The University of Oulu was awarded the Athlete-Friendly Higher Education Institution quality label during a dual-career seminar for high-performance athletes held in Oulu. The University of Oulu thus became the eighteenth higher education institution to pass the audit.

– The audit process strengthened the University of Oulu leadership’s commitment to supporting high-performance athletes in balancing their studies with their sporting careers and raised staff awareness of support practices. Even during the audit process, we implemented several development measures to support high-performance athletes’ studies and ensure a smooth academic experience. The active participation of a student-athlete in the process ensured that their perspectives were taken into account. The audit was an extremely beneficial process for the University of Oulu, which both reinforced current practices and laid the groundwork for the long-term development of our activities, says Johanna Flyktman, quality specialist at the University of Oulu.

An audit team appointed by the steering group for quality development at athlete-friendly higher education institutions identified as a strength of the University of Oulu its comprehensive, student-centred range of guidance services, with the personal tutor model identified by students at its core. One good example of the development initiatives launched during the audit process is a pilot project launched by the Faculty of Medicine in the autumn 2025, in which one person serves as the personal tutor for the faculty’s 20 student-athletes. The long-term collaboration between the University of Oulu and the Ouluseutu Sports Academy, which is based on established cooperation structures and regular interaction, creates favourable conditions for continuous development.

– The project successfully involved athletes in joint events. These events provided an opportunity to hear about peers’ experiences and reflect on them in relation to their own. I believe they were helpful to many in their roles as student-athletes, but above all, they equipped them for the future.  We can already say that the process has strengthened the sense of community among the participating athletes, commented Toni Keränen, a javelin thrower studying business at the University of Oulu.

Athlete-friendly higher education institutions make life easier for student-athletes

The purpose of athlete-friendly higher education institutions is to provide athletes with equal and flexible study opportunities. This is achieved by developing individualised and effective dual-career practices that support success in both sport and academics.

The evaluation of athlete-friendly higher education institutions covers six areas and 23 quality factors related to, among other things, personalised study guidance, flexible study arrangements, the recognition of skills acquired through sport, and cooperation between the institution of higher education and the sports academy. The quality model also aims to facilitate athletes’ transition from upper secondary education to higher education.