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PSOAS offers students a new way to get to know Oulu

Julkaistu 27.04.2012

15th of Oulu's '100 acts' is an international student house

There are hundreds of international university students in Oulu. However, the majority of foreign degree students leave Finland immediately after graduating. Hopefully, in the future, more of these will stay and enrich the Oulu region with their knowledge and skills, thanks to the PSOAS international student house!

The international student house of the Student Housing Foundation of Northern Finland (PSOAS) has been selected as the 15th of Oulu's '100 Acts'. The construction of the halls of residence to be located near the centre on Lasaretinväylä has started, and the work is due to be completed in March 2013. The purpose of the building project, which is one of a kind in Finland, is to create a new kind of meeting place that will enable international degree students to feel more at home in Finland and possibly also encourage them to stay in the area after their studies.

This act will hopefully also enrich the urban culture of Oulu. The majority of the city's foreign students currently study and live on the Linnanmaa campus, and are rarely seen in the city centre.

Meeting place for local students, too

When completed, the international student house will serve as a meeting place for Finnish and international students.

New kinds of common areas and auxiliary service concepts will be incorporated in the halls of residence. For example, in 2013, students in Oulu will have access to a cyber-launderette, and an international cafe restaurant will serve as a backdrop for grassroots cultural exchange. There will also be a living room shared by the residents on each floor.

The intention is also to make use of modern colour schemes in the building, and to incorporate new kinds of decorative elements. Half of the students at the international student house will be Finnish and half will be international degree students.

The contractor of the PSOAS international student house is Hartela-Forum. As the result of a naming competition, the new building will be called Aurora.

More information:

Juha Aitamurto, CEO, PSOAS, tel: +358 44 7573151, e-mail: juha.aitamurto@psoas.fi.

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Oulu’s ‘100 Acts’ programme brings the municipalities of the Oulu region together and gives everyone the chance to turn the spotlight on worthy actions that take us forward. Take a look at the ‘100 Acts’ programme and submit your own project or candidate, at www.oulu.com/100tekoa