Right to Study

Every student enrols at Oulu UAS annually. The completion of studies is possible for students enrolled as present. The right to study is determined by the extent of the degree.

  • Enrolment

    Every student enrols at the university of applied sciences annually. The enrolment must be completed for the whole academic year (1 August to 31 July) by using the Peppi (Studies -> Presence enrolment).

    Instructions for a new student's academic year enrollment

    The student who is continuing his/her studies must enrol during the period from 15 April to 31 May for the whole following academic year. He/she can change his/her enrolment for absence/presence during the enrolment period.

    If a student is registered as attending, he/she must pay the student health care fee. Students do not have to pay the health care fee if they have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom. More information about this is available on Kela's website. The student health care fee is also referred to in the Graduating Student’s Checklist.

    If a student wants to change the enrolment information during the academic year, he/she must use the Application for Change in Enrolment for Presence/Absence. The application will be returned for the autumn term by 15 September and for the spring term by 15 January, at the latest. A student who started their studies in the autumn semester can change spring semester attendance to absence only if the grounds for absence from the autumn semester continue in the spring semester as well.

  • Time to Complete a Degree

    The optimal times to complete a degree are as follows:

    Bachelor's degree Master's degree
    210 credits 3.5 years
    240 credits 4.0 years
    270 credits 4.5 years    		 60 credits 1.0 year
    90 credits 1.5 years

    Students have the right to use one extra year to complete the studies. The time for the right to study can also be determined according to a personal study plan.

    Students approved in spring 2015 or after can sign a notification of absence for a total of two terms.

    Absence during the first academic year is possible only due to

    • compulsory military service, non-military service, women’s voluntary military service
    • parental leave to take care of their child (birth or adoption) , (pregnancy or parental leave), or
    • illness or injury. 

    If a student has enrolled absent during the first academic year due to illness or injury, it will be deducted from their total time of absence, i.e. two terms.

    Absence due to

    • compulsory military service, non-military service, women’s voluntary military service or
    • parental leave to take care of their child (birth or adoption), (pregnancy or parental leave)

    is possible at any stage of the studies, and it will not be deducted from their total time of absence, i.e. two terms. Deliver the certificate of the reason for your absence by 15 September (autumn term) / 15 January (spring term) using your student email to Study Services () or visit Study Services at Linnanmaa or Kontinkangas Campus.

    Students approved before spring 2015 can sign a notification of absence for a total of two academic years.

    Loss of Right to Study and Rectification of the Decision

    A student, who has been unable to complete his/her studies during the optimal time plus the extra year, within the discretionary extension period or if he/she has not been granted extension, will lose his/her right to study. In these cases, the student will be registered as resigned and will receive a resignation certificate.

    The student is entitled to submit a request for rectification in writing to the rector within 14 days of being notified of the decision regarding the cancelled right to study.

    In order to continue these studies later, the student has to apply for a study right based on previous UAS degree studies in Finland or take part in the central application service.

    More information

    Academic Affairs

  • Tuition Fees and Scholarships

    Tuition fee is charged from the non-EU/EEA/Switzerland students studying in the English degree programmes who do not hold the Finnish residence permit that gives the exemption from the tuition fees.

    At Oamk the amount of the tuition fee for

    • Bachelor's degree is 8 000 € per academic year for students who accepted their study place before autumn 2024 and 10 000 € for students who accepted their study place for autumn 2024.
    • Master´s degree is 10 000 € for one academic year and 5 000 € for each additional semester to complete the program. 

    The tuition fee entitles the student to study and receive a degree and to use the normal support services available for students. However, all students have to buy books and other educational material themselves, get insurance as well as take care of their own travelling and living costs (accommodation, food, clothing, leisure activities). Average monthly living cost for a student is estimated to be about 600–900 euros.

    According to Finnish Immigration Service, in addition to the amount of the tuition fee, the student has to have at least 6 720 euros / academic year available to cover the living costs.

    Exemption from tuition fees

    Tuition fee is not charged from students who are citizens of countries in the EU/EEA/Switzerland.

    Students who have one of the following, are exempted from tuition fees:

    • an EU Blue Card
    • continuous (type A) residence permit in Finland. Please note that from the spring 2022 onward the legislation has changed and the new students applying for student visa will receive continuous residence permit A based on their study place (previous residence permit B). This permit, however, will not give exemption from the tuition fee. The grounds for the permit are stated in the card (student).
    • permanent (type P) residence permit in Finland
    • an EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence (type P-EU) in Finland
    • EU Family Member's Residence Card in Finland
    • Brexit permit

    Document proving the right for exemption must be submitted before the tuition fee is charged. The document must be valid on the 1st of August in order for you to be exempted from the tuition fee for the autumn semester and on the 1st of January in order for you to be exempted from the tuition fee for the spring semester.

