Graduation

The electronic degree certificate and its attachments are the original official certificate. You should save your official degree certificate in a location where it will not be easily lost or fall into the wrong hands. 

  • Applying for a Degree

     

    You can apply for a degree once you have completed all the studies included in your degree, the studies have been registered, and any grade raises or reviews have been processed. You can fill in an application for a degree certificate on any day of the year.  Instructions for applying a degree in wiki.

    Check that your name (first names and last name) and contact information are correct in Peppi. Your name will appear in the degree certificate in the form it appears in Peppi. 

    Degree certificate applications are made in Peppi ("Studies" -> "Application for Degree Certificate"), and you must first fill in the AVOP questionnaire (university of applied sciences graduand feedback questionnaire). Please note that you can log in to the AVOP questionnaire only once. 

    The date of graduation you propose in your application may be no earlier than the date on which you submit the application.  Degree certificates are awarded on weekdays. You will be contacted if the date you proposed cannot be accepted as the date of the degree certificate. 

    The application includes an Oulu University of Applied Sciences employment survey for graduating students. You should also mention your job in cases in which you have been offered a job, even if it does not start immediately after graduation. 

    Degree certificate applications are processed within three to four weeks, except during the following periods: from 5 June to 4 August and from 10 December to 1 January. Once your degree certificate has been signed, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download it for yourself.  The e-mail message will be sent at the earliest on the day of graduation. You should download it as soon as possible.

    If you need help, please contact: 
    (issues related to graduation)
    (technical matters)

     

    Electronic Degree Certificate

    The electronic degree certificate is the authentic and original certificate. You can submit it as an email attachment to the authorities or employers. You do not have to authenticate it before presenting it. You can make copies of the file. Any unedited, saved copy of the file is an official degree certificate, which includes the electronic signature. The authenticity of the certificate can be checked online at https://dvv.fineid.fi/validation.

    The electronic degree certificate is reliable, because it is much more difficult to forge than a paper certificate. If the degree certificate is edited after signing, the electronic certificate, i.e., the signature, will be broken and the degree certificate will no longer be authentic. You should therefore never open your electronic degree certificate in editing mode in Word, for example, as the electronic certificate will immediately be broken.
    When you download your electronic degree certificate, it automatically includes the following attachments:
    - a list of the studies completed in Finnish and English, a Diploma Supplement and an English-language degree certificate (Finnish-language degree programmes); or
    - a list of the studies completed, a Diploma Supplement and a Finnish-language degree certificate (English-language degree programmes).

    You should save the electronic degree certificate in a location where it will not be easily lost or fall into the wrong hands. You can download your degree certificate to your own files in a cloud service, your computer, an external hard drive or a flash drive, for example. It is a good idea to save your certificate in more than one location to have a backup copy.

    The electronic degree certificate is a document approved at EU level, which complies with EU standards and has received the highest EU classification.

    If you lose the electronic degree certificate you have downloaded, you must pay to receive a new one. You can request one by sending a message to .

    Graduating Student´s Checklist

    • Apply for a degree certificate. After your application has been reviewed, you will receive an email.

    • After your application has been signed electronically, you will receive a new email. Download the electronic degree certificate.
    • Student benefits: If you graduate between the 1st and 17th day of the month, you will not be eligible for financial aid for that month. Check the Kela website (www.kela.fi) to see how it takes into account the income gained during the year of graduation when monitoring students’ income.

    • The student healthcare fees: If you graduate in the autumn term, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee for the following spring term. In this case you are not entitled to use the services of the FSHS in the spring term. If you complete your studies in the autumn term but your date of graduation is during the spring term, you do have to pay the healthcare fee for the spring term. In that case, you will be entitled to use the services of the FSHS until the end of the spring term.

    • Validity of the Oulu UAS username
    • Return any study materials, tools and keys you have borrowed.
    • Terminate your agreement for parking on the campus if you have made one.
    • You will receive a separate invitation to a graduation party if one is organised.
    • Welcome to free studies at the Open University of Applied Sciences!
    • Welcome to our alumni activities!

    • If you graduate within optimal study time and you have paid the tuition fees, apply for graduating student’s scholarship .

