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Contact informationAdmissions services

admissions@helsinki.fi

Tel. (+358-9-) 191 24140 (customer service)
P.O.Box 3, FI-00014 University of Helsinki
Street address: Fabianinkatu 33, 1st floor

Opening hours

Terminology

How to Apply?

Anticipated graduation date

The institution’s statement on an anticipated graduation date is a document the student’s home institution awards to a student who has not yet completed all the required course units before the application deadline. In other words, 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 of this kind from your home institution. The statement should indicate among other things that the student in question is currently studying at that institution and when the student is expected to graduate.

Application feedback

You will receive an e-mail notification when your application, with the enclosed documents, has been screened at University Admissions Finland. If necessary, a request to supplement the application will be sent to you. You will be able to supplement your application for 14 days after the notification.

Application form

The information you have given during the application period on your My UAF user account will be compiled into a PDF-format document, which will turn into your Application Form when you print it out and sign and date it. Only an Application Form sent via mail or by a courier service is considered as an application. Please make sure that your application package reaches University Admissions Finland (located in Helsinki) by the end of the application period at 16.15/4:15 pm (GMT+2). Late applications will not be processed.

Authenticity of educational certificates

University Admissions Finland evaluates eligibility and authenticity of your educational certificates. This procedure includes e.g. contacting your previous educational institution and the language test organiser. Any malpractice will be reported to the universities and proper authorities.

CEF language skill levels

The Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions which can be divided into six levels:

A Basic Speaker

  • A1 Breakthrough or beginner
  • A2 Waystage or elementary

B Independent Speaker

  • B1 Threshold or intermediate
  • B2 Vantage or upper intermediate

C Proficient Speaker

  • C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced
  • C2 Mastery or proficiency

Credit transfer

The appropriate faculty and/or department make the decisions on credit transfer on the basis of individual evaluation of the student's previous university coursework. Pleased note that because the Master’s degree is a higher academic degree, no coursework included in the student's lower (Bachelor’s or equivalent) degree can be integrated through credit transfer into the Master’s degree.

Degree certificate

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

Diploma supplement

Degree certificates are accompanied by the diploma supplement that describes in detail the contents of the student's degree. The purpose of this supplement is to improve the international comparability of degrees and facilitate mobility for either further studies or employment.

ECTS

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainments and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. ECTS credits are awarded for successfully completed study performances (lectures, examinations, seminars, etc.). One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS credits that are equivalent to 1500-1800 hours of studies in all countries irrespective of standard or qualification type and is used to facilitate transfer and progression throughout the Union. Click here for a table of ECTS use in various European countries. (Source: Wikipedia)

English language tests

The acceptable language tests of English are:

  • TOEFL
  • IELTS
  • CAE or CPE
  • National Certificate of English Language Proficiency by the Finnish National Board of Education
  • University of Helsinki Language Services' English Language Tests
  • More information on language requirements

Entrance examinations

Entrance examinations are usually only for students who apply for undergraduate programmes and who are going to complete a full Bachelor's degree at the University of Helsinki. As a rule, the language of the entrance examinations is Finnish and/or Swedish.

An entrance examination is a written, subject-related test with one or several books to read. Admission is based on the ranking order of points obtained on the examination. All accepted students must have obtained the minimum number of points required for admission. The minimum point requirements are defined by the Admissions Board of the Faculty in question. All examinations are held from late May to mid-June in Helsinki only.

Exchange student status

If you are currently studying at a university outside of Finland, you can apply to the University of Helsinki to study for an academic year or one term. The key to any kind of student exchange is that you can transfer the credits you have earned in Helsinki back to your home university.

The bilateral student exchanges are based on an agreement made between your home university and the University of Helsinki. The University of Helsinki also has multilateral agreements, such as ISEP (with the U.S.A.) and Erasmus (within EU/EEA). See the Exchange students website for more information.

Finnish studies

To qualify for the Finnish Language and Culture degree programme, you should have proficiency in Finnish. As the major is a philological programme, the starting level is very high. To have realistic chances in the entrance examination, which is the only avenue to Finnish Language and Culture studies, you must be comfortable with your Finnish as well as to have pursued the systematic studies of the Finnish language.

Information on non-degree/open-enrolment language courses, you will find on the Language Services website and on the Helsinki Summer University website. Various informative links on culture and entertainment as well as on studying Finnish or Swedish you will find on the Opintoluotsi service. For self-access courses on the Web, see also Learn Finnish and Easyfinnish.