    If a student’s residence permit status changes during studies, the student must provide copies of documents to be exempted from tuition fees. If a document is provided after paying the tuition fee, the payment will be returned to the student regarding the period after the delivery of the document, starting from the beginning of the month when the document is delivered. If the new residence permit will not give exemption from the tuition fees, student has to pay the tuition fee starting from the semester after the residence permit has expired.

    Bachelor´s student selected for autumn 2024

    If you have been selected to study in a degree programme at Oamk for autumn 2024, you can apply for a scholarship on the basis of a completed National Certificate of Language Proficiency test (YKI) in Finnish. There are no other scholarships available.

    If you are a transfer student and you have been selected to your degree studies in your previous university of applied sciences for autumn 2024, these rules apply to you also.

    Tuition fee payments

    The first-year tuition fee is paid in one part. This applies also to transfer students, students who have been selected on the basis of their Open UAS or previous UAS studies and students studying for a double or joint degree. If you are a transfer student, please note that the first-year tuition fee referred here applies to your first year at Oamk as well.

    The tuition fee for the rest of the academic years is charged in two parts.

    • The payment link for the autumn term (5 000 €) is sent in May-June after you have enrolled as present for the upcoming academic year. The due date for the autumn term of the tuition fee is the 31st of July.
    • The tuition fee for the spring term (5 000 €) is charged in October. The due date for the spring term of the tuition fee is the 31st of December.

    If you fail to pay the tuition fee within the given due date, you will lose your right to study.

    Scholarships

    You can be granted scholarships a maximum of 6 000 € at most as follows:

    • A scholarship of 3 000 € for completing level 3 of YKI. You must have completed at least three of the four subtests in the YKI test at proficiency level 3 or higher.
    • A scholarship of 3 000 € for completing level 4 of YKI. You must have completed at least three of the four subtests in the YKI test at proficiency level 4 or higher.

    Please note when applying for a scholarship:

    • You must be a tuition fee paying and attending student.
    • The grant is a one-time grant with regard to its level. One certificate can only be used to apply for a grant from one proficiency level.
    • You are responsible for paying the charges related to completing the National Certificate of Language Proficiency.
    • A grant awarded for language proficiency is primarily deducted from the next tuition fee.
    The Finnish Language Scholarship is awarded by the Grant Committee after you have taken the exam and presented the diploma. You can apply for the Finnish Language Scholarship after the diploma is issued. Send an e-mail to Grant Committee grantcommittee@oamk.fi and you will receive more detailed information for the scholarship application.

    Bachelor´s student selected for autumn 2023

    If you have been selected to study in a degree programme at Oamk for autumn 2023, you will be refunded 30 % of the tuition fee as a scholarship if you complete at least 55 credits per each academic year and graduate within optimal study time.

    If you are a transfer student and you have been selected to your degree studies in your previous university of applied sciences in autumn 2023 or spring 2024, these rules apply to you also.

    The scholarships are awarded only for the optimal study time:

    • Degree Programme in International Business 3,5 years
    • Degree Programme in Nursing 3,5 years
    • Degree Programme in Information Technology 4 years
    • Degree Programme in Mechanical Engineering 4 years

    Please note, that in order to graduate in optimal study time you have to complete an average of 60 credits per one academic year. The study plan for each Bachelor's degree programme is designed so that the required number of credits is achievable if you follow your personal study plan.

    First-year student

    The first-year tuition fee is paid in one part. There are no scholarships for first-year students. This applies also to transfer students, students who have been selected on the basis of their Open UAS or previous UAS studies and students studying for a double or joint degree. If you are a transfer student, please note that the first-year tuition fee referred here applies to your first year at Oamk as well.

    Continuing student

    The tuition fee for the rest of the academic years is charged in two parts.

    • The payment link for the first part (4 000 €) is sent in May-June after you have enrolled as present for the upcoming academic year. The due date for the first part of the tuition fee is the 31st of July.
    • The second part of the tuition fee (4 000 €) is charged in October. The due date for the second part of the tuition fee is the 31st of December.

    If you have completed at least 55 credits during your previous academic year, you will be awarded a scholarship of 2 400 € which will be deducted from the second part of the tuition fee. The Grant Committee will check the number of study credits of each tuition paying student and informs students in October whether they are awarded for a scholarship. The deadline for completed credits is the end of the previous academic year (July 31st).

    • Compensated credits are not recognized when monitoring study progress if they are completed before the current study right.
    • If a student has enrolled as an attending student for one term and as an absent student for another term, they must complete 55 credits during their attendance to receive a refund on the next academic year’s tuition fee.
    • If a student completes more than 55 credits during an academic year, any studies exceeding 55 credits will be taken into account when awarding a scholarship for the next academic year.

    If your studies continue after your optimal study time has ended, you will be charged 4 000 € for each additional semester to complete the program. There are no scholarships available for additional semesters.

    Graduating student

    In order to be awarded the graduating student´s scholarship, you have to graduate within your optimal study time (Degree Programme in Nursing / International Business 3,5 years and Degree Programme in Information Technology / Mechanical Engineering 4 years). If you do not graduate within your optimal study time, you are not entitled for the graduating student´s scholarship.

    If you graduate within your optimal study time, you will be refunded a scholarship of 2 400 €. This scholarship will be paid to a bank account indicated by you.

    Students of Nursing and International Business will also be refunded the last autumn term scholarship of 1200 € after graduation if they have completed at least 55 credits during their previous academic year and the scholarship has not been reduced from the autumn term tuition fee.

    You can apply for the graduating student´s scholarship after the Degree Certificate is issued. Send an e-mail to Grant Committee () in which you inform your graduation date and your bank account information:

    • IBAN account number
    • Name of the bank
    • The address of the bank (if not a Finnish bank account)
    • BIC / SWIFT -code (if not a Finnish bank account)

    Finnish Language scholarship

    Oamk encourages its tuition fee paying students to learn Finnish language as a step towards integration and finding their own place in Finnish society. A scholarship of 2 000 € is granted for students who take and pass the Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency test (YKI) in Finnish language on the intermediate level or higher.

    You can apply for this extra scholarship of 2 000 € if:

    • you have been selected for degree studies beginning before autumn 2024.
    • you are a tuition fee paying and attending student
    • you have an intermediate diploma of the YKI language test in Finnish in which you have achieved at least three of the test's four components on the level 3 or higher.

    The Finnish Language Scholarship is awarded by the Grant Committee after you have taken the exam and presented the diploma. You can apply for the Finnish Language Scholarship after the diploma is issued. Send an e-mail to the Grant Committee grantcommittee@oamk.fi and you will receive more detailed information for the scholarship application.

    Bachelor´s student selected before autumn 2023

    If you have been selected to study in a degree programme at Oamk before autumn 2023, you will be refunded 50 % of the tuition fee as a scholarship if you complete at least 55 credits per each academic year and graduate within optimal study time.

    If you are a transfer student and you have been selected to your degree studies in your previous university of applied sciences before autumn 2023, these rules apply to you also.

    The scholarships are awarded only for the optimal study time:

    • Degree Programme in International Business 3,5 years
    • Degree Programme in Nursing 3,5 years
    • Degree Programme in Information Technology 4 years

    Please note, that in order to graduate in optimal study time you have to complete an average of 60 credits per one academic year. The study plan for each Bachelor's degree programme is designed so that the required number of credits is achievable if a student follows their personal study plan.

    First-year student

    The first-year tuition fee is paid in one part. There are no scholarships for first-year students. This applies also to transfer students, students who have been selected on the basis of their Open UAS or previous UAS studies and students studying for a double or joint degree. If you are a transfer student, please note that the first-year tuition fee referred here applies to your first year at Oamk as well.

    Continuing student

    The tuition fee for the second and the rest of the academic years is charged in two parts.

    • The payment link for the first part (4 000 €) is sent in May-June after you have enrolled as present for the upcoming academic year. The due date for the first part of the tuition fee is the 31st of July.
    • The second part of the tuition fee (4 000 €) is charged in October if you have not completed at least 55 credits during your previous academic year. The due date for the second part of the tuition fee is the 31st of December.

    If you have completed at least 55 credits during your previous academic year, you will be awarded a scholarship which covers the second part of the tuition fee (4 000 €). The Grant Committee will check the number of study credits of each tuition paying student and informs students in October whether they are awarded for a scholarship. The deadline for completed credits is the end of the previous academic year (July 31st).

    • Compensated credits are not recognized when monitoring study progress if they are completed before the current study right.
    • If a student has enrolled as an attending student for one term and as an absent student for another term, they must complete 55 credits during their attendance to receive a refund on the next academic year’s tuition fee.
    • If a student completes more than 55 credits during an academic year, any studies exceeding 55 credits will be taken into account when awarding a scholarship for the next academic year.

    If your studies continue after your optimal study time has ended, you will be charged 4 000 € for each additional term to complete the program. There are no scholarships available for additional terms.