    Additional Information for Students of Health and Social Care (Professional Practice Rights)

    Professional Practice Rights (National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health ”Valvira”)

    Professional Practice Rights for Healthcare Professionals

    Under Finnish law, licensing is granted to the following healthcare professions: physician, dentist, pharmacist, psychologist, speech therapist, dietician, dispenser, nurse, midwife, public health nurse, physiotherapist, medical laboratory technologist, radiographer, dental hygienist, occupational therapist, optician and dental technician.

    National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) grants upon application right to practice healthcare profession as licenced professional and use a protected professional title.

    After graduation the student has to apply for the right to practice healthcare profession as licenced healthcare professional from Valvira.

    The applicaton will be submitted to Valvira online . Use of the electronic services of Valvira requires strong authentication. Information on the degrees completed at Oamk can be automatically found in the VIRTA higher education achievement register.

    Public health nurses (AMK) or midwives (AMK) have to submit two online applications (licenced nurse and licenced public health nurse/midwife), if a degree of a nurse (AMK) has been awarded together with the degree of a midwife or public health nurse.

    Optometrists (AMK) apply first online for licensing of the opticians. After that an open application must be submitted on limited right to prescribe medicines through secure e-mail to .

    The e-mail shall contain the following information: name of the applicant, personal identity code and the graduation date. Please see the link to the secure e-mail (https://turvaposti.valvira.fi/) that can be found in the contact information on Valvira’swebsite https://www.valvira.fi/web/en/valvira/contact_information. A certificate on the completion of Optician’s restricted prescription right (vai limited right to prescribe medicines?) 8 cr has to be attached to the application.

    If your application contains information that is essential for handling your application and you cannot submit it electronically, you have to send the missing documents by regular mail.

    Professional Practice Rights for Social Welfare Professionals

    Licenced social welfare professionals are social workers, social service professionals (sosionomi in Finnish,) professional of applied gerontology (geronomi in Finnish) and rehabilitation counsellors.

    National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) grants upon application right to practice social welfare profession as licenced professional and use a protected professional title.

    After graduation the student has to apply for the right to practice profession as licenced social welfare professional from Valvira.

    The applicaton will be submitted to Valvira online. Use of the electronic services of Valvira requires strong authentication. Information on the degrees completed at Oamk can be automatically found in the VIRTA higher education achievement register.

    If your application contains information that is essential for handling your application and you cannot submit it electronically, you have to send the missing documents by regular mail. Then you can ask for certification of true copies of the certificates (one true copy/certificate) from the Oamk service team of your campus.

    Valvira will send the licensing certificate to the home address of the graduated student. A fee will be charged on the decision of Valvira, also in case that the decision is negative. Valvira will send the invoice directly to the student.


    Graduation at the End of the Year

    “The results of the assessment of the study course and the implementation part will be announced and registered no later than three working weeks after the assessment event or the agreed return date of the study assignment. If the student does not deliver their study assignment as agreed, the results of the assessment will be announced and registered within six working weeks at the latest." (Rector's decision 20 April 2021, § 35.) Please, also note the teachers' free periods in the schedule.

    The processing time for a degree certificate application is three to four weeks if you apply on 9 December 2024, at the latest. Filling in and processing the application requires that all studies included in your degree have been assessed and registered, and that any grade raises and corrections have been processed by 9 December 2024.

    The calculation of the processing time of three to four weeks for applications submitted between 10 December 2024 and 1 January 2025 or applications submitted incompletely earlier starts from 2 January 2025.

    Special situation: The completion mark for the course credit returned in 2024 must be in Peppi by 13 January 2025 at the latest, so that the student can propose the date of 2024 as the graduation date.

    • The student's right to study ends on 31 December 2024: The student must be aware that the lacking credits will be marked by 13 January 2025, at the latest. The student must apply for a degree certificate by 30 December 2024 at the latest (note! the second last date of the month). In the “I propose as my date of graduation” -field must be entered the first selectable day. The desired graduation date of 2024 is entered in the “More information” -field, which can be the same or later than the completion mark of the last study.
    • The student has the right to study in 2025: The student must apply for a degree certificate by 14 January 2025 at the latest. In the “I propose as my date of graduation” -field must be entered the first selectable day. The desired graduation date of 2024 is entered in the “More information” -field, which can be the same or later than the completion mark of the last study.

