Open University students get access rights to use the University of Helsinki IT systems in order to carry out their studies.
Please note! A University of Helsinki account username is not needed for all MOOCs. No access rights to information systems are granted to students taking these courses. Details on the matter can be found in the study programme of the relevant MOOC. Read more about practices related to MOOCs.
In order to carry out their studies, all Open University students require access rights to use the University of Helsinki IT systems. Personal usernames and passwords are needed for using access rights.
Please note! A University of Helsinki account username is not needed for all MOOCs. No access rights to information systems are granted to students taking these courses. Details on the matter can be found in the study programme of the relevant MOOC. Read more about practices related to MOOCs.
Personal access rights are granted for all Open University students for the duration of their right to study in conjunction with their registration. You will use this username throughout your studies. The validity of a username is always updated when a new course begins or a new registration is recorded. A new registration will automatically extend the validity of an old account. The validity of accounts assigned from a University of Helsinki service desk is not automatically extended, but rather the account holder must extend their validity using the extension form (Renewal of username).
University of Helsinki undergraduate students should use their valid usernames.
The services available with a University of Helsinki username
VPN portal (encrypted connection to the university with a browser)
More information about these services
*) NB! By activating your account, you gain access to a University of Helsinki email address and an Office 365 email account (helsinki.fi). After this, all e-mails concerning your studies will be sent to this address. If you do not wish to use the helsinki.fi email, you can redirect your email to another address. Log in to your helsinki.fi e-mail: www.helsinki.fi/office 365
Activating the account requires strong electronic identification.
Options for electronic identification: As the identification method, select
If electronic identification is impossible, follow these instructions:
In order to use the IT services available at the University of Helsinki, you must first activate your user account. Please note that you need a Finnish e-banking account or an electronic user ID and reader in order to activate your account online!
NB! You can activate your user account at the earliest on the next day after registration to the course. After activation, it takes at least one hour and sometimes up to 24 hours for the account to start working.
Please note! A University of Helsinki account username is not needed for all MOOCs. No access rights to information systems are granted to students taking these courses. Details on the matter can be found in the study programme of the relevant MOOC. Read more about practices related to MOOCs.
Activation service and instructions
Remember to activate your user account well before the beginning of the course!
Accounts are created for the duration of studies.
The initial password for the account must be changed before logging into services requiring authentication.
The password must be renewed annually. You will receive an email reminder about changing or renewing your password.
If you forget your password or it has expired, you can obtain a new password from the service of the University of Helsinki.
For information about your user account (e.g., its validity), log onto the user information site.
You can use the service to add an email address to your account if you forgot to do so while activating your account. Any information added will be updated for your account by the next morning.