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Tampere University Student's Handbook

Student tutors

Tutoring is part of the initial study guidance offered at the Tampere University community. Student tutors are older students from previous cohorts who are trained to help new students on arrival and during the first year of studies. Their job is to help you in adjusting to university life in Tampere and to get off to a good start with your studies. Your tutors can help you with getting to know the campuses and student life, and they can offer you practical advice and support for studying at the university or e.g. regarding the Finnish culture. Please note, however, that tutors are not professional tutors and they offer their help on a voluntary basis.

During the first weeks, your student tutor can help with for example registrations and sign-ups or give you tips on how to get around Tampere the easiest. Your student tutor is often a student studying in the same field as you, making them the perfect expert to tell you about how it is to study in your programme. They also provide a good contact to student associations, and organise many activities that will help you meet new people and find your place in the university community. Please note that the student tutors are your peer students and if you need help with planning your studies, you need to contact e.g. your programme's Education Specialist of Study Advisor. Most of the programmes have academic tutors as well, and these are professionals – often teachers – that can discuss your professional growth with you.

You will be assigned a student tutor during the summer and they will contact you usually by email around the beginning of August at the latest. Your tutor will be working with a tutor pair or a group of tutors. There will usually be 5-15 other new students in your tutor group, all new students in your degree programme, making your tutor group an important source of peer support.

Your tutor group will be most active during the orientation phase but most tutor groups continue to meet throughout the first year of studies. Tutors are also available to answer questions or to find the correct contacts throughout the academic year.

Our student tutoring programme is administered in collaboration between the university, the student union and student associations. Our academic guidance and counselling services, the student union and designated faculty-specific (or degree programme specific) contact persons coordinate the programme. Student associations and guilds organise tutoring activities in close collaboration with the designated contact persons.

Published: 30.1.2019
Updated: 20.3.2024