Accepting your study place

Here you will find important information on the process of accepting your study place.

Confirmation and registration

When you have been offered a study place at Arcada and have decided to accept it, you have to confirm your acceptance of the study place as instructed in the e-mail. It is also mandatory to register for the academic year.

Confirm your acceptance of offered study place

Confirm your acceptance of the study place according to the instructions sent to you by email.

A student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic semester. This rule applies to all higher education (Bachelor's, Master's, Licentiate and Doctoral degrees). Please read more about the one study place per term provision here.

The deadline for accepting a study place is 11 July 2024 at 3 p.m. (Finnish time).

Register for the academic year

In order to begin your studies at Arcada you need to register for the academic year according to the instructions sent to you. If you have been accepted to a university of applied sciences and have accepted the study place, you shall register annually as present or absent for the academic year. This is done on the same page as the acceptance of the study place offer. You can register as absent for the first academic year only with a valid reason. Please read more about registering as absent below.

Fee-paying student: please note that you cannot register for the academic year or receive a study certificate until you have payed the tuition fee.

Registering as absent

The right to register as absent without a valid reason

As a new student you have the right to register as absent without a valid reason for a maximum of one academic year (two semesters) during your studies. However, it is not possible to register as absent without a valid reason (legal grounds) during the first academic year.

The right to register as absent with a valid reason (legal grounds)

According to the Universities of Applied Sciences Act, as a first-year student you may register as absent for the academic year for the following reasons only:

  1. Service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995);
  2. maternity, paternity or parental leave;
  3. you cannot begin studies due to being incapacitated by personal illness or injury.

Absence due to illness or injury is counted as part of the maximum study time. However, absence due to military or non-military service or maternity, paternity or parental leave is not. If you register as absent during the first academic year due to illness or injury, he/she will be using up one or two of the permitted maximum number of absent semesters.

Registering as absent during the first academic year

You may register as absent from Arcada University of Applied Sciences, but must prove the legal grounds for the absence. Documents proving the legal grounds for the absence should be sent via post or presented to the Admissions Services at Arcada. The documents must be received by a given date set by Arcada which is announced in the admissions letter.

Documents that prove the legal grounds for your absence:

  1. Service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995):

    - Call-up order
  2. Maternity, paternity or parental leave:

    - Kela's certificate regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or, if the certificate has not yet been received, a medical certificate regarding the pregnancy

    - Corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave
  3. You cannot begin studies due to being incapacitated by personal illness or injury:

    - Sickness allowance decision or, if no decision exists, a medical certificate. The medical certificate must state which illness or injury you suffer from, and that this condition prevents you from beginning your studies on 1 August 2024.

    - Obstacles caused by the practical arrangements required by the illness or injury: an adequate clarification, e.g. a certificate from the student housing foundation that you are on the waiting list for an apartment required by your injury. Your own notification is not an adequate clarification.

The documents must be in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Registering as absent for only one semester during the first academic year

Should the legal grounds for absence apply only to the second academic term (e.g. military service or maternity leave beginning in January), you may register as absent for the entire academic year. If you have registered as present for the whole academic year, and then need to change the status of your registration for the spring term from ‘present’ to ‘absent’, you may do so during the spring term registration period. The need to provide documents proving legal grounds still remains.

If you register as absent in the first academic year, but fail to deliver sufficient clarification regarding the grounds for absence within the deadline specified by the university, you will lose your right to study.

Appeal

If you are not satisfied with the results of the student selection process you should first always contact the UAS that you have applied to for more detailed information on the decision.

If the matter is not resolved, you may appeal in writing to the board of the UAS in question. Such an appeal must be made within 14 days from the 1st of July.

An appeal can only be considered if it is clear that Arcada has not followed the eligibility criteria. The submitted appeal must clearly state on what grounds the eligibility criteria have not been followed.

An appeal cannot be based on your personal circumstances (e.g. illness, family emergencies, financial situation) or natural disasters. Delays caused by a third party or similar are also not considered as it is your responsibility to ensure that documents arrive on time.

The Board of Review handles appeals at Arcada. Requests for appeal shall be made by submitting a web form External link . A separate detailed document shall be attached.