    Graduating student

    In order to be awarded the graduating student´s scholarship, you have to graduate within your optimal study time (Degree Programme in Nursing / International Business 3,5 years and Degree Programme in Information Technology 4 years). If you do not graduate within your optimal study time, you are not entitled for the graduating student´s scholarship.

    If you graduate within your optimal study time, you will be refunded a scholarship of 4 000 €. This scholarship will be paid to a bank account indicated by you.

    Students of Nursing and International Business will also be refunded the last autumn term scholarship of 2 000 € after graduation if they have completed at least 55 credits during their previous academic year and the scholarship has not been reduced from the autumn term tuition fee.

    You can apply for the graduating student´s scholarship after the Degree Certificate is issued. Send an e-mail to Grant Committee in which you inform your graduation date and your bank account information:

    • IBAN account number
    • Name of the bank
    • The address of the bank (if not a Finnish bank account)
    • BIC / SWIFT -code (if not a Finnish bank account)

    Finnish Language Scholarship

    Oamk encourages its tuition fee paying students to learn Finnish language as a step towards integration and finding their own place in Finnish society. A scholarship of 2 000 € is granted for students who take and pass the Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency test (YKI) in Finnish language on the intermediate level or higher.

    You can apply for this extra scholarship of 2 000 € if:

    • you have been selected for degree studies beginning before autumn 2024.
    • you are a tuition fee paying and attending student
    • you have an intermediate diploma ofthe YKI language test in Finnish in which you have achieved at least three ofthe test's four components on the level 3 or higher..

    The Finnish Language Scholarship is awarded by the Grant Committee after you have taken the exam and presented the diploma. You can apply for the Finnish Language Scholarship after the diploma is issued. Send an e-mail to the Grant Committee grantcommittee@oamk.fi and you will receive more detailed information for the scholarship application.

    Master´s student

    Tuition fee payments

    The tuition fee for Master´s degree is 10 000 € for one academic year (=two terms) and 5 000 € for each additional term to complete the program.

    The first-year tuition fee of 10 000 € is always collected from new students in one part even if they begin their studies in the spring term.

    The tuition fee for an additional term is charged after you have enrolled as present for the upcoming semester. The due date is the 31st of July for the autumn term tuition fee and 31st of December for the spring term tuition fee.

    Scholarships for students accepted for autumn 2024 intake

    If you have accepted your study place for autumn 2024 intake and graduate within your optimal study time, you will be refunded 10 % of the tuition fee as a scholarship.

    The optimal study time for a 60-credit degree is one academic year and 1,5 years for a 90-credit degree. If you do not graduate within your optimal study time, you are not entitled for a scholarship.

    Scholarships are awarded by the Grant Committee. Send an e-mail to Grant Committee (grantcommittee@oamk.fi) after the Degree Certificate is issued and you will receive more detailed information for the scholarship application.

    Scholarships for students accepted for spring 2024 intake or before

    If you have accepted your study place for spring 2024 intake or before and graduate within your optimal study time, you will be refunded 25 % of the tuition fee as a scholarship.

    The optimal study time for a 60-credit degree is one academic year and 1,5 years for a 90-credit degree. If you do not graduate within your optimal study time, you are not entitled for a scholarship.

    You can also apply for The Finnish Language Scholarship of 2000 € if:

    • you have been selected for degree studies beginning before autumn 2024.
    • you are a tuition fee paying and attending student
    • you have an intermediate diploma of the YKI language test in Finnish in which you have achieved at least three of the test's four components on the level 3 or higher.

    Scholarships are awarded by the Grant Committee. Send an e-mail to Grant Committee (grantcommittee@oamk.fi) after the Degree Certificate / Finnish Language Diploma is issued and you will receive more detailed information for the scholarship application.

    Tuition fee payment neglected

    If you fail to pay the tuition fee within the given due date, you will lose your right to study. Upon application, the Director of the School may return the right to study starting from, at the earliest, the month of application as you have paid the neglected tuition fee. When making the decision, Director of the School considers your application with reasons, as well as your remaining time for the right to study to complete your studies.

    If you have lost your right to study due to the neglection of the tuition fee payment and wish to reapply the restoration of your study right, please contact the Grant Committee () and ask for detailed information for the procedure.

    The Grant Committee informs the Finnish authorities if a student has begun studies and neglected the tuition fee payment / discontinued studies.

    Other information

    Taxation of scholarships

    Scholarships are taxable under Finnish legislation. The maximum tax-exempt amount in 2022 is € 24 475. More information on Finnish tax administration pages.

