Frequently asked questions

The customer service of Open University provides general guidance and gives advice on study procedures. You can receive information on the course selection, registration, tuition fees, teaching schedules and locations, usernames and exam results.

Contact us:

tel. +358 40 484 4495
avoin(at)ulapland.fi

Courses offered by the faculties of University of Lapland you will find in Peppi Study Guide

There are no prerequisites for studying at the Open University.

You may complete parts of a university degree at the Open University. Our course offerings include courses and modules of different subjects. Courses completed at the Open University may later be transferred to a university degree. The decision to transfer studies to a degree is always issued by the institution granting the degree.

There is no age limit for studying at the Open University.

Since studies at the Open University are considered part-time and general in nature, you are not eligible to receive financial aid from the state (study grants or student loans) or the discounts and benefits of full-time students. If your studies at the Open University are part of vocational further or continuing education, you can apply for adult education allowance from the Education Fund.

Read more on the Education Fund website >

Yes. Our courses usually take place on weekday evenings or online, so they suit people who are working during the day. Since the studies require more than just participating in the lectures, it is a good idea to reserve time in your calendar for independent study.

Yes. You can study full time without losing your unemployment benefits under certain conditions. Please consult the TE Office about your studies in good time before the start of your studies. In order for you to qualify for unemployment benefit, the TE office must have recognised your need for education and assessed that the studies will improve your vocational skills and employability.

Only full-time studies are supported with unemployment benefits. You must also be at least 25 years old at the start of your studies. Visit your local TE Office to clarify any questions about unemployment security before starting your studies.

Read more on the TE Services website >

Studying at the Open University is considered part-time study, and therefore you are not eligible for the financial aid from the state or for other benefits full-time students have.

Finnish 1 - 4 courses: You can find the registration form under each course link. When applying for Non-degree studies, use the Non-degree studies application form. Refer to the Non-degree studies guide for further instructions.

If you have already completed courses equivalent to your present studies, you can apply for credit transfer by filling out an credit transfer application form (Finnish: korvaavuuslomake). Please submit the form to Open University with an official transcript of records and/or copies of the relevant certificates. The teacher in charge of the course or module in question will decide on whether your earlier studies will be recognised.

The registration is binding and the paid fees are not refundable.

The right to study cannot be cancelled, and the study fee will not be refunded.

However, in the event that the University of Lapland or Open University has to cancel a course due to low attendance, or other similar reason on part of the organisation, the study fee is refunded in full.

If you develop medical or health problems lasting at least one month, your study right can be extended for a short period. In that case, provide a medical certificate detailing the medical or health problem that prevents you from continuing studies. A medical certificate must be presented during your valid study right. The tuition fee is not refunded.

No.

As a student of the Open University, you are automatically generated a personal user account, which gives you access to our online services, such as Peppi, Moodle, library databases, email service, computers in the ICT labs and the LUC wireless network.

You may activate your user account on the day following your payment using either your personal online banking account or mobile certificate at identity.luc.fi.

If you have neither an online banking account nor the mobile certificate, please contact the student HelpDesk or ICT ServiceDesk.

For data security reasons, you are required to change your password every six months.

If your password has expired but you can still remember it, you can reset it at pwd.luc.fi

A forgotten password can also be changed by visiting the StudentHelpDesk in person. If this is not possible, please contact the Helpdesk by email: helpdesk(at)ulapland.fi

Your user account is valid for your study right time.

The primary method for changing your forgotten password is to use your online banking account or the mobile certificate at: identity.luc.fi.

All exams take place at the University of Lapland, in Yliopistonkatu 8. The information on the examination rooms are given on a separate notification board in the main lobby.

You can enrol for exams electronically in Peppi Refer to the programme description for further instructions.

You should always be on time for exams. However, if you are late for some reason or another, you are allowed to enter within half an hour of the scheduled starting time of the exam.

You must bring your own writing instruments and an ID. You are required to leave your bag and other belongings by the lecture room door or walls, including your cell phone.

Some of the questions from previous exams are available on the webpages of student organisations.

Exam results will be published in Peppi which you can access with the username you are given at the start of your studies.

