The students at the University of Oulu are expanding their degrees by completing courses in subjects such as social work, educational psychology and administrative sciences at the University of Lapland. Similarly, the students at the University of Lapland take courses in humanities, psychology and industrial engineering at the University of Oulu.

The number of cross-institutional study offerings has grown significantly over the last two years. In the upcoming academic year 2025–2026, the University of Oulu has 640 credits worth of courses on offer while the University of Lapland offers 475 credits worth of courses. One credit corresponds to around 27 hours of student work.

Most of the offered studies resemble minor subject studies, as they typically consist of 25 credits of core studies or 35 credits of intermediate studies. The universities also offer some stand-alone courses that are worth 5 credits.

The University of Lapland and the University of Oulu jointly organise the core and intermediate studies in humanities and social environmental sciences by sharing the teaching responsibilities of the study modules. The studies are offered to the students at both universities.

“The course offerings of the universities complement each other, and the studies are easily available to the students as online courses. The University of Oulu is engaged in teaching cooperation with many higher education institutions, and this cooperation is one of the most extensive ones”, says Mirja Illikainen, Vice-Rector of the University of Oulu.

“We are important partners in organising education in the northern region, and increasingly also at a national level. For example, Arctic sustainability and safety are both themes that concern us all”, says Piia Björn, Vice-Rector of the University of Lapland.

The University of Lapland and the University of Oulu signed the current teaching cooperation agreement in 2023, although they have cooperated in the past, too.

Cross-institutional studies do not require students to have a right to study at the other university, as certain cross-institutional studies can be completed as part of the students’ own degrees based on the agreement between the universities.

“We aim to continue promoting and increasing cross-institutional studying between the two universities, while paying special attention to how we can best complement each other’s course offerings. We will also see if it is possible to organise a new, jointly produced degree programme”, says Piia Björn.

Finland has a national goal to promote cooperation between higher education institutions, which is one of the topics in the vision work of higher education institutions led by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

In April of 2025, the Opin.fi service was opened. It is a joint service of Finland’s higher education institutions, and it gathers the study offerings of continuous learning from the whole country in one place. The service is initially aimed at people of working age, but in the upcoming stages, it may also help degree students expand their degrees with studies from other universities.

Cross-institutional studies offered to the University of Lapland by the University of Oulu in the academic year 2025–2026

Cross-institutional studies offered to the University of Oulu by the University of Lapland in the academic year 2025–2026

Opin.fi service

Digivisio 2030 project

More information:

Piia Björn, Vice-Rector, University of Lapland
piia.bjorn@ulapland.fi, +358 400 247 425

Merija Timonen, Director of Teaching and Learning Services, University of Lapland merija.timonen@ulapland.fi, +358 40 777 7352