Please note that participation in open-enrolment or non-degree courses does not give student status and cannot therefore be given as grounds for gaining a student visa or residence permit.

Grading

The University of Helsinki uses a grading scale containing six levels from zero (0 = fail) to five (5 = excellent). Traditions are being upheld in the grading of the Master’s thesis, which is graded on a scale using the Latin language. See the table on the comparison of various grading scales used European countries.

Graduate applicant

Graduate applicants are students who have completed the lower academic degree: i.e. they are holders of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. As a rule, the Bachelor’s degree requires three to four years of full-time university studies. It normally contains at least one major subject, one minor subject and several modules of compulsory studies or it might also consist of two major subjects, depending on the field(s) studied. Generally, a Bachelor's thesis is also included.

International Master's Degree Programmes

The International Master's Degree Programmes (IMDPs) are fully programmes offered fully in English. IMDPs have been brought about by the reformed degree system of the University of Helsinki. All IMDP programmes lead to a standard European Master’s degree. IMDPs can be multidisciplinary or field-specific.

Letter of acceptance

The faculty that admits an applicant sends the letter of acceptance in regular air mail. Depending on the individual Faculty’s schedule, the letter of acceptance is sent in April, May or June.

Letter of rejection

Applicants who are rejected receive a letter of rejection in regular mail or by e-mail. The letter indicates the reasons for rejection as well as gives information on how to appeal against the decision. However, it should be pointed out that the appeal must include cogent and concrete evidence on a mistake made in the processing of the student’s application file or on unfair treatment in the grading of the entrance examination. Applications that have not been attached with the requested enclosures are automatically rejected and do not justify an appeal.

Mailing the application and documents

The Application Form and the required enclosures must be sent first to University Admissions Finland for screening (unless otherwise stated). On the application form, you will be given a personal check list indicating the required application enclosures for the degree programme you have chosen.

Motivation letter

The motivation letter is a section on the application form. Depending on your chosen programme, this can be an open-ended letter or you are asked to answer specific questions related to the major. Please note that applicants who have not written the motivation letter or who have not showed clear interest in their chosen major run a risk of being rejected.

My UAF

Even while there is no admission period in progress, you can create a user account for University Admissions Finland. You can indicate the Finnish universities and their fields of study you are interested in. You can also fill in the sections regarding your personal information and educational background. As soon as the application period begins, you can log into your My UAF account and continue with the application process by selecting your chosen degree programme.

If you wish to change your personal information or educational background, you can log in to your My UAF user account and correct it yourself, even if you have already created the PDF-format Application Form. Changes to any other information given on the e-form are not possible.

Non-graduate studies

If you already have a degree from a higher education institution and want to take supplementary courses on the basis of your degree or if you need to acquire qualifications required for certain professions, you can apply for non-graduate studies. Non-graduate studies are liable to charges.

Official translation

To have your documents officially translated, you must use one of the methods listed below.

  • The translation is issued by the awarding institution.
  • The officially certified copy of a translation is issued by the awarding institution.
  • The document is translated by an official translator.
  • The officially certified copy of a translation is 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 copy

An officially certified copy refers to an authentic copy of an original document. Preferably, the copy is attested by the institute that issued the certificate: usually this is indicated by the signature of an authorised official and/or the stamp of the institution. In case this is not possible, the copy must be attested by the stamp and signature of a notary public, the commissioner of oaths, or a similar authority.

Pending Bachelor’s degree

If your final Bachelor’s diploma and transcript are not available within the application period and you are going to apply for one of the International Master’s Degree Programmes, do not wait to receive your final papers. Instead, submit the documents you have available (the latest transcript, provisional certificate, or some other educational assessment document indicating your status as well as your completed coursework) and point out the anticipated university graduation date on the online applicant registration form available during the application period above. If you can, obtain an authorised certificate on your approaching graduation from your university. Note that the faculties are prepared to process final Bachelor´s diplomas and transcripts usually until as late as the end of July: however, this may vary according to an individual Master's programme.

Postgraduate applicant

A postgraduate applicant is a person who has obtained a higher academic degree - that, as a rule, is a Master’s degree - from a university or some other institution of higher education. Built on a Bachelor's degree, the duration of a Master’s degree programme is about two years of full-time study and it normally includes a Master’s thesis.

Processing of the application and documents

University Admissions Finland processes your educational certificates including credential evaluation and verifies your language skills. UAF processes your documents in three steps and will only proceed to the next step if the previous step is acceptably completed.