    Graduation at the End of the Spring Term

    “The results of the assessment of the study course and the implementation part will be announced and registered no later than three working weeks after the assessment event or the agreed return date of the study assignment. If the student does not deliver their study assignment as agreed, the results of the assessment will be announced and registered within six working weeks at the latest." (Rector's decision 20 April 2021, § 35.) Please, also note the teachers' free periods in the schedule.

    The processing time for a degree certificate application is three to four weeks if you apply on 4 June 2024, at the latest. Filling in and processing the application requires that all studies included in your degree have been assessed and registered, and that any grade raises and corrections have been processed by 4 June 2024.

    The calculation of the processing time of three to four weeks for applications submitted between 5 June 2024 and 4 August 2024 or applications submitted incompletely earlier starts from 5 August 2024.

    Special situation: The completion mark for the course credit returned in 31 July 2024 must be in Peppi by 19 August 2024 at the latest, so that the student can propose the date of spring term in 2024 as the graduation date.

    • The student's right to study ends on 31 July 2024: The student must be aware that the lacking credits will be marked by 19 August 2024, at the latest. The student must apply for a degree certificate by 30 July 2024 at the latest (note! the second last date of the month). In the “I propose as my date of graduation” -field must be entered the first selectable day. The desired graduation date of spring term 2024 is entered in the “More information” -field, which can be the same or later than the completion mark of the last study.
    • The student has the right to study in autumn term 2024: The student must apply for a degree certificate by 20 August 2024 at the latest. In the “I propose as my date of graduation” -field must be entered the first selectable day. The desired graduation date of spring term 2024 is entered in the “More information” -field, which can be the same or later than the completion mark of the last study.

    Graduation Ceremony

    A graduation ceremony will be held in Oulu University of Applied Sciences in December and June. When you apply for a diploma, you can provide your contact information in the application for a ceremony invitation. Up-to-date information on the next graduation celebration is available on the Graduation page, through which you can register for the celebration.

  • Diploma Supplement

    In Oulu University of Applied Sciences a Diploma Supplement is issued automatically to all graduates of the degree programmes free of charge. The diploma Supplement is a document in English attached to an original Finnish degree certificate aiming at improving international 'transparency' and at facilitating the academic and professional recognition of qualifications. It is designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed by a student. It also gives information on the national higher education system and universities of applied sciences' position in it. A Transcript of Records in English is attached to the Diploma Supplement, where all the completed courses and grades are listed.

    Diploma Supplement is not a substitute for the original qualification or a transcript, but it gives more information about the qualification. It offers easier access to job opportunities or further studies abroad, because the Diploma Supplement makes it easier for the employers and educational institutions to assess the skills and qualifications of the graduates. However, the diploma Supplement is not an automatic system that guarantees recognition abroad, but it facilitates academic and professional recognition, thus increasing the transparency and comparability of qualifications.

    Please see also the information sheet on Diploma Supplement fileicon of the Finnish National Agency for Education.

    The length of the degree programme is given in Finnish credits and ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System). From 1 January 2005 onwards the Finnish credits are equal with the ECTS credits. A degree of 210 credits corresponds to 210 ECTS credits, 240 credits to 240 ECTS credits and 270 credits to 270 ECTS credits.

    A specimen of an awarded Diploma Supplement and Transcript of Records fileicon

    For further information, please contact: Solution Designer Marjo Pääskylä,
    marjo.paaskyla at oulu.fi

    Oulu University of Applied Sciences Awarded a Diploma Supplement Label Three times

    The European Commission has awarded a Diploma Supplement (DS) Label to institutions that ensure transparency and recognition by issuing correct Diploma Supplements. The Commission has awarded the DS Label to Oulu UAS three times. The first DS Label was awarded to Oulu UAS in 2004 among the 28 first higher education institutions in Europe and it was valid 2004 - 2007. The second DS Label was valid from 2010 to 2013 and the latest DS Label from 2013 to 2016. After that Diploma Supplement Labels have not been awarded in Europe, but the DS Labels that Oamk has reveiced are indicators of Oamk's good quality assurance.

    The Diploma Supplement, developed by the European Commission, Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES is a document attached to a degree certificate. It is designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed by the individual named on the original qualification to which this supplement is appended. Requirements for receiving the DS Label include, among other things that a Diploma Supplement will be issued in a widely spoken European language and free of charge to all students upon graduation in all first and second cycle degree programmes. Moreover, the Diploma Supplement given must be correct and in accordance with the requirements set for it.

