This is a list of the universities in Finland. Institutions of higher education are designated as universities by Finnish legislation. Only universities have the right to confer degrees in the categories of alempi korkeakoulututkinto/lägre högskoleexamen (bachelor's degree) and ylempi korkeakoulututkinto/högre högskoleexamen (master's degree) and doctoral degrees.
Finland has also a second system of tertiary education, consisting of the universities of applied sciences (Finnish: ammattikorkeakoulu; Swedish: yrkeshögskola). These institutions were formerly translated as polytechnics. However, since 2006, the official English title has been university of applied sciences, following a series of reforms to align the sector with international higher education standards (see the list of polytechnics in Finland). The universities of applied sciences offer a more practical and professional approach to their education and confer degrees at the bachelor's (ammattikorkeakoulututkinto / yrkeshögskoleexamen) and master's (ylempi ammattikorkeakoulututkinto / högre yrkeshögskoleexamen) levels. In international usage, these degrees have the same names as those conferred by Finnish traditional universities.
The Finnish universities are (sorted by the year of establishment):
| No | Name | Established date | First establishment | Type | Location | Students | Administrative staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Helsinki | 1640 | 1640 | Public | Helsinki | 34,833 | 8,000 |
| 2 | Åbo Akademi University | 1918 | 1918 | Public | Turku and Vaasa | 5,500 | 1,300 |
| 3 | University of Turku | 1920 | 1920 | Public | Turku, Pori | 19,488 | 3,319 |
| 4 | University of Jyväskylä | 1934 | 1863 | Public | Jyväskylä | 14,492 | 2,583 |
| 5 | University of Oulu | 1958 | 1958 | Public | Oulu | 14,221 | 2,852 |
| 6 | University of Vaasa | 1968 | 1968 | Public | Vaasa | 5,048 | 498 |
| 7 | University of Lapland | 1979 | 1979 | Public | Rovaniemi | 4,349 | 633 |
| 8 | University of Eastern Finland | 2010 | 1966 | Public | Joensuu and Kuopio | 15,000 | 2,800 |
| 9 | Aalto University | 2010 | 1849 | Public | Espoo and Helsinki | 18,116 | 4,424 |
| 10 | LUT University | 2019 | 1969 | Public | Lappeenranta and Lahti | 7,770 | 1,380 |
| 11 | Tampere University | 2019 | 1925 | Public | Tampere, Pori and Seinäjoki | 20,600 | 3,550 |
In Finland, there are a few institutions of higher education that have full university status, but which specialize in certain academic fields:
| No | Name | Established date | First establishment | Type | Location | Students | Administrative staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanken School of Economics | 1909 | 1909 | Public | Helsinki, Vaasa | 2,200 | 130 |
| 2 | National Defence University | 1993 | 1919 | Public | Helsinki | 850 | 350 |
| 3 | University of the Arts Helsinki | 2013 | 1848 | Public | Helsinki | 1,993 | 729 |
The National Defence University is not considered a university by Finnish law, although it has the authority to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and to pursue free research, and its rector is a member of the Council of Finnish University rectors. The practical effect of this distinction is minor, and most notable in the administrative organization of the university, which is military instead of civilian.