Guidance compass – Find the right support

General student advice offers assistance with, for example, annual registration, the technical use of Sisu (personal study plan and registration for studies), as well as questions related to the right to study and student benefits. General student advice is is available at the service points in Kaisa House, Kumpula, Viikki and Meilahti.

Contact us in situations such as the following:

• I cannot register for the academic year in Oili, because I do not have a valid University user account.
• I’m unsure about the status of my right to study. I think my right to study may have expired.
• I want to apply for graduation or extension of the right to study, but I run into a problem in Sisu that prevents me from doing this.
• I don’t know who to turn to with my question and need help finding the right place.

International Student Advice

International Student Advice helps international bachelor’s and master’s degree students with questions that are specific for international students, eg. tuition fees and scholarships, registering with the authorities and services offered by the University of Helsinki. All instructions for international degree students can be found here.

The Mental well-being page contains a description of the parties providing support for student well-being at the University and outside it.

Study psychologist services for students

Study psychologists offer support if you have been stuck with your studies for a longer period or are concerned about your coping, motivation, nervousness, performance or concentration. Study psychologists also provide psychological support for studying with an illness, disability or handicap and help find suitable individual arrangements. The study psychologists offer services to degree students, exchange students and doctoral researchers.

Contact study psychologists in situations such as:

• I’m stuck with my studies and don’t know how to move forward.
• My motivation has been lacking for quite a while.
• I’m worried about coping with my studies.
• I get nervous about situations related to studies, such as giving presentations or attending lectures.

In questions concerning mental well-being, you can also find help from

• FSHS, which answers questions related to your health. Please note that your well-being services county handles urgent and emergency medical care.
• The University organises low-threshold events, workshops and discussions to strengthen students’ well-being and ability to study. Read more about them on the Well-being events page.
• Study psychologists and career counsellors organise groups to discuss topics that support study skills, mental well-being and career planning.
• The University chaplains offer discussion support regardless of religious conviction.
• Nyyti ry organises interactive events for students to support their mental well-being, life management and ability to study. Learn more on Nyyti’s website.

Sisu advice

See Sisu instructions for help with using Sisu. You can also check the instructions for study planning and personal study plan guidance.

• If you need help with technical issues related to Sisu, your primary contact is Kaisa House Student Advice, they also provide Sisu advice on Zoom. 
• If you need more specific guidance and advice for planning the content of your study plan, please contact your PSP teacher or faculty-specific student advice.

IT Helpdesk

Information about IT services and links to the most important instructions can be found on the page Students’ IT services. IT Helpdesk also offers a comprehensive instructions site and a 24/7 chatbot at helpdesk.it.helsinki.fi.

If you cannot find what you are looking for in the instructions, please contact Helpdesk. Helpdesk provides assistance with IT problems related to, for example, user accounts, Office 365, Moodle and other information systems.

The Orientation and tutoring page contains the schedules and instructions for orientation.

In matters related to orientation and tutoring, you will be helped by:

• If you have any questions about participating in orientation and tutoring, please contact the student service point of your faculty.
• If you are a tutor, you can also contact the tutoring coordinator of your faculty.

You can find instructions to help planning under the theme Plan your studies.

Faculty-specific student advice

Faculty-specific student advice provides assistance for planning studies in questions concerning the use of Sisu, the degree structure, the drawing up of a study plan, the substitution or inclusion of studies, the right to study and an extension of the right to study.

Contact us in situations such as the following:

• I’m not sure when to take each course.
• I can’t correctly place courses in my study plan in Sisu.
• How can I have my previous studies or work experience recognised in my current degree and which application should I submit?

Teachers providing guidance

The teacher providing you guidance (e.g. PSP teacher, designated teacher, teacher tutor) is the person assigned by your degree programme to help you plan your study progress. The teacher can also support you in considering your choices, skills, goals and professional growth. The exact content and implementation of PSP guidance depends on the degree programme. You can find information about your PSP teacher in the instructions for study planning or on the My profile tab in Sisu.

Contact in situations such as the following:

• I’d like to talk to someone about my plans and goals for my studies and career.
• What courses should I choose if I want to specialise in the field/discipline of x?
• What would be good exchange destinations, traineeships or opportunities to gain work experience in my field?
• I wonder how I’m doing in my studies or whether I’m in the right field. I don't really feel I belong to the community of my programme/discipline.

