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Application documents for graduate studies

• General information
• Faculty-specific requirements
• Degree certificate
• Temporary degree certificate
• Institution’s Statement Concerning Student’s Expected Date of Graduation
• Anticipated graduation date
• Transcript of records
• Translation of documents
• Officially certified copies

 

General information

Your application must include several documents indicating your eligibility for university studies:

• application form including a motivation letter
• language test
• degree certificate and transcript
• some programmes may require additional documents (e.g. cv, recommendation letter, GRE)

Below you will find detailed descriptions on how to submit the application documents to the University Admissions Finland.

You may apply for as many as three degree programmes/ majors at the University of Helsinki. However, in this case you must submit three fully documented application files (including a signed application form for each). Only those applications that are fully documented can be considered for further processing.

• Read about new country specific-requirements

Faculty-specific requirements

In the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, however, the applicant can submit applications only to two degree programmes and within them only to one major subject. Application enclosures for the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are accepted in English only.

Please note that the Faculty of Social Sciences has its individual admissions requirements for students applying for the Master's level. In addition to the documents above, graduate applicants to the Faculty of Social Sciences must include the following obligatory enclosures with their application: a 500-word summary of the applicant's Bachelor's thesis (about 1.5 standard A4 size pages) written in English.

Degree certificate

A degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has successfully completed all studies included in the degree. The student has graduated. The degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, the name of the person to whom the degree certificate has been issued, and which title or degree the person has been awarded.

Temporary degree certificate

A temporary (or provisional) degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has successfully completed all studies included in the degree. The student has graduated. The temporary degree certificate is issued as a replacement for the actual degree certificate e.g. in case the actual degree certificate cannot be given to the student immediately after the studies have been completed due to technical or administrative reasons. The temporary degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, the name of the person to whom the degree certificate has been issued and which title or degree the person has been awarded.

Institution’s Statement Concerning Student’s Expected Date of Graduation

Usually the anticipated date of graduation on the application form is enough but the faculties may ask the students for a statement from the applicant's home institution on the anticipated date of graduation. This is a document that the institution awards to a student who has not completed all required course units before the application deadline of the University of Helsinki. The student has not yet graduated. If you have not completed all the required course units before the application deadline, you can ask for a statement from your home institution indicating the anticipated date of graduation. The statement should state, among other things, that the student in question is currently studying at the institution and the date the student is expected to graduate.

Anticipated date of graduation

If you are graduating after the application period, you should indicate your anticipated date of graduation on the UAF application form (Educational background section). If you are accepted as a student, your acceptance is conditional until you present the final degree certificate. The degree certificate should be sent to the faculty by the deadline given in the letter of acceptance, usually by the end of July.

Transcript of records

A transcript of records is a document issued by the institution that has issued the degree certificate or the temporary degree certificate. The transcript of records should include the course units that you have completed for the degree, their completion time and the grades and credits awarded. The transcript of records should also include information on the grading scale currently used at the institution. If the degree includes course units that you gave completed in another institution and the transferred credits are not indicated in detail in the transcript of records, a separate transcript of records regarding the transferred credits should be delivered.

Translation of documents

All documents should be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English. The translations of educational documents (or their copies) must satisfy one of the conditions listed below:

1. The translations are issued by the awarding institution.
2. The translations are officially certified copies of the translations issued by the awarding institution.
3. The translations are translated by an official translator.
4. The translations are officially certified copies of the translations made by an official translator.

Please note that all officially certified or attested copies of translations must bear the authentic stamp of the institution that issued the document or a notary public.

Officially certified copies

All copies of original documents must be officially certified (attested) by the awarding institution or a notary public. Please see the country-specific requirements section for further details. Copies of copies will not be accepted. All copies must have the original stamp and signature on them. Please note that all pages of the copy must be stamped separately and clearly indicate:

• The signature of the certifying officer
• The stamp of the awarding institution or notary public
• A stamp stating only "Certified true copy" will not be accepted