Student Doctoral student Continuous studies student

General information on the University of Eastern Finland (UEF)

The University of Eastern Finland is one of the largest universities in Finland. We are home to approximately 16,000 undergraduate students, 23,300 adult education students, and 2,750 members of staff. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. The distance between the two cities is about 140 km and it takes about 2 hours by car. For more information see university web pages.

UEF is a multidisciplinary university that offers teaching in approximately 100 major subjects. UEF has four faculties: the Philosophical Faculty, Faculty of Science and Forestry, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. See more information under Organisation, Faculties and independent institutes and Facilities and maps.

We emphasise interdisciplinarity in everything we do. We have identified four global challenges for which we seek solutions through our interdisciplinary research and education. These challenges are Ageing, lifestyles and health; Learning in a digitised society; Cultural encounters, mobilities and borders; and Environmental change and sufficiency of natural resources.

As part of the global scientific community, we have extensive international relations and are involved in several international networks. Our teaching and research staff and students are active in participating in various mobility programmes through our bilateral agreements of cooperation with approximately 100 universities abroad. We also play a role in many international networks and discipline-specific projects.

We have set the development of our learning environments as one of our key goals. We seek to be the best academic learning environment in Finland. In our view, this must be built around innovative teaching methods, research-based education, diverse use of facilities, and transparency. All development work at UEF is based on putting students first (student-centredness).

UEF is a multidisciplinary university that offers teaching in approximately 100 major subjects. The university has four faculties:

UEF is a smoke-free study environment and workplace.

Administration and faculties

The University of Eastern Finland is a public institution. Its governing bodies include the Board, Rectors and Leadership Group, University Collegiate Body, faculty councils and deans. The university’s operations are regulated by the Universities Act and the Universities Decree, which are supplemented by the university’s own decisions and regulations. From the perspective of the students, the most important rules are set in the Degree Regulations of the University of Eastern Finland.

For practical administrative duties, the university has University Services and the faculties. More information on the faculties’ organs, including faculty councils, is provided in Heimo (login required). A student must belong to one of the university’s faculties. More information on the operations and decisions of faculties is provided on each faculty’s web pages. The faculties are comprised of departments or schools that are in charge of teaching, and they are the administrative body operating closest to the students.

More information on research and education organs is provided in Heimo (login required): the Research Council, the Committee on Research Ethics, the Board of Appeal, the Council for Teaching and Guidance (information provided through Yammer, login required), and the related preparatory groups:

Student Affairs Team
Student Well-being and Study Ability Team
Coordination and Development Team for Guidance
Development Team for Learning Environments

Quality assurance and the feedback system

The university has a quality management system that was audited and approved by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in March 2011. The system is comprehensive and transparent, it functions well, it is based on communication, and it has an impact. An international audit was carried out in December 2016.

Students play an important role in quality assurance and development work carried out at the university. All students are therefore encouraged to give feedback on both individual courses as well as their study path as a whole. The Finnish Bachelor’s Graduate Survey for collecting feedback that is used in the development of education and guidance is very important for the university. The survey is sent electronically to all students who complete their bachelor’s degree, and it is very important that they respond to the survey! There are also other ways of giving feedback, such as in connection with lectures and lessons, using different feedback forms, or by responding to surveys.

More information