Instructions for completing courses and examinations can be found under the theme Completion of courses and assessment.

Faculty-specific student advice

Faculty-specific student advice helps with questions related to, for example, course registration and the equivalence of studies.

Contact us in situations such as the following:

• I’m unable to register in Sisu for some reason.
• I’d like to replace a course with another course, but can’t do it in Sisu.
• According to which curriculum should I complete my course?

The course teacher

The coordinating teacher of a course can help with questions related to the content and completion of the course. If the teacher/examiner of the course is a different teacher, turn to them in practical matters.

For example, contact the course teacher in situations such as the following:

• I will be absent from compulsory classes. Is it possible to compensate for an absence with extra assignments, for example?
• I have problems with the course Moodle site or course materials.
• I need more information about the course grading criteria and how my course performance was assessed.

You can always find the name of the teacher in the course description or on the course page. You can search for their contact information in the University People Finder.

Individual arrangements are practical arrangements tailored to you in teaching, guidance or examinations. You can get individual arrangements for your studies if you have a long-term illness, disability or difficulty that hinders your studies. Adequate and documented reasons for the arrangements are required.

Accessibility liaison

Each faculty has a designated accessibility liaison, who is your first point of contact. They will explain how individual arrangements work at the University and help you obtain the support you need. If required, the accessibility liaison will also indicate the right place to seek help.

Contact an accessibility liaison, for example, in the following situations:

• I’m not sure whether I’m entitled to individual arrangements.
• I’ve had problems getting individual arrangements for different courses.
• An illness, disability or difficulty affects my studies extensively.

You can check which optional studies are required for your degree in Sisu or on the page Scope and structure of the degree. You can explore the elective study modules offered by different faculties on the page Optional studies. Detailed instructions for planning your studies are available on the page Study planning and guidance.

For help with questions concerning optional studies, please contact:

• With your teacher providing guidance, you can discuss your optional studies and, for example, their impact on your future.
• If you need more information about completing optional studies at another faculty, please contact student advice at the faculty in question.

International Exchange Services help in matters related to exchange studies, international traineeships and JOO studies (studies at another Finnish university).

Contact us in situations such as the following:

• Where and when should I go on a student exchange?
• My student exchange is not going as planned. What should I do?
• I need individual arrangements for my studies. Can I go on a student exchange?
• Where can I find the studies offered by universities in the JOO network?

You can find instructions related to compulsory language and communication studies under the theme Plan your studies. You can find the full range of languages and courses offered by the Language Centre on this summary page.

Finnish language courses for international students can be found here.

Advice and guidance at the Language Centre

The Kaisa House Student Advice advises you with questions related to Language Centre course offerings, course registrations, the language studies required for your degree, and the recognition of prior language studies. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding language studies or your proficiency, contact a Language Centre teacher tutor.

You can find the Language Centre teachers, faculty coordinators and their office hours on the page Teachers' office hours.

Learn more about our Swedish-language courses and the opportunity to complete a bilingual bachelor’s degree.

Swedish Affairs

Swedish Affairs (Svenska ärenden) strengthens Swedish-language and bilingual activities at the University and develops Swedish-language teaching and student services at all campuses. 

Each campus has its own campus coordinator, who provides information about Swedish-language studies, support services and student organisations. Your campus coordinator also answer questions about the Näktergalen mentoring programme, Uni på väg activities and Högskoledagen event.

On the website Studera i Helsingfors under the tab Studietiden, you will find information about accommodation, student life and spare time, studies, health and well-being, student finances and career, study matters and language issues. The website is in Swedish. 

All the instructions related to Open University studies can be found on the Open University’s own tab.

Open University student advice

The Open University’s student advice provides service by email, phone and chat in all questions related to Open University studies.

Helsinki University Library serves all the campuses. The Library doors are open to everyone. Check the opening hours of our locations and customer service on the Library’s website.

You can study information retrieval and management independently or under supervision with the help of the Library’s courses and materials. 

The Library staff will help you in matters related to information seeking and library services. Please check the Library FAQ page for answers to your questions.

General instructions for writing a thesis can be found under the theme Theses. Also check the Library’s tips for information retrieval and management.

