Combining goal-oriented sports and higher education studies is possible at KAMK. We have student-athletes studying in a wide range of degree programmes. We actively support the integration of sports and studies, and your personal support contact is the Dual Career Tutor for student-athletes.
The Olympic Committee has granted KAMK the Elite Athlete Friendly University quality label in 2025.
The Dual Career Tutor:
- Coordinates and supports student-athletes from different fields of study, provides guidance, and listens to their needs related to academic progress and well-being.
- Understands the specific needs of athletes and helps incorporate them into the student’s personal study plan.
- Acts as a link between degree programmes, tutor teachers, and study counsellors. Student-athletes remain members of their own degree programme and year group.
- Serves as a liaison with the sports academy, participates in student selection processes, and assists with study planning.
Student-Athlete Dual Career Tutors
Vuokatti-Ruka Sports Academy
As a member of the Vuokatti-Ruka Sports Academy, you are entitled to separately agreed benefits related to training facilities and, in some cases, coaching services. Depending on your degree programme, you may also earn 5–15 ECTS credits by recognising and accrediting your own athletic training as part of your studies. This allows the competencies gained through your sports career to be included in your degree. Credits can also be earned through activities undertaken in a coaching role within the academy.
In Kajaani, the regional academy operations of the Vuokatti-Ruka Sports Academy are organised through the Kajaani Sports Campus. Students who belong to the Sports Academy receive an academy access wristband from the City of Kajaani, allowing free use of public sessions, open training times, and gym facilities at the city’s sports venues.
Available facilities include: Kaukavesi Swimming Facility, two ice arenas and the Kajaani Sports Hall, that features a gymnastics facility, an indoor sprint track, a gym, a mirrored studio, athletics facilities, a tatami area and various sports courts and fields. Additionally, KAMK’s affordable sports pass provides access to the campus’s well-equipped gym.
In Vuokatti, academy athletes can purchase discounted season passes for the facilities of Vuokatti Sport and Vuokatti Arena, offering excellent training conditions. Facilities include: two gyms, two ice hockey rinks, indoor training facilities at Vuokatti Hall and a dedicated gymnastics hall. For Nordic skiing disciplines, an early-season ski track made with stored snow is available from October onwards.
You can apply to the Vuokatti-Ruka Sports Academy through continuous admission regardless of your sport. If you wish to participate in group coaching, the Kajaani Sports Campus offers morning coaching sessions in ice hockey, football, floorball, competitive aerobic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, dance and swimming. In addition, coaching groups in Vuokatti are available for cross-country skiing, biathlon, orienteering, swimming, ice hockey and Finnish baseball (pesäpallo).
In Kajaani, academy coaching is provided by the local sports clubs Kajaanin Hokki, Kajaanin Haka, Papas ry, Kajaani Dance and Kajaani Gymnastics. These clubs also offer training opportunities and work placements, particularly for students in sports and physical education-related fields.