When starting your studies

In order to use the IT services provided by the University of Helsinki, you must first have a username. Before receiving an account, your information must be entered in the UH student register.

You can activate the username yourself by using Finnish bank credentials or an electronic ID card.

The most convenient way to get a username is to attend the bi-annual Check in Event for international students. You will also receive a lot of other important information – as well as being able to get answers to any questions you may have on your mind.

You will need an official ID card (passport or ID card) upon acquiring your UH user account.

• Before activating your username, you should read the chapter on user accounts in the Student's digital skills study materials.
• If you have a problem with your username, you can seek advice from the Helpdesk.

Attending the course in information technology and communications, also known as Student's digital skills, is a part of every new student's freshman year. You can take a look at the university's IT services in advance by studying the study material, available for everyone. In addition, the material provides useful information on computer use, data security and information retrieval in an easily understandable format.

• More info on taking the course: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/students-digital-skills/

In the computer facilities, students may use work stations equipped with a wide range of most commonly used basic software, and may print documents within the limits of their printing quotas. Computer facilities are available at every campus. Most places have the option of connecting your own laptop computer to the university's wireless network.

• The IT facilities and services section of the Student's digital skills study material gives a thorough description of services and rules which apply to the computer facilities.
• Further information on the facilities (You need your username to be able to enter Flamma)
• Night use of the computer facilities (in Flamma)
• Further information on printing quotas (in Flamma)
• WLAN connection points

The University of Helsinki is migrating to the Microsoft Office 365 mail and calendar system. The system also contains other applications supporting co-operation.

An e-mail address with the helsinki.fi extension is included with every student's username. You can read your e-mail using any e-mail software or through the browser-based Outlook WebApp (OWA) service.

• More information on using the e-mail service, e-mail software settings and OWA use is available in Student's digital skills study materials on E-mail in the University of Helsinki and from these Helpdesk instructions.
• Information on using and setting up various e-mail programs

Sisu is the tool for all University of Helsinki students. You can use Sisu to plan your studies and draw up your own study calendar. You can also use Sisu to register for courses. 

• You can log in to Sisu at https://sisu.helsinki.fi.
• More information on planning your studies in Sisu is available, for example, in the Student’s Digital Skills material
• Read more about Sisu from Studies service

The Studies service collects together important digital services, content and tools for students. In the Studies service you can for example follow university news and bulletins, search for courses, and find instructions to support your studies. From the Services and tools menu you can easily access other university systems and services. On the My Studies page, you will find your personal calendar and your own course page links. You can also add the contents of the My Studies calendar to your own electronic calendar.

• You can find the Studies service at https://studies.helsinki.fi/
• More information on the Studies service is available in the Student’s Digital Skills material

The IT center has acquired extended licences for many software suites in use at the university, also covering use on the students' own computers. The programs intended for home use may be downloaded through software distribution. The software is only intended for use by the staff and students of the University of Helsinki.

• More information on using the programs at home (in Flamma)
• Instructions for using the software distribution

Some services intended for students, such as e-papers and article databases are only available when used on a computer connected to the university network. It is also possible to utilize these services from home by connecting your computer to the university network using the VPN software. All you need is a connection to the internet and a university username.

• For more information on the University of Helsinki's e-resources and using them can be found in the Student's digital skills study materials, in the section on information retrieval.

Zoom is a video communication service that allows all university staff and students to create meeting rooms and participate in meetings, seminars and conferences in real time through video and sound. Zoom is also suitable for remote teaching. Zoom can be accessed at www.helsinki.fi/zoom. Please read Helpdesk's Zoom instructions.

• Read more about IT services at the University
• The University of Helsinki library services (Instructions for students)

The IT center offers several kinds of IT support to the students and staff. You can contact Helpdesk through chat, phone or e-mail. For more information on Helpdesk services and how to reach them, see the contact page of the instructions site.

Instructions, guides and self help tools for the most common IT related problems have been collected to this instructions site. The site's instructions allow you to sort out problems by yourself in most cases.