Partner University of the Month: University of Lapland

Northernmost university in the EU in the hometown of Santa Claus – MCI partner since 2006 - 64 exchange students in the fields of social work and tourism business studies.

The University of Lapland in Rovaniemi is the northernmost university in the EU where teaching and research focuses on art & design, education, law, social sciences, tourism research and arctic issues. According to the International Student Barometer 2017, the University of Lapland showed outstanding performance in the fields of "safety and introduction days" (No. 1 worldwide), "multicultural study environment and language support" (No. 5 worldwide) and "measures of happiness" (No. 2 worldwide).*

International students from all over the world meet on the multicultural and extremely safe campus of the University of Lapland. So far, 50 MCI students from the departments of social work and tourism business studies have enjoyed this special atmosphere at the University of Lapland.

The city of Rovaniemi with over 60,000 inhabitants is located near the Arctic Circle and is the hometown of Santa Claus. Of course, studying in Rovaniemi must be given careful consideration because of its remote location and its freezing chilly weather. However, nature lovers and those who can handle such severe climatic conditions will experience an unforgettable semester, as Denise Mikolasch, Carolin Gärtner and Tiesler Sofie, who are currently spending their winter semester at the University of Lapland report:

"Terve!
We, three MCI students are spending our semester abroad at the University of Lapland. Despite the few hours of sunshine, there is a lot to experience in Santa Claus's hometown. For example, we have explored a number of national parks and travelled to various places such as the Lofoten Islands in Norway. We didn’t face any traffic jams, but reindeers or elks that either stopped us or jumped in front of our car.

An interesting feature is to hang around the typical open fireplaces to energize oneself with sausages or grilled marshmallows, which we did too during our hikes. Sometimes even the dancing auroras graced us with their appearances in the sky. In addition, we also visited Santa Claus directly on the Arctic Circle and expressed our Christmas wishes. We also had fun cheering the Rovaniemi's “Rokis”  - ice hockey team. Besides studying, attending courses and writing essays, students are offered a lot here – like celebrating a typical Finnish „Sitsit“. This is a kind of student party, where people eat, sing and have a drink together. It is great that you can easily connect with local students at this party and learn more about their customs. ”

Some further testimonials of MCI outgoing students at the University of Lapland:

“If you like hiking, biking, and ice-hockey you will have plenty of options for activities.[…]The best part of my semester abroad was to get in touch with people studying tourism from all over the world and seeing the differences. Building a network with people from Brazil to Russia also helps to develop an understanding of different cultures.” (Bachelor Tourism Business Studies, summer semester 2019)

“My overall impressions are really good! The main reason why I went to Lapland was the country itself and nature. The expectations were more than fulfilled. The University of Lapland is located in a small, spacious town, but if you get involved and plan a lot of activities, that's no problem at all. I was also satisfied with the university.” (Master Social Work, Social Policy & Management, winter semester 2018/19)

* https://www.ulapland.fi/EN/Admissions/10-reasons-to-choose-University-of-Lapland

** https://www.ulapland.fi/InEnglish/About-us#