Graduate Admission for Master's Programmes and Studies leading to Master's Degree 2012

How to Apply, step-by-step

The purpose of this page is to give an overview of the application process and give step-by-step information on the procedure to the Faculty of Social Sciences in the year 2012. The idea is to give an overview, not to answer all the question that might arise when applying. For general questions, please also take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The application period for Autumn 2012 has ended. The next one for 2013 starts in mid-November 2012and ends on 31 Jan. 2013. The new admission requirements will be updated here by mid-November.

1. First, get acquainted with the different programmes offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Faculty offers currently nine English-medium Master's degree programmes. Please note, that other fields of the Faculty also arrange Studies leading to Master´s Degree at the Faculty. Also these studies are offered in English language, too.
2. Secondly, familiarize yourself with the admission requirements of the Faculty in order to make sure that you are eligible to apply for the programmes of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
3. After you have decided the field you wish to apply to, please fill in the online registration form. By registering online as an applicant to the University of Helsinki, you create for yourself a file on the applicant database of the University Admissions. You may apply for as many as three degree programmes at the University of Helsinki. If you apply for more than one programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences, please place the programmes in order of preference. Applicants may be admitted to only one of the programmes they have indicated.

   If an applicant is tentatively admitted to several subjects or programmes, the applicant will be admitted to the subject or programme which he or she has ranked the highest.

4. Start gathering the required documents. Please note, that gathering the required material might take considerable time. All copies of obligatory enclosures must be legalised by the institution that has issued the original document or by a notary public. Please note that there are some country-specific requirements for legalizing your documents.
5. At latest this stage, make sure that you have taken a required language test acceptable by the Faculty and ask the arranging organisation to send the score directly at the University Admissions (University Admissions Finland, Yliopistonkatu 2, FI-00170 Helsinki, Finland). If you took the TOEFL-test, the code for the University Admissions is 3138.
6. Make sure that you have all the required documents for each programme you apply to. You must submit fully documented application files (including a signed application form) for each of the programmes you apply to. If this is not the case, your application will not be considered.
7. After you have gathered all the required documents, send the entire package(s) to University Admissions Finland, Yliopistonkatu 2, FI-00170 Helsinki, Finland. When you send in your printed and signed application and the requested documents, your application process is finalised and the information gathered from your educational documents will be added to the University Admissions database. The University Admissions database again will be used as a tool in making decisions on student selections.
8. The application period closes on January 31, 2012 at 16.15. Please note, that by this time the application and all the required documents must have reached the University Admissions Finland , otherwise the application is considered overdue and will not be processed.

Application process

Once applications have been processed, UAF will deliver them to the University’s Admissions Services, which then forwards them to the relevant faculty. The Faculty of Social Sciences accepts applications which comply with the following criteria: 1) the application form must be submitted as required, 2) the education documents specified by the Faculty must be submitted as required, 3) the applicants’ previous education must qualify them to pursue education leading to a second-cycle degree, and 4) the applicants’ language proficiency must meet the Faculty requirements.

Applications meeting the above minimum criteria of the University and the requirements of the Faculty will be submitted to the disciplines for further assessment. Having consulted the boards of the Master’s degree programmes, the discipline coordinators will submit their admissions proposals to the Dean, who decides whether to grant applicants the right to complete a degree.

If all student places have been allocated in a subject or programme, the dicipline coordinator and board may place other applicants on a reserve list. If places become available, they will be allocated to students on the reserve list according to the ranking established by the subject or programme.

Notification of Results

The results of the admission procedure will be published here on 20 April 2012. E-mails regarding the results will be sent to all applicants whose application was handled in the Faculty's admission process during the last week of April 2012.

The applicant who is able to provide concrete evidence on a mistake that was made in the processing of the student’s application file is entitled to make a written appeal for rectification to the International Affairs Committee of the Faculty. The appeal has to be submitted in writing by 14 May 2012.

Applications that have not been attached with the requested enclosures are automatically rejected and do not justify an appeal. General selection criteria of the programmes of Faculty of Social sciences can be found here.