First year bachelor’s and master’s degree students are obliged to register as being present for the whole academic year (unless you have legal grounds for registering as absent, see chapter below: Registration as being absent as a new degree student).
If your acceptance at the University of Eastern Finland was conditional (e.g. tuition fee, degree certificate), you must meet the condition for your acceptance before your registration can be completed. Additionally, you must sign and return your Student agreement before you can register. If you have questions regarding this, please contact your programme coordinator.
The registration period starts 1 May and ends 15 September. You can register either online or in person at the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page).
For students whose study right starts in the spring semester, the registration period ends 15 January. You can register either remotely or in person at the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page).
If you are obligated to pay tuition (only citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland studying in English), you must pay the tuition fee before you can register as being present. You can find further information in the chapter 'Tuition fees' below.
Registration
To register as present, you need to pay the Student Union membership fee, fill out the registration form and provide proof of your identity.
You can register as present either online, in person or remotely by email:
- Registration online:
- Log into My Studyinfo with the same confirmation link that you used to confirm your study place. Proceed to register in the Oili registration service. Register as present (i.e. attending). The registration period in the Oili registration service is open from 1 May to 18 August.
- Pay the Student Union membership fee online through the Oili registration service.
- Fill out the online registration form (opens in a new tab).
- If you are unable to fill out the online form, please contact the Student and Learning Services' customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page), and we will send you the registration form as a word document.
- Provide proof of your identity. After you have submitted the registration form, you will receive an invitation to be strongly identified by the UEF Digital Services. Follow the instructions to finalize your registration. NOTE! Don't worry if you do not receive the invitation immediately after sending the registration form. It might take a few days or weeks before we are able to handle your registration and send you the invitation.
- Registration in person:
- If you cannot register online and your study right starts in the autumn semester, you can register in person at the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page) no later than 15 September.
- If your study right starts in the spring semester and you want to register in person at the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page), you must do so by 15 January.
- Pay the Student Union membership fee. You can find the payment instructions in the chapter 'Student Union membership for new bachelor's and master's degree students' below. Bring the receipt for the payment to the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page).
- Fill out the registration form in person at the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk or fill out the online registration form (opens in a new tab) beforehand.
- Provide proof of your identity by bringing your ID to the Student and Learning Services' customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page).
- Registration remotely by email:
- If you are unable to register online through the Oili registration service, and you cannot register in person on campus, you can register remotely by email no later than 15 September for the autumn semester and by 15 January for the spring semester.
- Pay the Student Union membership fee. You can find the payment instructions in the chapter 'Student Union membership for new bachelor's and master's degree students' below. Either attach the payment receipt to the online registration form or bring/send a copy to the Student and Learning Services' customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).
- Fill out the online registration form (opens in a new tab). Attach the Student Union membership fee receipt to the form.
- If you are unable to fill out the online form, please contact the Student and Learning Services' customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page), and we will send you the registration form as a word document.
- Provide proof of your identity. After you have submitted the registration form, you will receive an invitation to be strongly identified by the UEF Digital Services. Follow the instructions to finalize your registration. NOTE! Don't worry if you do not receive the invitation immediately after sending the registration form. It might take a few days or weeks before we are able to handle your registration and send you the invitation.
Students registering as being absent will not take any courses or sit any exams during the semester/academic year in question. Students who have registered as being absent will not pay the Student Union membership fee and thus are not entitled to any student benefits. Students registering as being absent must also register within the registration period.
To register as being absent:
- log into My Studyinfo with the same confirmation link that you used to confirm your study place
- Proceed to register in the Oili registration service.
- If you are unable to register in the Oili registration service, you can register as being absent by contacting the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).
Note, however, that according to the Universities Act, a first-year degree student may register as absent for the academic year for the following reasons only:
- service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995);
- the student requires leave from their studies in order to take care of their child following birth or adoption;
- the student cannot begin studies due to being incapacitated by personal illness or injury. (In this case, it should be made clear that this entails incapacity for the entire semester or academic year.)
If you register as absent, you must prove the legal grounds for your absence. Documents proving the legal grounds for your absence should be sent via email or postal mail to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information below) by 30 September for the autumn semester and 31 January for the spring semester.
NOTE! If you do not have any of the three reasons defined in the Universities Act as stated above, you must register as being present for your first year. You must register as being present even if you cannot travel to Finland and start your studies. In these cases, registration will be done remotely by sending the required documents (a copy of passport, registration form, and the receipt of the Student Union payment) to Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information below).
Student Union (ISYY) membership is mandatory for bachelor’s and master’s degree students who register as being present. Information on ISYY membership benefits (opens in a new tab).
The Student Union membership fee is 75 € for the full academic year / 39 € for the autumn semester / 40 € for the spring semester.
- If you register online through the Oili registration service, you pay the Student Union membership fee with a credit card upon registration.
OR
- If you register in person or remotely by email, you can pay the fee in advance into the Student Union bank account using the payment details below. You can also pay the fee in your own Finnish bank after you have arrived in Finland and opened a bank account. It is also possible to pay the fee in cash or with a credit card at the Student Union offices (opens in a new tab). Please note that the 50 € banknote is the largest banknote they accept.
Please note that you are responsible for any possible transfer fees or service fees your bank may charge!
Payment details:
Recipient: Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland
Recipient's address: Yliopistonranta 3, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
Bank name: Osuuspankki/OP Bank/Pohjola Bank Pl
Bank address: Koskikatu 9, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland
IBAN: FI37 5770 0520 2461 63
BIC/SWIFT: OKOYFIHH
Message: Student's name and date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
Fee: 75 € / 39 € autumn semester / 40 € spring semester
Remember to either attach the payment receipt to the online registration form or present it to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page) when you register in person or by email. The payment receipt must state the date of payment, the amount paid and the recipient’s name and bank account number.
Citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland are required to pay tuition. If you are required to pay tuition, you must pay the first instalment of the tuition fee before you can register as present. The payment due dates are:
- autumn semester – 31 August
- spring semester – 31 December
All UEF students must have a UEF user account. The user account is needed to log in to the university's electronic information systems, to use your UEF email account and to sign up for courses and exams electronically.
Here you can find information on activating your UEF account (opens in a new tab).
NOTE! Your UEF account will only start working when:
- you have registered as present
- your study right has started
- you have activated the account
- you have been strongly identified and
- have registered as an MFA user.
If you have any questions regarding activating your account, please contact the Digital Services (opens in a new tab).
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).
If you are studying in a bachelor's or master's degree programme and are registered as present even for one day out of the semester, you must pay the fee. 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.
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 provide proof of this to Kela. 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.
- For the autumn term, the due date is 30 September provided you have registered as attending by then. If you register as attending for the autumn term on or after 1 October, the due date is 31 December.
- For the spring term, the due date is 31 January provided you have registered as attending by then. If you register as attending for the spring term on or after 1 February, the due date is 31 July.
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the healthcare fee (opens in a new tab) on the Kela website.
If you have any question regarding the healthcare fee, please contact Kela directly. You can find the contact information on the Kela website (opens in a new tab).
The healthcare fee for students in higher education is based on the Act on Student Health Services for Students in Higher Education (in Finnish) (opens in a new tab) (695/2019).
International students staying in Finland for longer than three months should obtain a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus in Finnish). You need it for, e.g., opening a bank account, and for the university’s database and statistical purposes. The personal identity code will also help with identification when you are in contact with different Finnish authorities.
Students from non-EU/ETA countries can apply for the Finnish Personal Identity Code when applying for the residence permit (opens in a new tab). It is highly recommended you do it early!
If you do not apply for the Finnish personal identity code when applying for residence permit, in order to get it later, you have to visit the local Digital and Population Data Services Agency offices (opens in a new tab) during the first three months of your stay. Ask to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System - this means that you are issued a personal identity code and your postal address in Joensuu/Kuopio is registered.
After receiving the identity code, it is very important that you inform the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page) about it:
- You can visit our office and present the identity card or another document that displays the identity code.
- If you are unable to visit our office in person, and wish to handle the matter via email, please contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service and request instructions for sending the identity code in an encrypted email message. Wait for instructions before sending the identity code.
Students who have paid the Student Union (ISYY) membership fee may order a student card. For information on ordering your student card, see Student card and the term sticker (opens in a new tab).
Before you receive your student card, you can get a meal discount at the campus restaurants with a certificate of study. You can request a study certificate from the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).