Registration as being present or absent

• Each student must register as being present or absent for each one of their active study rights in the Oili registration service annually within the registration period.
• Registration is study right -specific. If you have more than one active study right, you can register as being present or absent for all of them or, e.g., as present for one and as absent for another.
• Registration is also term-specific. This means that you can register as being absent for one semester and present for another. Remember to take the normative duration of studies into consideration.

NOTE! Remember to register as being present or absent for each one of your active study rights!

You can find the registration instructions here:

Registration instructions for new students

Annual registration – enrolled students

Registration as being present

Students generally register as present because only those who register as present can participate in teaching and training, take examinations and complete a degree, in addition to being eligible for student financial aid. Registering as present is also mandatory for any periods spent studying abroad as an exchange student.

According to the Universities Act, all university students who have been admitted to a programme leading to a bachelor’s or master’s degree belong to the student union. Student union members pay the student union membership fee when they register as present at the university. Student union members can apply for a student card and are entitled to student benefits. Find out more about the student card and student benefits.

Changing registration status from present to absent in the middle of the academic year

You can only change your registration from present to absent during the registration periods (for the whole academic year or the autumn term only, between 3 May – 15 September; or for the spring term only, between 1 December–15 January). You cannot change your registration status from present to absent in the Oili registration service; you must contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service by email or phone or visit the customer service desk (contact information at the bottom of the page).

Any requests for a refund of the student union membership fee must be submitted by the end of September (whole academic year or autumn term) or by the end of January (spring term). See the Student Union ISYY website for a Membership fee refund application among ISYY’s documents (opens in a new tab). Select Forms and then Membership Fee.

Registration as being absent

A student may register as absent if they do not intend to complete any studies at the university during the semester they register as being absent for. Students registering as being absent must also register within the registration period. Students registering as being absent cannot take any courses or sit any exams during the semester or academic year in question. Those who register as absent do not pay the Student Union membership fee or the healthcare fee for students in higher education. Absent students are not entitled to student benefits or the services of the Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS).

Students who register as absent have limited access to the UEF electronic services. You can find more information on the UEF account and user rights from the IT Services’ website (opens in a new tab).

According to the Universities Act, a student can register as absent for two academic terms (i.e., one full academic year) without the period of absence affecting the duration of studies. For study rights that started before 1 August 2015, the maximum period for registering as absent without the the period of absence affecting the duration of studies is four academic terms.

In addition to regular absences, there are statutory absences as defined by the Universities Act. Absences due to military service, non-military service or women’s voluntary military service as well as absences due to requiring leave from one’s studies in order to take care of one’s child due to birth or adoption are statutory absences. Such absences may extend a student’s study right and are recorded in the student register on the basis of documentation provided by the student within a given deadline (you can find information on the required documents in the following section).

NOTE! If you have been granted an extension to your study right, registering as absent will not extend your study right further (incl. statutory absences).

Registering as absent due to a statutory reason and the required documents

If a student registers as being absent due to a statutory reason for absence, as defined by the Universities Act, their study right duration may be extended. The student must prove they have a statutory reason for absence with a document. The deadline for sending or bringing the document to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page) is 30 September for the full academic year or autumn semester only / 31 January for the spring semester only.

The duration of studies can be extended on the basis of a statutory reason for absence only if the student has registered as absent at the university within the registration period and provided the required document proving the statutory reason for absence. You cannot register as absent nor can your registration be changed from present to absent after the registration period has ended. A statutory reason for absence cannot be recorded for a student who is registered as present. Here you can find information on how statutory absences affect the normative duration of studies.

You can register as being absent for a semester due to a statutory reason if the statutory reason covers at least one day out of the semester.

The documents verifying a statutory reason for absence may be in Finnish, Swedish or English.

If a statutory reason for absence arises after the registration period has ended, and the student has already registered as present, the registration will not be changed to absent. However, the statutory reason may be taken into account if the student needs to apply for an extension to their study right.

Additional instructions for first year students who register as being absent

• If a first year student registers as being absent and does not bring or send the document proving grounds for statutory absence to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page) by the deadline (30 September for the full academic year or autumn semester only / 31 January for the spring semester only), the student forfeits their right to study. In order to re-activate your study right later, you will need to re-register.
• A first year student has the right to be absent for the full academic year even if the statutory reason for absence covers just one day out of the academic year.
• If the statutory reason for a first-year student’s absence covers just the spring semester, the student may register as being absent for the full academic year or as present for the autumn semester and then as absent for the spring semester within the spring semester registration period.
• Please note that if you do not have any of the three statutory reasons defined in the Universities Act, you must register as being present during your first year. You must also register as being present 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 the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).

Statutory reasons for registering as absent as defined by the Universities Act

1. The student is in active service in accordance with the Conscription Act (1438/2007), the Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or the Women’s Voluntary Military Service Act (194/1995)

Required documents:

1. Before the service starts, the student must bring or send their call-up order (only Finnish) showing that the service takes place during the academic year in question to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).
2. After the service ends, the student must also bring or send a copy/picture of their service certificate or military passport to the Student and Learning Services customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).

2. The student requires leave from their studies in order to take care of their child due to birth or adoption

Required documents:

• A medical certificate regarding the pregnancy (international students only)
• Kela’s certificate regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or corresponding certificates from the authorities of another country regarding statutory parental leave
• Paternity leave can only be verified with a certificate from Kela

3. A first-year student is unable to start their studies due to the student’s own illness or injury

Required documents:

• Sickness allowance decision or, if no decision exists, a medical certificate. The medical certificate must state which illness or injury the student suffers from, and that this condition prevents the student from beginning their studies in their first year.
• 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 the student is on the waiting list for an apartment required by their injury. The student’s own notification is not an adequate clarification.
• If you register as absent due to illness or injury, you cannot complete any studies even if you receive sickness allowance for students (which allows some studying, i.e., about 40 % of the regular amount of credits).
• Registering as absent due to illness or injury does not extend the study right. A first-year student may register as absent due to illness or injury but their study right will not be extended as is the case with the statutory reasons above. Registering as being absent due to illness or injury will use up regular periods of absence excluded from the normative duration of studies.
• NOTE! Illness or injury is only considered as a statutory reason for registering as absent for first-year students.

Changing registration status from absent to present in the middle of the academic year

Registration as absent can be changed to present at any time during the academic year.

• During the registration period, the change can be made by paying the student union membership fee in the Oili registration service (opens in a new tab) using one’s personal online banking codes.
• Outside the registration period, the student can request the payment details needed to pay the Student Union membership fee from the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page). The student must provide proof of payment of the Student Union membership fee to the Student and Learning Services’ customer service in person or by email.

More information on registration: