After admission to pedagogical studies

Accepting the offered study place

If you are offered a place on the STEP or University Pedagogy programme, you must accept it by the date specified in your letter of acceptance or you will lose the place. Also let us know if you do not wish to accept the offered place.

However, if you are an undergraduate student at the University of Helsinki, you do not have to accept a place in the STEP programme. You will automatically be registered in the SISU system.

If you have a Finnish personal identity code, accept the offer of admission via the MyStudyinfo service. If you do not have access to the identification methods required to use the MyStudyinfo service, contact the Admission Services immediately.

Showing original documents

At this point of the  student selection process, admitted students might be asked to produce the original documents used in their application.

Instructions on how to activate a new account

If you a are a new student at the University of Helsinki (applies to non-degree students in the STEP Programme) in order to use the IT services available at the University of Helsinki, you must first activate your user account. This can be done after your registration is completed in the Student Registration System SISU. You should be able to activate your account no later than the first week of August.

This is the information and support page of the IT Department on activating your account.

Starting your studies

The  STEP pages will assist you and provide more detailed information on your studies.

The Centre for University Teaching and Learning pages provides your some background information. The Education Planning Officer will send you an email for further instructions.

Registering as a non-attending student

You can register for non-attendance for the first academic year only if your non-attendance is based on a statutory reason. If the statutory reason for absence falls only on one of the semester (e.g., your military service or maternal leave starts in January), you may register as non-attending for the entire academic year, if you so wish.

You may change your registration from an attending student for the spring term to a non-attending student during the spring term registration period.

Pursuant to the Universities Act, a first-year student may register as a non-attending student for the academic year only for the reasons listed below and must present one of the documents described below to demonstrate that the non-attendance is based on a statutory reason:

1. You are performing a service based on the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007) or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995).
   • Call-up orders
2.  You are on maternity, paternity or family leave.
   • Kela’s certificate on the parental leave period or, if you do not yet have the certificate, a medical certificate of pregnancy
   • Corresponding certificates on statutory family leave provided by authorities in other countries
3. You are incapable of starting your studies due to an illness or disability.
   • A sickness allowance decision or, if you do not have one, a medical certificate which indicates both what the illness or disability is and that it prevents you from starting your studies on 1 August.
   • Obstacles caused by practical arrangements required by an illness or an injury: an example of sufficient documentation is a statement from a student housing association stating that the student is queuing for an apartment required by their disability. A student’s own statement is not considered sufficient.

Documents providing evidence on the reason for non-attendance must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

In cases above, please contact the admissions@helsinki.fi before 1 August or after that date, siltavuori-student@helsinki.fi

Student Union

Unfortunately, the non-degree student may not not join the Student Union anymore. However, the Student Association for Subject Teachers welcomes all STEP Students!