These instructions pertain to students who have received a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree study right and have registered as absent for their first year of study due to a statutory reason for absence, and are starting their studies, e.g., a year after receiving their study right.
Get to know the new students’ materials and take part in the orientation. You can find further information on the New Students’ orientation page.
Contact your programme coordinator and discuss your registration. If you are liable to pay tuition, you must pay the tuition fee before you can register as being present. Further information on the tuition fees and waivers.
Academic year and registration period
At the University of Eastern Finland, the academic year begins 1 August and ends 31 July. In accordance with the Universities Act (558/2009), students must register annually as being present or absent.
You must register within the registration period. The registration period for the 2024–2025 academic year begins 1 June and ends 15 September 2024.
How to register
Register as being present or absent with the electronic registration form (link opens in a new tab). If you are unable to fill out the electronic registration form, please contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).
If you register as being present, you must pay the Student Union membership fee. You can find the payment instructions on the registration form. The Student Union membership fee for the entire academic year 2024–2025 is 73 €. For just the autumn semester the fee is 38 €, and for just the spring semester the fee is 39 €.
The Student and Learning Services’ customer service will let you know by email once your registration is complete.
Registration as being absent
You can also register as being absent. If you register as being absent, you do not pay the Student Union membership fee. You also cannot complete any studies or complete your degree during the academic year. Register as being absent within the registration period with the electronic registration form (link opens in a new tab) or by contacting the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).
Healthcare fee for students in higher education
Bachelor’s and master’s students who register as being present must pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education to Kela annually.
All bachelor's and master's degree students who are registered as being present in a Finnish institute of higher learning are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) (opens in a new tab) and must pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education (opens in a new tab) to Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) by the due date.
You will not be exempted from paying the fee even if you, e.g., do not use the services of the FSHS, do not receive student financial aid or are studying abroad. You must pay the fee even if you are studying remotely and are not based in Finland.
However, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country, from Switzerland, or from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In this case, you must still contact Kela. Despite not paying the fee, you can use the FSHS’s services.
Visit the Kela website for information on how to proceed if you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (opens in a new tab).
Kela will not send you a bill for the student healthcare fee. You must pay the fee on your own initiative in the Kela e-service for each academic term. Find out how to pay the student healthcare fee (opens in a new tab) on the Kela website.
The due date for paying the student healthcare fee is determined based on the date on which you register as present, i.e., attending.
On the Kela website you can find information on the healthcare fee and the due dates as well as the payment instructions (opens in a new tab).
Further information on registration
Here you can find more information on annual registration.
If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service:
The Student and Learning Services’ customer service desk offers general study counselling, information on term registration and study rights and maintains the student register. The customer services desk also provides study certificates and transcripts of records.
Phone number: +358 29 445 8900
- phone service: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm (10–14)
Opening/office hours:
- the Student and Learning Services’ customer service desk is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 1 pm (10–13).
Remember to check the current exceptions to the Student and Learning Services' customer service opening hours.
Email address: opiskelu@uef.fi
- If your message contains confidential information, contact us and we will give you instructions on how to send your message encrypted.
Visiting address:
- Joensuu Campus, Aurora building, entrance A, ground floor (Yliopistokatu 2)
- Kuopio Campus, Canthia building, 2. floor, Oppari (Yliopistonrinne 3)
Postal address:
- Joensuu: University of Eastern Finland, Student and Learning Services, P.O.Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu
- Kuopio: University of Eastern Finland, Student and Learning Services, P.O.Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio
