Arrival and Living in Finland

Kajaani is located approximately 600 kilometres from the capital of Finland, from Helsinki. It is possible to travel from Helsinki to Kajaani by plane, bus or train. Flight from Helsinki to Kajaani takes approximately 1 hour, train from Helsinki to Kajaani approximately 7 hours and bus approximately 8-10 hours.

In Helsinki
Helsinki-Vantaa airport is located about a half an hour away from the Helsinki city centre. If you are taking train from Helsinki onwards, you can take the train directly from the airport. In Finland railway traffic is operated by state owned company called VR. When buying a long-distance ticket, please choose ‘Helsinki Airport’ as your departure station if you plan to start your journey to Kajaani directly from the airport.

The buses to Kajaani leave from Kamppi bus station in Helsinki, which is located close to the main railway station in Helsinki city center.

In Kajaani
KAMK campus and most of the student accommodation is located approximately 2 kilometres from Kajaani city center. The Kajaani Airport is located approximately 10 km from the city center and railway station and bus station are in the city center.
Public transportation in Kajaani isn’t very extensive but all important services are within walking distance.

The Student Union called KAMO offers welcoming service for all new students arriving to Kajaani from abroad. The Student Union KAMO can arrange a taxi and accommodation keys ready for the incoming students if agreed mutually two weeks before the arrival. The students will have to pay for the taxi themselves, it will cost approx. 20 – 50 euros / person depending on the arrival place and the location of the accommodation. Depending to the address of your accommodation, the taxi will take you directly to the address of the accommodation, and a tutoring student will be welcoming you by the accommodation with your room keys (available only for Ketunpolku apartments) or first to the campus to meet the tutoring student and get you apartment keys and then to your accommodation.

There is no welcoming service available unless you have informed us of you arrival date and time by filling our notification of arrival at the latest two week before your arrival. Note, if a student arrives in the middle of the night (between 22.00 and 06.00), there is no welcoming organized and the student must spend the first night in a hotel. Student Union’s welcoming service is available from:

• mid-August until the end of September (for autumn semester) and
• beginning of January until the end of February (for spring semester).

If a student arrives outside the given times, he / she needs to arrange the accommodation keys and taxi by themselves.

Note: there are no shops in the campus area and that the student restaurant and cafes are only open during school hours. Take this into consideration if you arrive late in the evening or during the weekend to Ketunpolku apartments. Also the airport in Kajaani is small and there are no shops available. There are no ATMs on campus.

Please note also that the student accommodation has no sheets, towels, kitchen ware etc. Note also that not all apartments have a mattress either, so check that before arrival.

Fill in the Notice of Arrival two weeks before your arrival to inform us of your arrival date and time! At the same time, inform us also if you are coming with family members. The link to the form is sent to your KAMK email after you have received the log in information. 

A company called Kajaanin Pietari provides student accommodation in Kajaani. They offer shared accommodation and family apartments. Some of the accommodation is located on campus and other housing is located 1 – 3 km from KAMK campus. Degree students are expected to apply for their own accommodation but KAMK International Office books accommodation automatically for all incoming exchange students after accepting their applications.

Most of the foreign students choose shared accommodation, where they share the apartment with 3–5 other students and have a room on their own. The student accommodation generally has the basic furniture available. However, there are no bed sheets, towels or kitchenware. The rent varies depending on the location from 280 euros / month onwards.

If you choose to rent an apartment without furniture, the apartment will be totally empty  and you need to arrange the furniture yourself.  There is always a fridge and an oven in the apartment though. Also, it may be that there will be no electricity unless separately agreed at the beginning of the stay.

You should not make any travelling arrangements before you have received confirmation of your accommodation. Please apply for accommodation early enough to ensure finding a room, but please note that you shouldn´t apply for accommodation before you have received your residence permit.

Find out more about the student accommodation in Kajaani at www.kajaaninpietari.fi

Gamified Cohousing
It is also possible to choose gamified cohousing. For more information, please visit the following website: Gamified Cohousing Kajaani (aibeo.com)

Kajaanin Pietari

KAMK offers excellent facilities for students to succeed in their studies. We offer all important services on campus:
– Study Office
– International Office
– Library
– Student Union KAMO
– Student restaurants and cafés
– Sport facilities
– Student Welfare Officer

Get to know campus area: kamk.fi -> about KAMK

Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) is located in Kajaani, in the region of Kainuu and in the providence of Oulu. There are approximately 37 000 inhabitants in Kajaani but over 80 000 inhabitants on the overall region of Kainuu. Kainuu region is almost the size of Belgium so there is plenty of space for everyone to live and breath!

Kajaani offers outstanding natural surroundings for a wide range of leisure and sports activities, with modern services – we truly hope that you enjoy your time here!

Settling-in Guide City of Kajaani, International Info

If you are planning to move to Finland and Kajaani with children, see the links below for more information.

City of Kajaani, Multicultural Education Settling-in Guide

The cost of living in Finland is slightly higher than in the other EU countries. The cost of living also varies inside Finland. Take a look at InfoFinland  for more information about  cost of living.

Finding a part-time job in a smaller town such as Kajaani can be very difficult, especially without Finnish language skills. Therefore, it is important to arrange your budget so that you can afford to live in Finland even without a job. In addition to the tuition fee, you will need approximately 700 – 900 euros per month for your own expenses, such as rent, food and other living costs.

Opening a bank account in Finland may take several weeks.  Usually it is also good to be prepared for the costs to be a bit higher at the beginning, when you may have to purchase  household items for your apartment (such as bed clothing, dishes, curtains, carpets, kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment etc) and you might also consider purchasing a bicycle or a car.