For Elite Athlete

A dual career means developing your expertise simultaneously as both a student and an athlete. We support you in planning your studies so that you can progress towards your degree while pursuing your sporting goals. Laurea’s elite athlete friendly status reflects our commitment to supporting student athletes throughout their studies.

If you are a member of a sports academy affiliated with the Olympic Committee or a professional athlete, you can receive support in balancing your studies and athletic career. Whenever possible, the demands of your sporting career, such as competitions, training camps and intensive training periods, can be taken into account when planning your studies.

How to Register as a Student Athlete

To ensure that we can support you effectively, identify yourself as a student athlete as early as possible after starting your studies.

1. Indicate your athlete status in the initial assessment of the career planning study unit.
2. Apply to join Urhea or the sports academy in your region.
3. Urhea will notify Laurea of your athlete status. If you are a member of another sports academy, or if you do not wish to join an academy, please contact the Head of Student Affairs.
4. Your athlete status will be recorded in Pakki.
5. You will receive information about services and guidance available to student athletes.

Personal Study Plan (PSP) for Student Athlete

Your studies are completed according to a Personal Study Plan (PSP). The starting point for your PSP is always the curriculum of your degree programme. Within this framework, you can build an individual learning path that supports both your studies and your athletic career. You are responsible for planning your studies and keeping your PSP up to date.

Inform your teacher tutor about your athletic career at the beginning of your studies. The better your sporting commitments are understood, the easier it is to plan your studies in advance. Your PSP helps you structure your studies, schedule your workload, and prepare for more demanding competition and training periods.

If you are unable to study during a particular semester, you can enrol as absent for up to two semesters (one academic year) from the beginning of your second term of study, without a specific reason. These semesters do not need to be consecutive. Voluntary absence terms do not consume your study entitlement.

If you are unable to complete your degree within the study entitlement period, you may apply for discretionary extension on the basis of your dual career. Your application must include a realistic plan for completing your studies during the extension period.

Recognition of Learning (RPL)

You may be able to use existing competence relevant to your degree as part of your studies at Laurea. Competence can be recognised through two procedures:

• Credit transfer, based on equivalent higher education studies completed elsewhere.
• Competence demonstrations, through which you can demonstrate learning acquired outside formal studies, for example through sport, work experience or leisure activities.

Your teacher tutor can help you identify and articulate your competence. Additional support is available from the Head of Student Affairs and teachers responsible for competence demonstrations. You may also benefit from workshops offered by Career Services on recognising and describing your skills and expertise.

Flexible Ways to Acquire Competence

You may enrol in study units offered in other Laurea degree programmes, subject to any prerequisites and admission criteria. Through cross-institutional study opportunities, you can complete studies at another higher education institution. You can also develop degree-related competence through projects, development initiatives and international exchange studies.

Work-based learning offers an alternative way to acquire competence. It enables you to support your professional development, accelerate your studies and progress more efficiently towards graduation. Through work-based learning, you intentionally develop degree-related competence, for example through your athletic career. You can either complete curriculum-based study units through this process or create a personalised study unit with individually defined learning outcomes.

All UAS degrees include placement that develops professional competence. If you already possess the required competence, you may apply for recognition through:

• Credit transfer (if the training was completed in previous higher education studies), or
• A competence demonstration (for example, competence gained through your athletic career).

If completing placement on a full-time basis is not possible, it may be arranged on a part-time basis over a longer period. Practical training can also be completed partly or entirely abroad.

Flexible Arrangements in Study Units

As a recognised student athlete, you may be eligible for flexible study arrangements. Familiarise yourself well in advance with attendance requirements, assignment deadlines and alternative assessment methods. If necessary, discuss with the study unit teacher how you can achieve the learning outcomes while accommodating your sporting commitments.

Examples of flexible arrangements include:

• Individual study scheduling
• Extended assignment deadlines
• Flexible examination arrangements
• Opportunities for remote participation
• Individual assignments instead of group work
• Flexible placement arrangements

Please note that the availability of these arrangements may vary between degree programmes. If you need support in negotiating arrangements, contact the Head of Student Affairs.

Guidance

Your teacher tutor is your primary advisor throughout your studies. In addition, you can seek guidance from the Head of Student Affairs regarding matters related to the dual career.

Urhea contact persons work together with sports schools, sports academies and the Finnish Olympic Committee to support the successful combination of sport and higher education studies.

Contact persons:

• Your teacher tutor
• Study unit teachers
• Hanna Naarmala, Head of Student Affairs (all fields)
• Tomas Illman, Urhea contact person (business administration, business information technology and service programmes)
• Riikka Saukkola, Urhea contact person (social services and health care programmes)

You will also receive support for student wellbeing and any special needs.

Cooperation with Urhea

Laurea works closely with Urhea (the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Sports Academy). Urhea is intended for athletes who compete at, or are working towards, an international level after completing comprehensive school.

As a Laurea student athlete, you may apply for Urhea membership regardless of your campus location. If you wish, you may instead join your own regional sports academy.

As a member of a sports academy, you gain access to services, networks and benefits that support both your sport and your studies. In addition to the benefits listed on the Urhea website, Laurea’s Urhea students may use training facilities at Kameleonten Hall in Leppävaara. For more information, please contact the Head of Student Affairs.

Athlete scholarship

Each year, Laurea supports a small number of student athletes with scholarships of approximately €1,000–1,500. Priority is given to applicants who demonstrate goal-oriented athletic commitment, financial need and strong academic progress.

Applications are submitted in October, and information is published in the Student Intranet. The exact application period and application link will be announced on this page well in advance.

In 2026 the scholarship application period is 12–23 Oct.