In 1971, students founded the Student Housing Foundation of Northern Finland, PSOAS. Oulu was rapidly growing as a student city, and more and more students needed affordable and safe homes. PSOAS was created to meet that need.
55 years later, we provide students with more than 5,000 places to live across the city – in Välkkylä, Linnanmaa, the city centre and several other neighbourhoods.
Growing and developing through the decades
The story of PSOAS is also the story of Oulu. As the city has grown, we have grown with it. We have built new housing, renovated older ones and improved our services to meet the needs of each era.
In the 1970s, our focus was on construction and securing basic housing. In the 1980s and 90s, we expanded and improved the quality of student housing. In the 2000s, digitalisation brought new tools – for example, our OmaPSOAS service helps residents throughout their entire housing journey.
More than housing – building community and shared experiences
PSOAS has never been just a landlord. We are builders of community. Over the years, thousands of students have met neighbours in stairwells, shared everyday moments in common spaces and created friendships that last long after graduation.
We support residents’ wellbeing with services and shared facilities, including shared cars, gyms, club rooms, laundry rooms, and urban garden boxes. We create spaces for connections and community that come alive through everyday encounters, neighbourhood support and the feeling of belonging.
Anniversary Year 2026 – your story is part of ours
This year, we want to celebrate together with you – current, former and future residents, our partners and the wider Oulu community.
Thank you for being part of our story.
Whether you moved in yesterday or lived with PSOAS back in the 1980s, you are part of the community that has made PSOAS what it is today: a reliable, approachable and community‑driven organisation that provides safe homes for students.
PSOAS offers rental apartments for students in Oulu
Learn more about the apartments and areas and fill in the application. PSOAS has shared apartments, studios and bigger apartments.
Read more about the student life at PSOAS and get to know the facts about living, applying and moving in.
News
55 years of homes, community and future – PSOAS Anniversary Year 2026
PSOAS and the University of Oulu launch an international architectural competition for the new Kontinkangas campus
The Game Starts Now! Sort Your Waste Like a True Legend
