Summer Session
What is NSU’s summer session?
The week-long Summer Session is the yearly culmination of NSU’s activities where all circles hold their symposia at a shared location. The session takes place at a location in the Nordic or Baltic countryside, usually at the end of July. Study circles work during the day and in the evening, numerous social and cultural events take place.
One of the key values of NSU is that families with children can participate at the summer sessions. NSU therefore provide what we call a Children’s Circle for participants who are between three and thirteen years old.
Important information for the Summer Session 2025
Location: Jyväskylä, Finland.
Dates: 21–28 July, 2025.
Dates to keep in mind:
January 15: Calls for proposals out with prices
March 15: Early bird tickets ends
April 15: Deadline for applying for scholarship.
April 21: Scholarships are allocated
May 15: Deadline for registration and payment through the webshop
A typical day in the summer session
- 07:30-08:00 Morning Exercise
- 08:00-09:00 Breakfast
- 9:00-10.30 Study circle activities
- 10.30-11.00 Fika/Coffee
- 11.00-12.30 Study circle activities
- 12.30-14.00 Lunch
- 14.00-15.30 Study circle activities
- 15.30-16.00 Fika/Coffee
- 16.00-17.00 Keynote/NSU workshops, assemblies, meetings and discussion
- 17.00-17.30 Break
- 17.30-18.30 Meetings/No program
- 18.30-20.00 Dinner
- From 20.00 Cultural Program
Example of the price list from 2024:
The price range for the full week including lodging, meals and the program will be from 175 EUR to 675 EUR.
- 175 EUR — grant/scholarship receivers. While applying you need to express your need for support.
- 425 EUR for those who bring their own tent. We will have a camping area.
- 475 EUR — a bed in a glamping tent for 6 people.
- 575 EUR — a bed in a twin/double room.
- 675 EUR — single room.
Bigger family rooms are also available at different sizes and prices. Children aged 0–4 are welcome free of charge. Fee for children aged between 4 and 12 is 250 EUR. Contact arrkom@nsuweb.org for detailed information.
How to take part in the summer session
To attend, you need to apply to one of the Study Circles of Nordic Summer University (see list below). Once you have identified the study circle you want to participate in, you need to respond to their call of proposals before the deadline.
When your participation has been confirmed by the coordinators of your study circle, you will need to send in the payment for the summer session. You will then be able to make your own travel arrangements.
Do you have a partner or family you would like to bring? No problem. Just make sure you choose the right type of accommodation and that you cover their costs when you proceed with payment on the NSU website.
Nordic Summer University 2025 Study circles
- Circle 1: Place of Heritage in Interdisciplinarity (2023-2025)
- Circle 2: Cybioses – life in the future imperfect (2023-2025)
- Circle 3: The Praxis of Social Imaginaries. Cosmologies, Othering and Liminality (2023-2025)
- Circle 4: An/Other\not-I/(m)\Other in Feminist Philosophy (2024-2026)
- Circle 5: Ecology of Transformative Learning Practices With/In A More-than-human World (2025-2027)
- Circle 6: What is critical about critical theory? Bridging the gap between social science and philosophy (2025-2027)
- Circle 7: Act, React & Reflect: Meta-perspectives on climate change knowledge (2025-2027)
- Circle 8: Queer Materialism (2025-2027)
- Circle 9: Degrowth and Exnovation (2025-2027)
- Ad Hoc: Decolonising the Anthropocene through Artistic Research (2025)
How to get financial help to attend
If you have institutional support or another type of funding, we ask you that you use it to attend our week-long summer university. If you do not, NSU offers a scholarship option for which the participants at the Summer Session can apply — more information here
To ensure that the Summer Session runs smoothly, there will be an Arrangement committee (Arrkom) at the site who will take care of NSU’s participants. The committee can be contacted with any questions or queries at arrkom@nsuweb.org. Please be aware that NSU is fully run by volunteers.