    Contact

    If you have further questions about tuition fees and scholarships, please contact the Grant Committee:

  • Extension Period

    Time to complete a degree includes the optimal completion time of the degree and one extra year. The student must apply for an extension period before their right to study expires, for example degree programme in 240 credits before the fifth academic year will expire.

    Check from Peppi that your time to complete a degree is about to end before you apply for the extension period. The extension period will be applied

    • from beginning of week 18 if your time to complete a degree ends on 31.7.
    • from beginning of week 46 if your time to complete a degree ends on 31.12.

    Application for Extension Period
     

    The prerequisite for granting the extension period concerning bachelor’s degree is that maximum 60 credits are lacking from the degree. If there is a strong argument the lacking can be more than 60 credits.

    The extension period will be considered if the delay in studies is due to the following:

    • own or near relative’s illness
    • learning difficulty
    • responsible duty in society
    • delay in receiving the residence permit in the first academic year
    • difficulty to fit the international study period or practical training exchange in studies in Oulu UAS
    • systematic preparing for top sport
    • difficult situation in life or
    • other justified reason.

    In granting the extension period the following will be taken into account: the amount of credits during the last academic year, the amount of fluently advancing study terms and use of study counseling to support the progress of study.

    If a degree programme student has been accepted in the spring 2015 or later, their delay in studies due to part-time study during

    • military service, non-military service, women’s voluntary military service or
    • parental leave to take care of their child (birth or adoption)

    will be taken into account too. In that case a student has enrolled as present and they have not used their right to be absent.

    A student attaches the target-oriented and realizable personal study plan to the application for extension period in order to complete studies. A student discusses their personal study plan with the head of studies or a study counsellor. A student and one of above accept the personal study plan.

    There is a fee of 50 euros for the processing of the application for extension period (Decree 1461/2015 section 3). This is paid via a Paytrail payment when filling in the application. The payment is required for the processing of the application to proceed. Paid application processing payments will not be refunded.

    The student will receive the extension period decision by student email.

    The extension period is maximum a year in the education leading to a degree. The counselling contact and the timetable for the control of the progress of studies is specified for a student who has granted the extension period. A student who has been granted an extension period is not allowed to enrol as absent.

  • Restoring the Right to Study

    Students must enroll for studies in each academic year. If the enrolment is missing, student will lose his/her right to study.

    Reapplication for Admission due to Unenrolment  
    The right to study can be applied by an application. There is a charge of 50 euros for the processing of the application (Decree 1461/2015 section 3). Paid application processing payments will not be refunded. The application must be returned to the Academic Affairs. The study right can be restored from the beginning of the application month. Applications are not processed during July.

    If necessary, the possibility of a request for rectification after the director’s negative decision
    The student is entitled to submit a request for rectification in writing to the rector of the university of applied sciences within 14 days of being notified of the decision regarding the cancelled right to study. The application must be returned to the Academic Affairs.

     

  • Resignation

    If you are considering to resign from Oulu University of Applied Sciences discuss the issue with a Teacher Tutor, a Study Counsellor or a Head of Studies.

    Resignation influences your financial aid later. If you drop out and then begin a new course of study, the months for which you have already received financial assistance are deducted from your entitlement for the new degree. Further information »

    Fill in and sign the Resignation Announcement and then return it to the Academic Affairs. A student can be considered resigned from the date he/she has left a dated and signed resignation announcement to the Academic Affairs. The student will receive a resignation certificate. To be able to continue studies after resignation, the student has to be admitted through the standard selection process.

    According to the statute (Act amending the Polytechnics Act 257/2015) institutes of higher education have to reserve a part of study places for new students in the joint application procedure. To the so called quota of new students belong those who have never completed higher education degree in Finnish educational system or who haven’t received the study place which leads to a higher education degree in the joint application system of the spring 2014 or before that. Those who have received the study place in the joint application system of the autumn 2015 or after that don’t belong to the quota of new students in potential later joint application systems. 

    The student's user account, home directory and/or mailbox for students.oamk.fi server will be removed 2 months after the right to study has expired. After that the student can not use the student e-mail address of Oulu University of Applied Sciences nor the home directory (e.g. potential personal home page). User rights through the students.oamk.fi server to the services of other universities of applied sciences and other services outside Oulu University of Applied Sciences will be removed one week after the right to study has expired. E.g. the electronic services of the Library of Oulu University of Applied Sciences and their remote login (proxy) are this kind of services. The student has to save important files and e-mails before the above-mentioned deadlines.

    As the consequence of the resignation the student loses the membership of the student union and the student discounts.

    A resigned student gets a resignation certificate with a free transcript of records. Costs for Copies of Transcripts of Records