The university offered undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes with 20,178 degree students and 1,981 employees as of 2016.

The institution was established in 1925 as the Civic College in Helsinki teaching public administration, organisation management and journalism with an inaugural intake of 72 students.

In 1930, a total of 195 students were enrolled at the college and its name was amended to the School of Social Sciences.

The programmes offered by the school grew, such as degrees in social and youth work, librarianship and economics as well as a prison officer's diploma.

By 1960, the number of students had increased to 933 and the School of Social Sciences moved to its new Päätalo main building, designed by Toivo Korhonen, at Kalevantie 4, Tampere.

[2] As of 2017, a tuition fee of approximately 10,000 euros was charged in general from non-European Union/European Economic Area citizens studying in the English-taught master's degree programmes with 50% or 100% cover scholarships available.