Do part of your studies abroad
Thank you for your invaluable support!
Our students are highly motivated to go on exchange, but without financial support, it may remain just a dream. International experience is an important part of the degree – for the students and for the school.
Timo Korkeamäki, Dean of the School of Business
International student exchange opens doors to new experiences and unforgettable moments. In addition to academic credits, studies completed abroad provide valuable international skills and lifelong friendships. At the School of Business, around 60 percent of students take the opportunity to complete part of their studies abroad. Exchange destinations span 40 countries around the world.
Donations targeted at student exchange make international studies possible, especially as living costs in many countries have risen significantly. Every student going on exchange from the School of Business receives a grant to support their time abroad.
School of Business alumni Tarja and Tuomo Vuolteenaho experienced the impact of student exchange firsthand. Tarja spent a year in South Carolina, while Tuomo completed his doctoral studies in Chicago. Now living in the United States, the couple has pledged to match – euro for euro – all donations made by individuals to student exchange at the School of Business by the end of 2025.
The promise also applies to donations made through a company in which the donor holds at least 50% ownership. ‘We want to give back to the communities that have helped us and our loved ones grow and thrive, both in our careers and in life. Education and its advancement are causes close to our hearts,’ say the Vuolteenahos.
Companies are also supporting student exchange. A €200,000 donation from Nokian Tyres is helping many School of Business students realise their dream of studying abroad. One of the beneficiaries of the Nokian Tyres and Jukka Moisio scholarships is finance student Mitja Laakkonen, who spent an unforgettable exchange term at Columbia University in New York in the fall of 2024.
‘Studying business in the world’s business capital was both an amazing and eye-opening experience. The courses were interactive and challenging, pushing me outside my comfort zone in the best possible way,’ Laakkonen says.
‘Growing up in rural Finland, it felt surreal to live among the skyscrapers of Manhattan, walk through Central Park on my way to class and immerse myself in the rhythm of a metropolitan. Without the scholarship, the whole experience would have been out of reach due to the high cost of living in New York.’
Recent supporters of student exchange at the School of Business also include the Business and Economics Alumni Association, the Emilie and Rudolf Gesellius Foundation and many individual donors.
Text: Marjukka Puolakka
School of Business International Student Exchange
School of Business International Student Exchange
Join us in helping our students gain crucial international expertise by donating to the School of Business International Student Exchange!