    More information on the Diploma Supplement can be found at the European Commission website.

  • Staying in Finland After Graduation

    EU-citizen

    If you are a citizen of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland you do not have to apply for residence permit to work in Finland or to look for a work in in Finland. Citizens of EU/EEA countries can spend three months in Finland looking for work.

    Non EU-citizens 

    Residence permit for Working in Finland:

    When you have completed the degree in Finland, you may apply for a new residence permit from the police or the embassy on the grounds of work after you have found a job.

    Residence permit for job-seekers:

    If you do not have a job after graduation you may apply for a residence permit extension from the local Police to look for a job. The permit is granted only once for six months. The application needs to be submitted before your student’s resident permit expires.

    Please, find further information from the following web pages: 

  • Registering to the Economic and Employment Office

    If you stay in Finland after graduation for job seeking you should register with an Employment and Economic Development Office on the next day from graduation. The officers at the Employment and Economic Development Office will help you in looking for work and will tell you about the employment opportunities available. Please, find further information from www.te-palvelut.fi/te/en/jobseekers/work_finland/ind...

  • Costs for Copies of Degree Certificates and Transcripts of Records

    An original degree certificate is free of charge to a graduating student. The transition from paper diplomas to electronic diplomas took place in October 2022. You will only receive a copy of the diploma in its original form. If you have downloaded an electronic diploma, the download link requested later is subject to a fee.

    Electronic study documents are free of charge during the study period. You can order them from Peppi. If you need a paper document, you can get it from the Academic Affairs for students of Oamk.For a student one (1) transcript of records is free of charge during thestudies. If more than one copy is asked at the same time the price is two (2) euros per extra transcript of records.

    A resigned student gets a resignation certificate with a free transcript of records.

    Prices

    A degree certificate with appendices 50 euros

    • For students graduated on 1st November 2003 or after, appendices include transcript of records in Finnish and in English as well as a Diploma Supplement.
    • For students graduated before 1st November 2003, appendices include transcript of records in Finnish and transcript of records in English as well as a Diploma Supplement only if the student has requested them in liaison with graduation.

    A transcript of records in Finnish (without a copy of Degree Certificate) 10 euros

    A transcript of records in English (without a copy of Degree Certificate) 10 euros

    An additional certificate for working abroad is 50 euros and specification done by the head of degree programme 80 euros per an hour. The amount of hours used for the specification is inquired from the Student Services.

    Delivery as a registered letter to Finland 10 euros and abroad 50 euros


    Participation in the examination for other than student of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences 50 euros.

    Practices

    We provide copies only on original certificates and in the same language that the certificates have been signed over for the graduate. We do not provide any translations of Degree Certificates. If you need an official translation of your Degree Certificate, you must get it translated by an official translator and you bear the costs yourself. We do not provide any translation services on any other certificates either.

    The copies of Degree Certificates are given from our own archivalmaterials. Other copy requests will be referred to other archives institutions,for example to Provincial Archives of Oulu.

    The Student Services certify for a true copy only degree certificates and transcripts of records which they have copied themselves. Copies are given only degree certificates and transcripts of records which are awarded by the Oulu University of Applied Sciences. The Student Services don’t certify any other copies.

    We send your copies of certificates as a letter. By asking we can also send your copies of certificates as an encrypted email. Please see the instructions: https://ict.oulu.fi/11013/?lang=en

    Payment

    1. In advance to the following bank account (note we will not refund paid payments) :

      The Bank: Osuuspankki
      IBAN: FI32 5741 4020 0600 54
      BIC: OKOYFIHH
      the Payee: Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu

    It is obligatory to mention in the message field: Oamk 43000020

    or

    2. Cash on delivery

    Cash on delivery is used only for letters which are sent to Finnish addresses

    The transcripts of records and the copies of the degree certificates or additional certificates for working abroad can be picked up from the Student Services of Oulu UAS or they can be sent as a registered letter. Please agree the mode of delivery with the Student Services in advance. The receipt of the payment is included in an e-mail or it is submitted to the Student Services, if copies are picked up from there. The Student Services does not accept cash payment.

    (Rector of the University of Applied Sciences 2021. Decision 4.10.2021 § 81.)