Alumni get-together 
“Back to the university”

The University of Tartu invites its alumni back to Tartu on 18 May. The first half of the “Back to the university” day will be filled with reunions at the institutes, tours of the university buildings, lectures by legendary professors and revived student traditions. In the evening, there will be a sing-along in front of the main building, a procession and a party in the sports hall.  

The event welcomes all members of the alumni community who feel a connection to their alma mater and wish to look back on their student years with former fellow students. All friends of the university are welcome.

Programme  

10:00–18:00      Events at the university faculties and units (see below)

10:00–17:30      Brainstorming in Central Park in cooperation with Tartu [pre]opinion festival  

The discussions will focus on the future of the Estonian language, controversies in society, health issues and the credibility of scientists.

18:30–19:00      Rector of the University of Tartu greets the alumni in front of the main building, and Mayor Urmas Klaas hands over power in the city to the alumni for one night  

Followed by a fun sing-along led by the Tartu Academic Male Choir, the academic organisations’ choir Causa Amoris and the female choir of Korp! Indla.

Simultaneous interpretation into English is available and the event is broadcast live on uttv.ee.

19:00–20:00      Procession  

The procession will move from the university’s main building to the sports hall to music by the brass band Popsid.

20:00–04:00     Grand alumni party in the university’s sports hall

The hosts of the evening are Andres Dvinjaninov and Saara Pius. The bands 2 Quick Start, Justament and Popsid will perform at the party and DJ Kalev K will spin records.  
 

BUY TICKET

If you are coming to the reunion with friends, special-rate group tickets are available until the end of April. From 18 to 30 April, you can buy two tickets for 35 euros each, and ten tickets for 30 euros each. The single Eyes-wide-open Tiksu ticket is 45 euros. All these tickets are available at Piletitasku. 

* Tickets are timestamped by Tiksu, the University of Tartu mascot. Legend has it that Tiksu hatched one early morning in 2021 right at the moment of sunrise, which gave it an extraordinary thirst for learning. Read more about Tiksu at ut.ee/en/tiksu. 

More information about the event is shared on the university’s website, Facebook page and Instagram.  
 

NOTE: The programme of the alumni get-together is updated on an ongoing basis, and organisers reserve the right to make changes to it.

Events at faculties and institutes

On the day of the alumni get-together, exciting lectures, tours, exhibitions and much more will take place across the university. You can also book rooms at the institutes to meet your former fellow students or friends.    

To be updated. 

What else can you do on the day of the alumni get-together?    

A day before the get-together, on 17 May, you can attend for free Jam Session, the legendary event hosted by Erasmus Student Network Tartu. The event takes place in Genialistide Klubi at 21:00. Further details will be available at the end of April.

The ticket to the alumni get-together gives you free admission to the Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden, the University of Tartu Museum on Toome Hill and the Art Museum in the main building.    

Free guided tours of interesting university buildings will be available (in Estonian) for registered participants.    

15:30 A tour of the main building (Ülikooli 18) in English for those registered: guided by Ken Ird, Curator at the University of Tartu Museum.  
The tour of the main building takes you to the beautiful classicist assembly hall, the 19th-century lock-up and the art museum and, exclusively, to the senate hall and the council hall.

11:00 A tour of the main building: guided by Stella Porss, Guide at the University of Tartu Museum.  
The tour of the main building takes you to the beautiful classicist assembly hall, the 19th-century lock-up and the art museum and, exclusively, to the senate hall and the council hall.  

13:00 A tour of the Old Observatory: guided by Kärt Soieva, Curator of Educational Activities at the University of Tartu Museum.  
The tour of the Old Observatory takes you to the observatory rooms, where you can take a look at the telescopes used for research.

14:00 A tour of the main building: guided by Ken Ird, Curator at the University of Tartu Museum.  
The tour of the main building takes you to the beautiful classicist assembly hall, the 19th-century lock-up and the art museum and, exclusively, to the senate hall and the council hall.

16:00 A tour of the University of Tartu Museum (Lossi 25): guided by Terje Lõbu, Curator at the University of Tartu Museum. 
A tour at the museum’s permanent exhibition “The University of Our Lives” in the university’s historical library hall offers nostalgia and something to discover for every former student.

15:30 The legendary dormitory at Narva mnt 89, aka Mordor, opens its doors for those registered.  15:00–17:00 An exhibition of the history of the university’s dormitories is open in the lobby.  

12:00–17:00 Those interested can try rodeo bull riding at the Gunpowder Cellar restaurant (Lossi 28). Enjoy 10% off of all menu with the get-together wristband until 18:00.

Register for a Buddy 

If you're an international graduate, we invite you to register for a buddy. Your buddy will be guiding you through the day's activities, including visits to familiar study buildings, lecture halls, and our exciting events. Registering for a buddy will provide you companionship and support throughout the day.

The buddies are current international students from different countries who are also members of the International Student Ambassadors' programme. You can view the members and learn more about them here: https://ut.ee/isa.

Register for a buddy to make the most of your reunion day experience!

Spend the alumni reunion night in the dormitory

If you have nowhere to stay when you come to the alumni get-together, you can make a reservation at Tartu Downtown Hostel (Raatuse 22). You can do so by filling in the form on the website https://tartuhostel.ee/en/.  

If you type the words “Vilistlaste kokkutulek” in the comment box on the form, you will get a discount. The discounted price is 30 euros for a single room and 35 euros for a double room.

Note: The number of beds is limited! 

Donate to the University of Tartu Seventh Pillar Fund

The university invites all alumni to donate to the University of Tartu Seventh Pillar Fund, which aims to support students in their studies and research. When the fund was established, it was named by the then patron of the University of Tartu Foundation Lennart Meri, who referred to the seventh pillar as the pillar of wisdom. Read more and donate on the website of the foundation. 

Back to the university

While you cannot turn back the clock, it is possible to travel back to the past days through memories and reminiscences. It is like time travel to the years spent at the alma mater. To the days full of endless lectures and seminars. To the sleepless nights when you had to prepare for the exam period, for writing and defending the thesis. To student days packed with wild and funny events or to nights spent in the parks and bars of the city.  Come and reminisce about all these moments, your fellow students, the most colourful professors, and what they said. Find your study building and the lecture halls you know, and remember what it was like to be a student. Come back to the university.

Strangely, coming back can also mean moving forward. That’s right – back is forward. How so, you ask. But that’s the way it is when you come back to the university to continue your studies here. Find a continuing education course. Come and earn another degree in a completely new specialisation, or step up the degree you have. Expand your world and social circle even further. The social network you build at the university is what will last. Who knows, you might even be able to change the world by coming back to the university as a mentor, a visiting lecturer, a scholarship initiator or a donor. As an inspiring role model sharing with today’s students and tomorrow’s world-changers the story of what university has given you and how you have put your education into practice. Come and change the tomorrows that lie ahead.

Just think – time in the entire city once used to run according to the clock of the University of Tartu. Today, the clock in the Town Hall tower ticks in its own way, but students’ life here always follows the rhythm of the university's clock.

Come back to the university and see that alma mater’s spirit and soul are in long-past yesterdays, the present moments and the tomorrows yet to come. The bond with your alma mater can never be broken. 

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