How can I tailor my own study path at JYU?
For many international students, the idea of building a personalised study path can feel both empowering and intimidating. Suddenly, you’re not just handed a fixed schedule — you’re given real freedom: freedom to choose your courses, plan your timetable, explore new subjects, and tailor your degree to your interests. But with that freedom also come questions: Where do I start? What if I choose wrong? Who helps me along the way?
At JYU, the flexibility to build your path is paired with strong guidance and support, ensuring that every student can confidently design a study journey that fits their goals.
Many international students like me arrive in Finland excited and full of hopes, with a little bit of fear about future. Suddenly you get to know you are not just choosing some elective courses, you have the chance to design your entire academic journey at JYU.
As an international student myself, I still remember the shock I felt when I discovered that at the University of Jyväskylä, I can plan my own study plan, create my own timetable according to that and even choose most of the courses freely. This was a complete deviation from my bachelor studies, where everything was carefully planned by administration.
JYU’s flexible system puts students in the driver’s seat, guiding them in their own academic journey.
Design your own study plan!
One of the most unique features of JYU is the freedom to design your own study plan. Your first study plan is considered as your primary study plan, and you have the freedom to create more than one study plan within the same degree programme. Then you can later decide which one is the primary and change it if needed. The process is very simple and flexible! This flexibility gives you full control over when, how, and what you study.
Of course, freedom comes with responsibility. Planning your studies can feel challenging at first especially when you are adjusting to a new academic culture. But it also means you have the freedom to shape your degree around your interests and strengths instead of following a fixed route.
However, choosing can sometimes feel scary. Yes, friends and senior students can share their experiences but sometimes you need professional guidance. That’s where course coordinators and international coordinators come to rescue!
Academic support from your HOPS counsellors and international coordinators
Questions like this are completely normal:
- Is this path correct?
- Have I chosen enough credits in my field of interest
- Do I have enough credits?
At JYU, you never have to figure this out alone.
At the beginning of the studies, you are assigned a HOPS adviser who helps and guides you to create your personal study plan. Throughout your degree, your programme provides advice and guidance to help you update and adjust your study plan whenever needed.
In addition to HOPS counsellors, guidance and counselling are provided at the university through group counsellors, group advisors, study counsellors, study advisors, course coordinators, and course teachers. Degree and programme coordinators support students throughout their academic journey. They can help identify suitable courses for your specific field of interest, review and comment on your study plan and ensure that course choices align well with degree requirements.
If you are an international exchange or degree student, you can reach out for international coordinators too. If you are worried about arriving late, adjusting to new academic system, or falling behind, you can always turn to your faculty’s international coordinators for help. They provide guidance on your questions like completing credits within your timeframe, creating or adjusting your study plan, and even exploring exchange opportunities during the degree period.
Group support and learning by doing
Degree programmes also offer group counselling, which helps students connect with their field of study and the academic community. This can take many forms like teacher tutoring, home group activities, or tutor-teacher sessions.
JYU has a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. For subjects that require laboratory work, experiments, or applied training, students can choose courses that actively develop these skills. JYU provides modern facilities, specialised laboratories, and advanced instruments that allow students to move beyond theory and gain real-world experience during their studies.
There are other additional support services, such as study wellbeing courses, the Study Skills Self-Assessment Tool, internationalisation and student exchange guidance, and working life skills and entrepreneurship support.
Having access to this kind of professional guidance makes planning studies at JYU much less stressful and much more empowering.
You are not alone in your journey – enjoy the peer support
Studying is not a solo mission at JYU. There are many study support groups and peer communities to help you stay motivated and connected. These groups bring students together to work on studies, share tips and support each other.
Peer groups like “Orbital” in the chemistry department create a supportive environment where you can study with others and boost your productivity, whether you are working on regular assignments or writing your thesis.
Student events like the “Weekend Thesis Undertaking” offer focused, friendly study sessions with free breakfast and the chance to meet peers from different fields, making academic work feel more social and less stressful.
Open University studies for flexible learning!
JYU’s Open University offers research-based university courses and is open to everyone. International Open University courses are free for JYU degree and exchange students and count toward your credits, giving you extra room to explore topics you’re curious about or to strengthen your academic skills.
This is a great way to boost credits or try new topics that fit into your study path. The process is quite simple: you just choose the courses you want to sign up for and mostly study online.
Extra tip – Open University courses are flexible, and you can often study them alongside your regular degree studies or even use them to strengthen your skills.
Study abroad via exchange opportunities
JYU students quite literally have the world as their classroom. The university offers a wide range of student exchange programmes, allowing to complete part of the degree at partner universities abroad, usually for one semester or even a full academic year.
Exchange opportunities are available through Erasmus+, Nordplus, and bilateral agreements, opening doors to both European and non-European destinations. To make these experiences more accessible, many exchange students also receive financial support such as travel grants, turning this into a truly golden opportunity.
That’s just the beginning! JYU is also part of the FORTHEM Alliance, a network of nine European universities working together to make international opportunities easier, more flexible, and more connected.
Through FORTHEM, students can apply for semester-long exchanges at partner universities, join short-term mobility programmes, complete internships abroad, or take online courses, all while earning credits that count toward their degree.
Make the most of your academic freedom
In summary, support, flexibility and international opportunities go hand in hand at JYU. Students are encouraged to design their own study paths, choose courses that match their interests, and explore learning beyond the classroom and theory!
Whether you choose to study on campus, online, or abroad, JYU gives you the freedom, guidance, and support to shape a study journey that truly fits you. You are in the driving seat, and it is up to you where you land while the people and experiences around you shape your future. So, take the chance and make it a better one.
