Laurea awarded quality label for elite athlete friendly higher education institution

Laurea University of Applied Sciences has been awarded the quality label for higher education institutes that support elite athletes. In 2021, the Finnish Olympic Committee launched a quality initiative for HEIs that support elite athletes, with the aim of improving the conditions for elite and professional athletes to pursue higher education while supporting their development in sports. In spring 2025, Laurea participated in an audit process that sought to identify and recognize the quality factors defined for elite athlete friendly universities. Laurea's audit results were announced on September 18 at the Top Phase Dual Career Seminar in Tampere.

Director Jaana Ignatius, responsible for auditing and quality assurance at Laurea, is delighted with the recognition and thanks the committed lecturers, experts, and management who carefully reviewed the university's guidance and study practices to ensure they are suitable for athletes.

- Laurea offers elite athletes flexible and individualized study paths that support both their athletic careers and their transition to working life later on. We are excited to receive recognition for our athlete friendly operating culture and welcome athletes to study with us, says Ignatius.

At accredited higher education institutions, athletes' everyday lives are more functional, and study guidance practices are proven to support the combination of sports and studies.  Higher education institutions that have received the quality label work closely with sports academies in their own regions.

- Laurea's athlete scholarship system is an excellent example of how higher education institutions can target support for their student athletes and utilize them in their communications and marketing, says Jukka Tirri, a specialist in elite student sports at the Olympic Committee.

Higher education institutions that support elite athletes improve opportunities to combine studies and sports

Since 2023, the Finnish Olympic Committee has been auditing higher education institutions and awarding them quality labels for supporting elite athletes. The aim is to build a national operating model that supports athletes' dual careers at the higher education level in the same way as sports high schools and sports upper secondary schools.

Currently, 14 higher education institutions have been awarded the quality label, and a total of 20 HEIs are involved in the process with their sports academy partners. Audits have shown that higher education institutions are strongly committed to developing their activities in line with the needs of athletes – for example, by making study methods more flexible and granting additional time for sports. 

In Tampere, in addition to Laurea, Metropolia and Häme University of Applied Sciences have also received recognition. Other higher education institutions that are supportive of top athletes include Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Jyväskylä, the University of Lapland, and Åbo Akademi University.

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