You have an Open YUFE status
You are going to complete a YUFE minor during your exchange
A separate call for YUFE exchange applications will be published in the Calls for applications for student exchange page when the call is open. (look for YUFE Alliance exchanges).
YUFE Minors & Student Exchange
YUFE Minor & student exchange
As a student of UEF you can complete a YUFE Minor (30 ECTS). YUFE Minor is a module of courses focused on a certain theme, consisting of both online and on-site courses, including electives. Physical mobility to the hosting university is required to complete a YUFE Minor. Open YUFE status is not required for YUFE Minor exchange.
There are currently several different Minors to choose from. Some of them start in spring, some in autumn and others are available in both semesters. New YUFE Minors are currently being constructed. The call for applications for YUFE Minors for autumn semester is in February-May, for the spring semester you can apply for in May and in September.
If your curriculum allows, a YUFE Minor is fully accepted as part of your degree. It is recommended to discuss your YUFE Minor plans in your own programme to confirm this.
Students are asked to contact yufe@uef.fi to express their interest towards specific YUFE Minors for more information. Online applications are sent via SoleMOVE during the application periods.
For more information on YUFE Minors, please contact UEF's YUFE Team (yufe@uef.fi), check YUFE's virtual Campus, or ask International Affairs Specialist Outi Väyrynen.
The YUFE Minors available for Autumn 2025 semester
If you are interested in solving of a real problem and belonging to a dynamic, multidisciplinary and multicultural team, then YUFE Challenge Teams or YUFETHON could be just your things.
The YUFE Challenge Teams aim to develop creative thinking and other demanding professional competencies through collaborative and multidisciplinary work. The challenges will be carried out online and in English. The expected workload is 60 hours within three months to complete the challenge. However, there can be some challenge-specific time variations.
Challenges are carried out by combined teams of students, faculty and research staff from the Alliance’s universities, and relevant representatives of the general public, local governments or the business sector. The teams must find new and innovative social, scientific, social, or technological solutions to real life challenges proposed by citizens or organizations. Any UEF student can become a member of a YUFE Challege Team.
At the end of the challenge the teams present their results, get an evaluation, and a YUFE Professional Star is awarded for their efforts. You can also apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) from your own study programme for 2ECTs.
YUFETHON is a two-day (20h) online event where participants come together to intensively solve a problem together.
YUFETHON participants must be Open YUFE students and the teams will work in English. The main prize is free access to the YUFE Idea Lab and a trip for the whole team to Madrid.
Students of the YUFE Alliance Partner Universities can study languages online for free. The offer applies to English and other YUFE's national languages, namely Finnish, German, Polish, Croatian, Greek, Spanish, French and Dutch. Also some other languages such as Chinese and Russian have been available.
Currently the YUFE Language Courses are only available for Open YUFE students, so remember to apply for the Open YUFE programme first.
There are courses for basic and independent user levels, and the courses vary from 2 to 5 ECTS in size. It is also possible to gain a YUFE Language Star reward by adding using the languages learned e.g. in the Online Language Cafés or during exchange studies.
The Online Language Cafés maintain and improve especially spoken language skills. They are open to all UEF degree students. The Language Cafés will meet 90 minutes at a time for 8 weeks, facilitated by native or nearly native tutors.
You can apply to become a tutor of an Online Language Café without the Open YUFE status. Being a tutor contributes to a YUFE Civic Star. Tutors also get credits for their efforts (study unit 1131019 Language Cafe, leader, 2 ECTS).
YUFE Academy is a series of free, open for all lectures, workshops, and events offered by the ten YUFE partner universities. Anyone can take part even from the comfort of one's own couch or during the daily commute.
YUFE Academy is a chance to learn in different languages and formats. Relying in the current scientific knowledge, especially in the 4 YUFE focus areas:
European identity and responsibilities in a global world,
Citizens’ well-being,
Digital societies and
Sustainability.
Individual YUFE Academy offers can take place at any time during the academic year. However, two main editions are organised around international events that align with YUFE mission, one in a fall term and one in a spring term:
European Researchers’ Night (-> YUFE Academy Autumn edition in October)
Europe Day (-> YUFE Academy Spring edition in May-June)
In Finland and elsewhere in Europe, the “third sector work” carried out by non-profit organisations is rapidly becoming more professional and provides duties that require special expertise to an increasing number of higher education graduates. In voluntary activities, you accumulate your skills, acquire useful working life skills, network – and get to bring your expertise to the service of others. You can participate in the activities of various organisations either directly or through the YUFE Volunteering programme.
The YUFE Volunteering programme offers participation opportunities both in your home campus city and during student exchange at YUFE partner universities. At many YUFE universities, it is also possible to volunteer remotely.
At UEF, YUFE Volunteering opportunities are offered by certain NGOs in Joensuu and Kuopio. In addition you can make your expertise available to the community through Help Desk services that answer questions on various topics. Help Desk services are provided face-to-face, online or via a hybrid model in Finnish, English or some other language.
Over 50 hours of YUFE Volunteering activities will be awarded with a YUFE Civic Star. It can be used to demonstrate competence and activity to, e.g., an employer.
Depending on your major subject, you may also receive credits (2 ECTS) for the activities. Please discuss beforehand in your programme, if your planned volunteering could fit for example your other studies, or a course where service learning is one form of study.
Read more about the opportunities on the YUFE virtual campus . If you find a suitable task, register as a user of the virtual campus (Create account) and register for this task, AND for the joint CEA Intro Training Session (duration 1.5 h), which is aimed at everyone participating in the YUFE Volunteering programme in various countries.
Induction trainings are organised around the year roughly once in every 2 months. If the next induction training is organised after your duties begin, you can start volunteering before induction. However, to be awarded a Civic Star, induction is required and should be completed as soon as possible.
If you cannot find a task that suits you, please contact yufe@uef.fi and let's talk more!
Come and do YUFE!
In addition to studies, volunteering and other activities, you can become involved in YUFE’s activities as a student representative. Some even find internships or jobs in YUFE.
The YUFE Student Forum ensures that the students’ voices are heard in all development and decision-making at YUFE. Each member university, including UEF, has its own Bachelor’s, Master’s and postgraduate level representative in the YUFE Student Forum. UEF student Sanni Vesala is the current president of the YUFE Student Forum.
New student representatives are usually searched for the YUFE Student Forum in the spring, but posts may open up at any time of the year following the graduation of a current representative.
If you want to get firsthand information about the role of the Student Forum Representatives, you can consult our current representatives directly by sending a message to uef-YUFEStudentReps@groups.uef.fi email.
Two of the three UEF student seats will become available in early autumn 2025. If you are a Bachelor's student or PhD researcher, you can already consider whether you could be the next UEF student representative in the YUFE Student Forum!
You can inquire about YUFE related international internship opportunities at info@yufe.eu.
You can follow YUFE’s own as well as partner universities’ vacancies in YUFE's Career Opportunities page.
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