Restrictions on admission

If you are currently or have previously been a degree student of the University of Helsinki, please read the information on this page before applying for a new right to complete a degree.
Restrictions on the right to study

Admission to the bachelor’s and master’s programmes offered by the University of Helsinki is restricted as outlined below. These restrictions also pertain to those applying through the transfer application procedure. Please contact the University’s admissions advisors if you have any questions.

This restriction only applies to applicants to bachelor’s programmes.

If you are applying for a new right to study that leads to the same first-cycle degree title as your previous right to study (e.g., Bachelor of Arts), you must graduate by 31 July (i.e., before the new right to study becomes valid on 1 August) or waive your previous right. You need not waive your previous right before you receive information about whether you have been admitted to another degree programme. If you accept a new right to study, you simultaneously waive your previous right.  

Examples

Example 1

You hold the right to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Bachelor’s Programme in History. You apply to the Bachelor’s Programme in Languages to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. You can be admitted to the programme, but you must graduate, or waive your previous right to study.  

Example 2

You hold the right to study for a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in the Bachelor’s Programme in Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts. You apply to the Bachelor’s Programme in Politics, Media and Communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences to complete a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree. You can be admitted to the programme, but you must graduate, or waive your previous right to study.

Example 3

You hold the right to study for a Bachelor of Arts (Education) degree in the Study Track in Early Childhood Teacher Education within the Bachelor’s Programme in Education. You apply for a new right to study in the Study Track in Class Teacher Education within the Bachelor’s Programme in Education. Your aim is to complete the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts (Education). You can be admitted to the Study Track in Class Teacher Education within the Bachelor’s Programme in Education, but you must graduate, or waive your previous right to study in the Study Track in Early Childhood Teacher Education. 

Please note, however, that if you waive your previous right to study in the Study Track in Early Childhood Education without graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Education) degree, you can no longer receive the qualification required of early childhood education teachers, unless you apply and are readmitted to the Study Track in Early Childhood Education within the Bachelor’s Programme in Education. The minimum qualification requirement for early childhood education teachers is a university-level Bachelor of Arts (Education) degree, including studies in early childhood education, i.e., a Bachelor of Arts (Education) degree completed in the Study Track in Early Childhood Education.

This applies to applicants to both bachelor’s and master’s programmes.

If you apply for a new right to study in the same degree programme (e.g., a programme that offers several target degrees) in which you are already studying, you must graduate by the deadline indicated or waive your previous right.

Deadlines:

  • If you apply for a right to study in a bachelor’s programme, you must graduate by 31 July.
  • If you apply for a right to study in a master’s programme, you must graduate by 31 July.

You need not waive your previous right before you receive information about whether you have been offered a new right to study.  If you accept a new right to study, you simultaneously waive your previous right in the same degree programme.

Examples

Example 1

You hold the right to study for a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) degree in the Bachelor’s Programme in Environmental and Food Economics. You apply to the Bachelor’s Programme in Environmental and Food Economics to complete a Bachelor of Food Sciences degree. You can be admitted to the programme, but you must graduate, or waive your previous right to study.

Example 2

You have previously been granted the right to study in the Bachelor’s Programme in Biology and you apply again to the same programme. You cannot be admitted to the programme as a new student because you can continue your studies based on your previous right to study. Your application will not be considered. If you believe that your existing right to study may correspond to the relevant option available for application, please contact Admission Services.

Example 3

You hold the right to study for a Master of Social Sciences degree in the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning. You apply through the master’s admissions procedure to the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning to complete a Master of Arts degree. You can be admitted to the programme, but you must graduate, or waive your previous right to study.

Example 4

You have previously been granted the right to study in the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics and you apply again to the same programme. You cannot be admitted to the programme as a new student because you can continue your studies based on your previous right to study. Your application will not be considered.

Example 5

You hold the right to study for a master’s degree in forest economics, granted prior to 1 August 2017. You apply through the master’s admissions procedure to the equivalent Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences. You cannot be admitted to the programme as a new student because you can continue your studies based on your previous right to study. Your application will not be considered. If you believe that your existing right to study may correspond to the relevant option available for application, please contact Admission Services.

Medical students (degree programmes in medicine and dentistry) can hold only one right to study at a time to complete a second-cycle degree (Licentiate of Medicine or Licentiate of Dentistry) at the University of Helsinki.

Example

You hold the right to study for a Licentiate of Dentistry degree. You apply for the right to complete a Licentiate of Medicine degree. You can be admitted to the programme, but you must graduate by 31 July (before the new right to study becomes valid on 1 August) or waive your previous right.

The above restrictions also apply to those participating in a transfer application procedure.

Please note that the restrictions also apply to you if you are applying through both a transfer application procedure and a joint application procedure during the same spring even if you hold no previous right to complete a degree at the University of Helsinki.

Further information is available on the Finnish- and Swedish-language websites.

Reinstatement of the right to study

A right to study that can be reinstated is considered a valid right to study. If necessary, you can apply to your faculty for the reinstatement of your right to study. If your right to study is about to expire, you cannot have it extended by reapplying for the same right. Instead, you must separately apply to your faculty for an extension.