Type Public Rector Mikko Hupa Students 7,941 Founded 1918 Phone +358 2 21531 Affiliation Coimbra Group | Established 1918 Administrative staff 1,127 Location Turku, Finland Total enrollment 7,941 (2004) Chancellor Ulrika Wolf-Knuts Color Red and Yellow | |
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Address Tuomiokirkontori 3, 20500 Turku, Finland Notable alumni Li Andersson, Stefan Wallin, Carl Haglund, Ulla‑Lena Lundberg, Lars Sund Similar University of Turku, University of Helsinki, University of Tampere, University of Vaasa, Novia University of Applie | ||
bo akademi university exchange experience
Åbo Akademi University (Swedish: Åbo Akademi [ˈoːbu akadeˈmiː]) is the only exclusively Swedish language university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) and is said to have one of the most prestigious business programs in the world. As of 2004, there are 7 941 students and a staff consisting of 1 125 people. The university has activities not only in Turku, but also in Vaasa, Jakobstad, Helsinki and on Åland. Åbo Akademi was a private institution until 1981, when it was turned into a public institution.
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Åbo Akademi should not be confused with the Royal Academy of Åbo, which was founded in 1640, but moved to Helsinki after the Turku fire of 1827 and is today known as the University of Helsinki.
Åbo Akademi was founded by private donations in 1918 as the third university in Finland, both to let Turku again become a university town and because it was felt that the Swedish language was threatened at the University of Helsinki. The Finnish University of Turku was founded in 1920, also by private donations and for similar reasons.
As the only uni-lingually Swedish multi-faculty university in the world outside Sweden and consequently the only one in Finland, Åbo Akademi University is responsible for higher education for a large proportion of the Swedish-speaking population. This role has many implications for education and research as well as for the social environment. As there are few students in most subjects, cooperation between faculties and with other universities is very important.
A significant minority of the students are Finnish-speaking. While Turku in itself is mostly Finnish, the university provides a strong Swedish environment. Most of the students, regardless of original language, will be functionally bilingual when finishing their studies.
The university has a policy that non-Swedish speaking applicants from the Nordic countries are required to participate in a Swedish language test, in order to prove their ability to successfully study in Swedish. Applicants from non-Nordic countries can, however, choose between Swedish or English language tests.
bo akademi university
Organisation
The university consists of four faculties:
In addition, there are several other units and joint programs, such as:
When the university was turned into a public institution the foundation Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi remained. Besides maintaining many of the university buildings, it is also a significant donor. Because of new legislation regarding higher education, it is planned to turn universities in Finland into semi-private institutions.