Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Life Sciences
Turku UAS is a multi-branch university of applied sciences in Southwest Finland. It offers practice-oriented education that develops professional skills, with a strong emphasis on working life collaboration and applied research.
Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku AMK, has about 10,000 students and 700 staff and works from several sites in Turku, with the main address on Joukahaisenkatu. Turku is the old capital of Finland, a harbour city on the south-west coast, with a castle, a river through the centre and a big archipelago in front of it. The institution offers practical degrees in technology, health, business and culture.
Information technology and mechanical engineering are the main technical areas, together with life sciences, electronics, construction and logistics. Turku has a shipbuilding tradition, and cruise ships built at the local yard are among the largest in the world, so engineering students find placements in marine design, automation and manufacturing. The Turku region also has a cluster of biotechnology and diagnostics companies, and life science students work with them.
Degrees take three and a half to four years and include internships and a thesis, usually written for a company or a development project. The institution develops projects with partners in robotics, digital services, maritime technology and health technology. A strong regional network gives students access to employers, and there are cooperation agreements with universities in Europe and Asia for exchange.
Tuition is free for EU and EEA students, while non-EU students pay fees for degree programmes in English. Several bachelor programmes, for example in engineering and information technology, are offered in English, and the national admissions portal opens in January for these. Finnish programmes require a good command of Finnish.
Turku is cheaper than Helsinki, with student housing available through a foundation and a lively river culture in summer. It is easy to reach Stockholm by overnight ferry. About 45,000 people have graduated from Turku AMK and its predecessors, and many work in the regional marine and manufacturing industries.
Domains taught:
Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Logistics, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Close cooperation with businesses and organizations in the Turku region, including the maritime and technology industries. It has over 300 partner universities abroad for student and staff exchange.
Research:
Applied research is conducted in four key areas: circular economy, intelligent services and data, maritime and technology industries, and health and well-being. The focus is on creating practical solutions for regional needs.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
700
Current students***:
10000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
45000
Pros
Strong connection to the regional economy, especially maritime and tech sectors; modern learning environments like the EduCity campus; focus on developing concrete professional skills.
Cons
The campus is somewhat spread out; less emphasis on theoretical research compared to the neighbouring University of Turku.
Best For
Students who want a practical and professional higher education with strong links to the technology and maritime industries in the Turku area.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of electrical and electronics and software engineering can consider Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, and it is larger, enrolling about 16,500 students against roughly 10,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Tampere University of Applied Sciences takes a similar route through mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics and software engineering, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and mba programmes.
LUT University shares the core fields of this university, namely mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics and software engineering; it also offers doctoral programmes and covers industrial design and chemistry as well.
Think of University of Turku when life sciences and software engineering is the priority: it is larger, enrolling about 21,900 students against roughly 10,000 here, and is also a public institution.
A good alternative in the same country is Aalto University, which likewise covers electrical and electronics, software engineering and engineering; it is slightly larger, at about 12,000 students against roughly 10,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Strathclyde brings a the United Kingdom setting to the same core fields, manufacturing, mechanical engineering and electrical and electronics, and it also offers doctoral programmes and covers AI and machine learning as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on life sciences and engineering is University of Newcastle Australia in Australia, and it is far larger, with about 36,244 students against roughly 10,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Milwaukee School of Engineering brings a the United States setting to the same core fields, manufacturing, mechanical engineering and electrical and electronics, and it is far smaller, with about 3,000 students against roughly 10,000 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
Looking internationally, PSG College of Technology in India is where manufacturing, mechanical engineering and electrical and electronics get a comparable treatment; it also offers doctoral programmes and covers AI and machine learning as well.
University of Macau in Macau is the nearest foreign match on electrical and electronics, life sciences and software engineering; it also offers doctoral programmes and covers finance and telecommunications as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Turku University of Applied Sciences?
The main address is Joukahaisenkatu 3 in Turku, on the south-west coast of Finland.
How large is it?
About 10,000 students and 700 staff.
What can you study there?
Information technology, mechanical engineering, electronics, construction, logistics, life sciences, health, business and culture.
How long are the degrees?
Bachelor degrees take three and a half to four years and include internships and a thesis.
Are programmes available in English?
Yes, several bachelor programmes in engineering and information technology are offered in English.
Is tuition free?
Yes for students from the EU and EEA. Non-EU students pay fees for degree programmes in English.
When do you apply?
The national admissions portal opens in January for English-taught programmes.
What industries are nearby?
Shipbuilding and marine technology, manufacturing, biotechnology and diagnostics.
Is Turku affordable?
Yes. It is cheaper than Helsinki, and student housing is available through a student housing foundation.
How do you get to Stockholm?
There is an overnight ferry between Turku and Stockholm.
Circular Economy, Health Sciences, Information Technology (IT), Innovation, Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Development, User-Centered Design
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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