You will receive your exam results no later than four weeks after each exam.

Enrol for the resit just in case. You may later cancel your enrolment if needed.

Courses are assessed either on a numeric scale (0 to 5) or on a pass/fail basis. The numeric scale is more commonly used. The grades are specified as follows: 5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=satisfactory, 1=passable and 0=fail.

If you are unhappy with the grade you received, you can contact the Open University office, which will provide you with the contact details of the teacher responsible for the grading. The teacher is required to explain to you the used assessment criteria and how they have been applied in your case.

If you are still not satisfied with your grading after contacting the teacher, you can apply for a rectification of the assessment in writing. You must appeal within 14 days of the date that you have had the chance to access your results and the information on how the assessment criteria have been applied in your case. The teacher must provide you with a written statement of a denied appeal on request.

If you are unhappy with the decision on the rectification of assessment, you may appeal to the appellate board. You must file the appeal no later than 14 days after receiving information on the decision. Submit your appeal to the University Registry. You cannot appeal against the decision of the appellate board.

Lectures are a traditional and the most common mode of teaching. It is highly important to attend the lectures in order to learn, since their goal is to go over the basics, while providing you with more up-to-date information than in text books and knowledge that cannot be found in literature. Learning requires active listening.

Studies usually start with an introductory lecture that provides you with an overview of the topic.

Read more:

Guidelines for making notes:

1. If you know the topic of the lecture in advance, you can prepare by considering what you already know about it and what else you would like to know.
2. Listen to the lecturer attentively.
3. Write concisely, focusing on the main points and important terminology.
4. Organise your notes under main and sub-points and connect them logically to form larger unities.
5. Write down your own thoughts and insights.
6. Ask the lecturer questions if something is unclear or you wish to learn more about a topic.
7. Go through your notes right after the lecture to complement and clarify them.

For most courses it is not obligatory to attend lectures, although it is recommended. It is particularly important to come to the first lecture, since the learning aims, requirements and assessment criteria of the lecture series are discussed there. Any schedule changes are usually also agreed on during the first session. In some subjects attendance is obligatory: for example, language studies, some law studies and court case exercises require 80 percent attendance and art subjects 90 percent attendance.

You can ask the teachers for the lecture materials if they are willing to hand them out. It may not always be possible. It is a good idea to ask and talk about the lectures with other students taking the course.

You do not have to buy your course books, since you can usually borrow them from your home town library or the Lapland University Library.

You will receive a library card from the University Library, in Yliopistonkatu 8. Be prepared to prove your identity with a photo ID. At the city library you can order and borrow books from other libraries in Lapland.

The Library of the Lapland University Consortium comprise the libraries of the University of Lapland and Lapland University of Applied Sciences. The library of the University of Lapland is located in the main building of the university in Yliopistonkatu 8, and the libraries of the University of Applied Sciences in Jokiväylä 11.

Please read more about copying in ICT service page.

Please refer to secure printing for students.

Campus map is available here.

In Non-degree studies Open University students study together with degree students of University of Lapland. If you do not find studies that interest you in the Open University course selection, you can apply for the right to Non-degree studies. Teaching is mostly during daytime.

Please refer to section User accounts.

The Open University route refers to the process of a student transferring to degree studies on the basis of the studies completed at the Open University. Students at the Open University may become degree students by taking an entrance exam or through the Open University route. After being accepted to the university, a student may apply for recognition of the studies completed at the Open University provided that the studies comply with the current requirements.

The selection criteria for the Open University route are annually checked and published in Studyinfo.fi in the autumn. Your grades and total number of credits, for example, are factored in when making the selection.

You can see your student number by signing in Peppi with your login credentials. Read more about how to activate your user account under section User accounts. Peppi has more information about the study contents and schedules as well as assessment.

You can ask about special arrangements from your faculty office.

The transcript is available directly on request, avoin@ulapland.fi.

No. Course descriptions state how each course can be completed. The teachers will tell you more about the course requirements in class.

You can apply for a study right to the unfinished studies next time they are offered. The tuition fee for a single course is 35 euros. Please note that the study attainments of individual courses are only valid as long as the University's course requirements do not change.