In this description of document publicity, we describe the documents produced at the University and how you can request them for viewing. Another goal is to help you describe as clearly as possible which documents or datasets your information requirements cover. The list of data pools and the datasets they include will be gradually supplemented under the relevant sub-sections.
First, consider the topic of your request and the period from which you need information. Check under the appropriate sub-section of the section “University data pools” (teaching and studying, research, support services) whether a direct information service address exists for the topic associated with your request. Direct addresses are available, for example, for certificate copies and recruitment. Further information on which and what kind of documents have been produced at the University over the past 400 years or so can be found in the last section entitled “Duties of the University”.
If you cannot find a direct address matching your topic, please submit your information request to the University’s Registry at hy-arkki@helsinki.fi or call +358 2941 22222.
In addition to the topic and the period, please indicate in your request for information any other further details and identifiers that will speed up the processing. You should, however, avoid sending special categories of personal data (e.g., health data, other private details).
Some documents and information are confidential. The criteria for confidentiality are defined in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. When requesting information on a confidential document or documents which can only be disclosed under certain conditions, you must state the purpose for the request and be able to prove your identity. We may also ask you for other additional information if this is necessary to clarify the conditions for disclosure. Requests for confidential documents must be made in writing. You can do so using a form (will be updated here soon).
The University charges a fee per person unit for the data it provides by bulk disclosure in accordance with these criteria, unless otherwise stipulated or agreed in the case of a specific disclosure of data. A person unit refers to the data, or part of the data, connected to a single person in the student register. The disclosure of data refers to their transfer from the student register for purposes other than student registration.
The fee per person unit is €0.28 (+ VAT). However, the fee for the University of Helsinki Student Union, student nations and faculty organisations for data required for their operations, with the exception of commercial and business activities, is €0.06 (+ VAT) per person unit.
In addition to the fee per person unit, a fee of €42.05 per hour (+ VAT) is charged for staff costs.
The fee per person unit is waived
- In the case of government agencies or institutions which have a statutory right to access the data if this exemption is based on reciprocity or general practice
- In the case of University departments or institutes
- When the data are disclosed for the purposes of a thesis or scholarly research or for educational purposes
- When disclosing a considerable amount of data at the same time to foundations that provide student health or housing services
- For reports, statistics and other data disclosed on the basis of a request, from which no individual persons can be identified
When disclosing a considerable amount of data at the same time for a purpose for which the data recipient simultaneously commits to regularly obtaining any amendments to the data, the fee per person unit can be lower than that indicated in item 2 above.
When the total costs incurred from the disclosure of data are smaller than the market price for similar services provided by others, the fee charged for the disclosure of data can equal the market price.
The University may charge advance and part payments. The final fee is invoiced after the data disclosure request has been fulfilled.
Encompasses the University’s system of student feedback in all stages of studies, including post-graduation employment.
Datasets: Basic alum details, Finnish Bachelor’s Graduate Survey, feedback on learning and the learning environment provided by international students, basic student details, decisions related to student feedback, feedback on teaching, feedback on learning and the learning environment, feedback on employment and career monitoring
Information systems: Alumni Hub, Efecte ITSM, P: drive, Dawa data warehouse, Riihi document management system, University of Helsinki course feedback, UniHow survey, Osaamistutka application, Statistics Finland’s datasets, career monitoring surveys
Encompasses the educational offerings of the University that do not lead to degrees.
Datasets: Open university instruction and non-degree studies, professional specialisation education, training leading to formal qualifications
Information systems: Riihi document management system, Sisu student information system, Flamma intranet workgroups
Encompasses the educational offerings of the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes as well as other degree programmes offered by the University.
Datasets: Degree programmes, other education leading to degrees
Information systems: Sisu student information system, Riihi document management system
Encompasses all teaching provided at the University.
Datasets: Professional specialisation education, training leading to formal qualifications, Language Centre teaching programmes, degree programme teaching programmes, other education leading to a degree
Information systems: Sisu student information system, Riihi document management system
The curriculum of the University comprises the curricula of its faculties, which, in turn, comprise the three-year curricula of the degree programmes coordinated by the faculties. The University curriculum also includes information on studies open to all University students as well as general study-related information.
Datasets: Faculty curricula, Language Centre teaching programmes, University-level decisions on studies and degrees
Information systems: Sisu student information system, Riihi document management system
To be supplemented.
Descriptions of the current status of and the vision for the enterprise architecture
Datasets: Descriptions of the current status, descriptions of the vision
Information systems: QPR Enterprise Architect
Datasets related to competitive tendering and procurement. The distribution of duties with the accounts payable team is based on the notion that orders are included in the data pool for procurement, but the invoices generated on the basis of orders are the responsibility of the accounts payable team.
Datasets: Procurement guidelines, tendered procurement (exceeding the procurement limits), tendering for low-value procurement (below the procurement limits), direct-award decisions, streamlined tendering of computers and equipment, product and service packages for computers and equipment, basic customer details, order details, basic supplier details
Information systems: Flamma intranet, Riihi document management system, Cloudia, contract register, Efecte ITSM, Onify, SAP Finance, SAP Travel, SAP for processing purchase invoices, Telia eCenter/CGI Laskuhotelli, SAP equipment register
Includes assessment reports and information related to the supervision of quality management.
Datasets: Quality management assessment reports, quality management supervision
Information systems: Riihi document management system, Flamma intranet workgroups, current status report form
Details on work-related travel by University staff, visitors and members of the University community not employed by the University, destinations and costs of trips, travel booking details and traveller profiles as well as statistical and risk management data
Datasets: Staff insurance, travel requests and travel expense reports, travel details, basic traveller details, travel instructions
Information systems: SAP Finance, SAP Travel, CWT Portal, Flamma intranet
Encompasses all projects, including research and construction projects.
Datasets: Impact assessments of personal data processing, project documents of development projects for operations and services, documents of research projects, decisions and memoranda of project owners and steering groups, basic details of construction projects, basic details of development projects for operations and services, project risks and risk-related measures, basic details of research projects
Information systems: Project portfolio, Riihi document management system, SAP SuccessFactors Recruitment, research funders’ systems, Confluence Wiki, Flamma intranet workgroups (Circulus)
Datasets: Documents pertaining to information services in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities
Information systems: Efecte service management system, Riihi document management system
Information pertaining to the implementation of the University’s strategic plan and the monitoring of operations (some of these documents are secret in accordance with subsection 17, section 24, Act on the Openness of Government Activities, 621/1999)
Datasets: Agreement with the Ministry of Education and Culture, plans elaborating on the strategic plan and implementation plans, monitoring and assessment of the strategic plan, strategic plans of the University implementation plans of the University, annual reports of the University
Information systems: Riihi document management system, Flamma intranet workgroups, O365: OneDrive SUUNTA, public University website
The University has three core duties: scholarly research, research-based teaching and public engagement.
Its operations are divided into 11 faculties and nine independent institutes. In addition, the University of Helsinki has special national duties, including the operations of the Centre for Consumer Society Research and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, teaching in languages rare in Finland, and Swedish-language teaching in the social sciences. Of the national special duties, the preservation of Finland’s printed national heritage takes place at the National Library of Finland, which is an independent institute of the University. Similarly, the Finnish Museum of Natural History is an independent institute responsible for the national natural history collection. In addition, a number of different research units and two teacher training schools operate as part of or under the auspices of the University.
Read more about the faculties and units of the University.
Read more about the University’s special duties.
Our data pools are generated through the implementation of these duties, and the content of documents reflects the operations of our faculties and our processes.
Established under the reign of Queen Christina in Turku on 26 March 1640, the University of Helsinki is the oldest university in Finland. We have served Finnish society as part of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire, and have continued to do so during Finland’s independence, with our name and location changing over the years. The University’s history is divided into three main stages:
The Royal Academy of Turku was one of the four national universities in Sweden during the country’s period as a great power.
When Finland was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1809, the institution was named the Imperial Academy of Turku. In 1828, the institution was relocated to Helsinki, at which point it was renamed as the Imperial Alexander University.
The third stage in the history of the University began with Finland gaining its independence. The name of the University was changed to the University of Helsinki in 1919.
Read more about the history of the University of Helsinki.
Throughout its nearly 400-year history, documents and information have been accumulated in the University’s archives and information systems.
You can explore the archive content with the help of inventories in the Arkki 1640 database, where you can also submit requests for information on catalogued documents. You can search for the archives you need by browsing the list of archive names. The search feature enables the use of free-text searches, or searches based on the name of the archive or the administrative sector.
Documents are transferred from units to the University’s archives every five to ten years. The frequency of transfer is affected, among other factors, by facility issues and organisational changes. This is why some of the documents from 2010 to 2021 have not yet been archived by the units processing them. If you cannot find the information you are looking for in the Arkki 1640 database, please submit your request for information to the Archives and Registry at hy-arkki@helsinki.fi or call +358 2941 22390.
Electronic document management at the University began when the Notes record was introduced in 1995, after which it was redesigned and its use expanded in 2003. In addition, the registering of contracts in the contract register began in 2006. Contracts can be browsed in the register, for example, according to topic and party.
The electronic administrative archive (HASA) was introduced in 2011. Since then, its content, including the Notes record, has been transferred to Siilo, an electronic archive in use since 2017. In Siilo, information can be browsed by individual archive, and documents can be searched through free-text search and with the help of metadata indexed by dataset.
The registering of documents in Riihi, the University’s current document management system, began in October 2016. In the system, information can be accessed, for example, by topic, position or time of initiation. Requests for information pertaining to public documents registered in the document management system should be emailed to the Registry at hy‑arkki@helsinki.fi or by calling +358 2941 22222.
Any questions? Please send email to the Archives and Registry team at hy‑arkki@helsinki.fi or call +358 2941 22222.
Requests to review personal data in accordance with data protection legislation: For instructions, see here.