Step 1 - Arrival of the Application Form
Step 2 - Verification of language skills
Step 3 - Arrival of educational documents and credential evaluation


Please make sure that you send all the documents and that they satisfy the requirements defined by the programme. You will receive an e-mail notification when the documents have been screened and, if necessary, a request to supplement the application.

During the application period, University Admissions Finland receives hundreds of applications and documents every day. For this reason they do not have the resources to check the arrival of an individual application and its enclosures prior to processing them. When UAF has processed your file, they will send you e-mail informing you on your application status and, if needed, request you to supplement your application. Please be patient, UAF will contact you as soon as possible. You can also keep track of your application status by logging in to your My UAF user account.

After your application and documents have been screened by UAF, they are sent to the appropriate university for student selection. The university assesses the content of the application file and carries out the student selections. Please note that it is the university and not UAF that will notify the applicants of the admission decision.

Provisional degree certificate

A provisional degree certificate is issued as a replacement for the actual degree certificate, for example, in case the actual degree certificate cannot be given to the student immediately after the studies have been completed – often due to technical or administrative reasons. The provisional degree certificate should include the name of the degree awarding institution; the date of issue; to whom the degree certificate has been issued; and the title or degree the person has been awarded.

Reapplying

If you submitted an application last year and now want to apply with the same documents, contact the appropriate faculty of the University of Helsinki and kindly ask them to mail your documents to University Admissions Finland. Remember that even if they agree to your request, you still need to log in to your My UAF user account create a new Application Form, print it and send it to University Admissions Finland. If the programme requires some other documents than the ones that you submitted last year or if you have any new documents that you would like to submit, they should be attached with the new application.

Student selections

The student selections are carried out by the Student Selection Boards of the faculties. The decisions are based on the applicant's previous educational merits, language skills, motivation as well as on the resources available in the appropriate department or programme at the University of Helsinki.

The information on admission status will be sent to an applicant in an airmail letter or by e-mail from the faculty in late April or early May at the latest.

Temporary degree certificate

A temporary degree certificate is a document that the student’s home institution issues to the student who has satisfactorily completed all studies included in the degree and who has graduated from that institution.

Transcript of records

A transcript of records is a document issued by the same or affiliated institution that has issued the applicant’s degree certificate or temporary degree certificate. As a rule, the transcript of records includes the course units that the student has completed for the degree as well as the completion dates, the grades, and the credits awarded. The transcript of records should also include information regarding the grading scale currently used by the institution. If the degree includes course units that the student has completed in another institution and the transfer credits are not indicated in detail in the transcript of credits, then another transcript of credits regarding the transfer credits should be delivered.

In the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) system, transcripts are called “Transcript of Records” (ToA). They are used to document the academic performance of a student over a certain period of time by listing the course units or modules taken, the credits gained, and the grades awarded. ToA provides a standard format for recording all study activities of an individual student. It is the essential tool for academic recognition. The ECTS Transcript of Records preferably includes, along with the local grades, the ECTS grades of the student.

In the educational system of the United States, a transcript (this link is to the UCLA website, as it offers a clear definition of the term) – also known as Cumulative Record File, CRF, Permanent Record, or simply, Record – refers to a copy of a student's permanent academic record, that usually means all courses taken, all grades received, all honours received and degrees conferred to a student. An official transcript is prepared and sent by the issuing university or school (usually by the Student Registry or equivalent) with a stamp and an original signature of a school official. (Source: Wikipedia)

My UAF user account

Your My UAF user account is valid for three years. Your user name is your e-mail address you have given when you registered previously. If your e-mail address is still the same, you can order a new password to your e-mail from the UAF system. If your e-mail address has changed or you do not remember it, you must create a new user account.

Undergraduate applicant

An undergraduate applicant is a person who has graduated from a high school, upper secondary school, or senior secondary school and has obtained a school-leaving certificate entitling to seek admission to a higher education institute in in the student's own country.

University Admissions Finland

University Admissions Finland (UAF) is a centralised service for Finnish universities: UAF responsibility is to screen all applications and documents before they are sent further to the appropriate universities. For more information, visit the UAF web site.

Visiting student status

If your home university does not have an agreement for student exchanges with the University of Helsinki and you would like to study at the University of Helsinki, you can apply for visiting student status. The duration of a visiting studies period normally varies from one term/semester to a full academic year. You must indicate on your application that the coursework you will complete at University of Helsinki can be transferred in credits to your home institution.

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