The campus cities Joensuu and Kuopio are about two hours from each other. This means that you should choose either of the cities where you live and complete the studies. It is not possible to commute between the cities.
The student housing is offered by independent, non-profit student housing companies, which are not part of the University of Eastern Finland. They offer accommodation in different parts of the city, most of the housing options are outside campus areas.
As an exchange student you can apply for housing as soon as you have received the official Letter of Acceptance from the University of Eastern Finland but no sooner than three months before your arrival. You don’t need to send the housing company your formal letter of acceptance, just your application.
If you are a non-EU citizen and coming to study for a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree at UEF, you should apply for housing only after receiving the Residence Permit.
Student Accommodation in Joensuu
Student Housing Company Joensuun Elli
Merimiehenkatu 30
tel. +358 (0)13 337 7800
e-mail: kodit@joensuunelli.fi
Check the website for opening hours
Accommodation in Joensuu for both international and Finnish students is offered by Joensuun Elli (opens in a new tab), an independent Student Housing Company that provides housing for more than 3000 students. Joensuun Elli has several housing units located in different parts of Joensuu and they are situated within 0.5–7 km from the Joensuu campus. Most students live in a shared flat where they have a private room and they share kitchen, bathroom, and toilet with 1-4 other students. Exchange students are usually accommodated in a furnished room with a bed and a mattress, a desk, a chair and a wardrobe. There are no curtains, rugs, linen, dishes, cutlery, etc. in the flats. The Student Union rents survival packages to cover the basic needs. Both Finnish and international degree and post-graduate students are normally accommodated in a room without furniture (only wardrobe). Students arriving with their family (i.e. spouse and/or children) may apply for a two-bedroom family flat. Please note that you can apply a family apartment also with a friend or a relative.
Rent for a room in a shared flat is about 190-300 euros/month. Rent includes electricity, heating and water. Tenants who have a furnished room need to pay a reasonable additional fee for the furniture. In all flats there is a possibility to have the ElliNet internet connection for 20 euros/month. There are no computers in the flats, and in order to be able to use the internet connection, tenants may have to buy a suitable adapter for their personal computer. Note that the internet will not be available right away. (There are also other possibilities, for example, a mobile broadband modem that you can purchase from a tele-communications company and is usually a cheaper alternative.). There is a free laundry room and a public sauna in every housing unit. Private sauna or a parking space for car can be reserved for an extra fee. There are no meals or cleaning service available.
How to apply for housing (opens in a new tab) with Joensuun Elli. Fill out the application carefully. Please note that if your stay requires a Resident Permit, you should apply for housing only after you have received the permit.
As soon as you receive an accommodation offer by email, you should reply whether you accept or refuse the offered accommodation. Usually you will receive a housing offer about one month before your planned arrival. Acceptance of offered accommodation is legally binding and will be considered as a signature on the lease. Rent must be paid from the confirmed date onwards. Unconfirmed reservations will automatically be cancelled and the applicant will lose the accommodation offered and the application will no longer be valid.
A tenant’s lease begins always on the first day of the month and it can be made for full months only, ending on the last day of the month. This means that the tenant has to pay the rent for a whole month even if he or she does not need the apartment for the entire period.
For further information about apartments, their location, applying, etc., see the Joensuun Elli website (opens in a new tab).
Temporary accommodation in Joensuu
You may need to find temporary accommodation if you arrive in Joensuu before your room is vacant. There are several hotels, hostels, and other options in Joensuu, for example:
- Hotel GreenStar (opens in a new tab)
- Sports Institute of Eastern Finland ISLO hostel (opens in a new tab)
- Scouts’ Hostel budged accomodation (opens in a new tab)
- Holiday Linnunlahti (opens in a new tab)
- Furnished apartments Kotimaailma (opens in a new tab)
- Furnished apartments Forenom (opens in a new tab)
- Assembled accommodation in Joensuu (only in Finnish, opens in a new tab)
- airbnb
Student accommodation in Kuopio
Kuopio Student Housing Company
Torikatu 15
tel. +358 (0) 17 264 0700
e-mail: customerservice@kuopas.fi
Check the website for opening hours
Kuopas (Kuopio Student Housing Company) is a public company owned by the City of Kuopio that builds and maintains student housing in Kuopio. More than 3000 students and their families live in Kuopas housing and most of our international students live with Kuopas. Kuopas has 30 apartment buildings around Kuopio and they are situated within 0.5–8 km from the campus.
The rent of a furnished room in a shared apartment is about 280-380 €/month. An unfurnished shared apartment is about 225-410 €. The rent includes internet, water, heating and free laundry, but it does not include utility bills, such as electricity and parking. Common sauna session (women and men separately) is free once a week. If you prefer to go to sauna by yourself, you can reserve a sauna term for yourself (1 hour/week, always at the same time). There is a free Internet connection (10Mbit) in every Kuopas apartment. You can upgrade it if you need a faster connection, but they will charge you for it. All furnished shared apartments have a modem.
Most international students live in shared and furnished apartments (communal apartments). Each student has got their own room but kitchen and bathroom are shared with 1-4 other students of the same gender.
If you are coming to Kuopio with your family you can apply for a family apartment. Family apartments’ sizes vary from two bedroom apartments to three-bedroom apartments. Family apartments are mainly for families, but sometimes if they are free, it might be possible to rent them amongst friends.
Further information on Kuopas housing (opens in a new tab)
Apply for accommodation by filling out an on-line application form (opens in a new tab). If you are an exchange student, you can apply for housing as soon as you have received the official Certificate of Admission from the University of Eastern Finland. If you are a non-EU citizen and coming to UEF to study for a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree, please note that you can apply for housing after receiving the residence permit.
When applying there is no need to send Kuopas your formal letter of acceptance, just your online application. Fill out the application carefully and send. Keep checking your email regularly, because Kuopas will send you a proposal for tenancy agreement on a room or an apartment by email. Usually you will receive this proposal about one month before your planned arrival. You also have to pay a deposit.
Application deadline for housing in Kuopio:
15 June
- for autumn semester (Aug-Dec)
- full academic year (Aug-May)
15 November
- spring semester (Jan-May)
You can apply for housing at other times as well. However, it is advisable to apply before the application deadline. The demand for student housing is high in the Autumn Semester, and this is why you might receive an offer for the apartment starting from 1 August even if you arrive only in September. If you want to be sure to have an apartment, you can accept the offer. If you don’t want to accept it, Kuopas will offer you an apartment later on if they are available.
Please also note that the tenancy agreement always begins at the beginning of a calendar month and it finishes at the end of a calendar month. For example, if you wish to arrive at the very end of the month, you should be prepared to pay rent for the whole month.
Temporary accommodation in Kuopio
You may need to find temporary accommodation if you arrive in Kuopio before your room is vacant. There are several hotels, hostels, and other options in Kuopio, for example:
- Kuopio Hostel Hermanni (opens in a new tab)
- Hotel Savonia (opens in a new tab)
- Kuopio Hostel Matkustajakoti (opens in a new tab)
- Furnished accommodation Kotimaailma (opens in a new tab)
- Furnished accommodation Forenom (opens in a new tab)
- Qasa (opens in a new tab)
- Tekman Tuki Association (opens in a new tab)
- airbnb
If Kuopas is not able to offer housing, you are welcome to contact another housing company in Kuopio Niiralan Kulma (opens in a new tab).