For new students

Are you starting your studies? As a new degree student in higher education you are welcome to use our services at the FSHS. We are here to support your health and well-being throughout your studies.

We provide primary-level general and mental health services, oral health services and look after well-being in student communities nationwide.

Students by the river and the text "Welcome to the FSHS services".

On this page, we have collected useful information about using our services.

Register as present for the semester

You can use our services if you’re studying towards a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a higher education institution in Finland and you have registered as an attending student for the semester. The right to use services is valid according to each attended semester and it starts earliest on the first day of each semester. The autumn semester runs from 1 August to 31 December and the spring semester from 1 January to 31 July.

Please note that the information regarding your enrollment will be transferred to us from your higher education institution with a delay of approximately 1-3 days.

International exchange students not completing a degree at a Finnish higher education institution are not entitled to use FSHS services.

Read more about who can use FSHS services.

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When you want to contact us

When you need us, you can call one of our nationwide service numbers or contact us via the Self online service by either using its chat feature or by completing a service form suitable for your symptoms.

A healthcare professional will contact you to assess your need for treatment and its level of urgency. Depending on your needs, you may be referred to our remote services, local services, or be given self-care instructions.

Please note that due to data protection we cannot answer treatment-related questions by e-mail or via social media channels.

We will inform you about possible exceptions in service times or disruptions in our service lines on our website.

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A video tip: the short animation Using FSHS services (2022)

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Local services across Finland

Our local services are available in nearly all study towns nationwide. We provide services at either our own service units or via a partner unit.

Your primary service unit is the one in the town where you’re studying. Service units operated by partners are only for students studying in these towns.

Appointments for all FSHS services and partners’ service units are always made at the FSHS through our assessment of the need for treatment.

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A wide range of digital services

We’re providing more and more services remotely. Most of these services can be found in the Self online service. Start using Self as soon as you begin your studies!

In Self you can for example reschedule or cancel your appointments, manage your personal information or complete health and service forms. You can also use Self to access remote appointments.

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A video tip: the short animation The Self online service (2022)

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Pay the healthcare fee to Kela

The healthcare fee for students in higher education that students pay to Kela covers all FSHS services. Please remember that you must pay the health care fee to Kela for each semester umprompted. Kela does not send a bill for the fee.

Any more specific questions about the healthcare fee should always be addressed directly to Kela, which is the authority responsible for collecting the fee.

We at the FSHS do not charge fees for appointments or our other services (except a fee for unattented appointments that you haven’t cancelled in time).

If your social security is covered by another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland (instead of Finland), you may not have to pay the healthcare fee. In this case, be prepared to show a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) when you use FSHS services. You need to present the card before each remote appointment or local appointment. Please check instructions for presenting your card on our website.

Also deliver a copy of the card to Kela according to Kela’s own instructions.

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Reschedule or cancel your appointment in time

If you cannot make it to your appointment, please remember to reschedule or cancel it no later than 24 hours prior to the appointment in the Self online service or by calling our phone service. This way you avoid paying the fee for unattended appointments.

The fee for unattended appointments concerns all appointments and examinations, both at FSHS´s own service units and our partner service units. It also applies, for example, to remote appointments, laboratory visits and vaccination visits.

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You will be able to answer the HealthStart questionnaire within your first academic year

The health examination for first-year students begins with the HealthStart questionnaire in our Self online service. After completing the questionnaire you’ll receive an assessment on the state of your health. If necessary, based on your answers, you will be referred for an in-person or remote consultation. You may also get useful health promotion tips.

If you have begun studiyng towards your first degree at a higher education institution, the HealthStart questionnaire will appear in the Self online service within your first academic year. If you update your contact information in Self immediately after the semester has started, you will get a personal invitation to complete HealthStart by SMS. We will also inform you on our news channels when the questionnaire is available to you.

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A video tip: the short animation HealthStart (2022)

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Familiarise yourself with our group activities

During the semesters, we arrange various preventive and treatment groups, both remotely and at our service units. In a group you can get support for your health and life management.

You can discuss attending a group with your nurse or doctor. For some groups you can register yourself.

Most of the groups are held in Finnish, but there are also plans for some individual groups held in Swedish or English.

Please note! The groups for the fall semester 2024 will be published on our website by the end of the summer.

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Join our student events

We carry out study community work together with students, institutions of higher education and student associations. You’ll meet us at various student events online and on campuses during the academic year.

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Check out the Health Information section on our website

You will find useful health information and tips to promote your well-being in the Health information section on our website.

The Health information section has, among other things, a search engine to access our Health information resource. It contains a large number of articles on different aspects of a student’s health.

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A video tip: the short animation Health information online (2022)

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Follow news on our website and our social media channels

We regurlarly publish news and information bulletins with current information at yths.fi/en/news. Start also following us on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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Watch our video presentation for new students

Unfortunately, due to some update work, the video is not available right now, but a new video will be available in August 2024. Until then, you can read the same information in text form on this page.

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