For help with questions concerning theses, please contact

• Your thesis supervisor will help you with questions related to the content, material, publishing and assessment of the thesis, as well as the supervision process.
• You can also get help from the Library with finding sources or practising information retrieval. You can take online courses and receive remote guidance.
• Help and peer support for your thesis is available from groups supporting study ability or from one-off events and workshops.
• Study psychologists can support you in matters related to, for example, time management, study skills and motivation.

Instructions and services to support job seeking and career planning are available under the theme Work and career. You can get started, for example, with the assignments on the page Tools for planning your career and future.

Career Services

Career Services specialists support your growth into an expert and help you recognise career opportunities and search for jobs.

Contact Career Services in situations such as the following:

• I would like to discuss my expectations and opportunities related to my career and future.
• I need support in planning my career and finding my place in the professional world.
• What do I know and what strengths do I have? How do I describe my competence?
• It’s hard for me to get to grips with job seeking or it doesn’t produce results. I’d like to get support with my job application, CV or LinkedIn profile.

You can find instructions under the theme Traineeships.

You can find instructions for traineeships leading to professional qualifications on the page Degree programme-specific traineeship instructions. Instructions related to teaching practices can be found on the page Subject Teacher Education Programme in English (STEP).

Traineeship advice provided by Career Services

Career Services provides advice on completing traineeships in Finland, finding traineeships, as well as on matters related to traineeship agreements and funding.

Contact traineeship advice in situations such as the following:

• I’m planning to complete a traineeship, but am not sure where to begin the process.
• I need tips on how and where to apply for a traineeship.
• I don’t know how the traineeship subsidy works or how to apply for it.
• I’m trying to apply for a traineeship subsidy, but don’t know how to complete the form.

More information about changing study tracks within the degree programme is available on the page Changing study tracks while pursuing a degree.

You can find instructions for continuing to a master’s programme, as well as the master’s options for your own degree programme, on the page Master’s programme options.

If you have questions about changing your degree programme or study track, please contact:

• If you want to change your study track within your current degree programme, you can get advice from your faculty’s student advice.
• If you wish to transfer through a master’s option to a degree programme offered by another faculty, you can get advice from that faculty’s student advice.
• If you want to change degree programmes through an admissions process, you can get advice from Admission Services.

If you are recommencing your studies, start with the checklist for returning students, which contains the most important practical matters and tips to support your ability to study.

For help with questions about recommencing studies, please contact

• Faculty-specific student advice can help you in questions concerning the right to study, applying for an extension, degree requirements or the use of Sisu.
• If you need support and guidance in planning your studies, you can make an appointment with your teacher providing guidance or book an appointment for student advice.

All instructions related to graduation can be found under the theme Graduation.

For help with questions about graduation, please contact

• For questions related to completed credits, Sisu and degree certificates, please primarily contact your faculty’s student service point.
• In career and employment-related questions, you can contact Career Services. Career Services continue to be available to you for 12 months after graduation.

All the instructions for doctoral researchers can be found on the Doctoral Researchers tab. If you are thinking about applying for doctoral education, start with the instructions Aiming for a doctoral degree?

For help with questions concerning doctoral education, please contact

• The faculties’ postgraduate student services provide advice in matters related to the right to study as well as the dissertation’s examination process and defence.
• The doctoral programme’s planning officer provides assistance in matters related to the content of the doctoral programme and salaried doctoral researcher positions.
• You can contact the doctoral school’s specialists in questions concerning funding for finalising the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral school’s travel grants or the teaching of general transferable skills.

Admission Services offer help with questions related to, for example, applying to the University of Helsinki or another degree programme. Please check the frequently asked questions about admissions on the University’s website.

Students at the University of Helsinki have the right to a safe and comfortable study environment. If you observe inappropriate behaviour in the university community, please address it. Ultimately, every university unit must ensure that students are not subjected to harassment or inappropriate treatment in study or guidance situations.

Harassment contact persons

• If you encounter harassment or inappropriate behaviour at the University, you can always turn to Head of Academic Affairs at your home faculty, the contact person of your degree programme or the University’s harassment contact persons.
• If you encounter harassment or inappropriate behaviour in your free time at student events, please contact the Student Union’s harassment contact person