 However, this would have required changes to legislation since Universities of Applied Sciences, or polytechnics, are not considered as Universities, in Finland, which can grant licentiate and doctorate degrees.The merger was approved by the Finnish Parliament in December 2017 and came into effect on 1 January 2019.The university commune comprises the new Tampere University and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, of which Tampere University is the major shareholder.