Duration of the degree

The instruction belongs to the following themes

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

The University has set a target schedule during which you should complete your degree. Check the remaining duration of your degree studies in Sisu. Instructions on how to check you personal information in Sisu can be found on the page Sisu instructions: My profile, credits and applications. The expiry date of the right to study is indicated also on the attendance certificate and on the transcript of studies.

Remember to register for the academic year, as neglecting to register shortens the duration of your degree. If you change your registration information in the middle of a term, the new expiry date will be updated into Sisu on the following day at the latest. The registration status for the term as a whole depends on the status on the last date of the term in question.

If your right to study expires before you complete your studies, please read the article If your right to study expires.

Target durations of degrees

The target duration for degree studies pertain to students who received their right to complete a degree on or after 1 August 2005.

The target duration is:

  • For a first-cycle degree (Bachelor’s) the target duration is three academic years. If your study right leads to a Bachelor's degree only, you may exceed the target duration with one year, which means that the maximum duration of your degree is four academic years.
  • For a First- and second-cycle degree (Bachelor’s and Master’s) the total target duration is five academic years, except for Psychology five and a half academic years and Veterinary medicine six academic years. If your study right includes the right to complete both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree, you may exceed the target duration with two years.
  • For a second-cycle degree (Master’s) the target duration is two academic years, except the degree Master of Psychology two and a half academic years, Licentiate of Dentistry five and a half academic years and Licentiate of Medicine six academic years. If your study right is for a second-cycle degree only, you may exceed the target duration with two years.

Non-attendance that does not consume study right

These instructions are for degree students pursuing Bachelor's or Master's degree studies which begun on or after 1 August 2005, on which legislation on the normative duration of studies applies.

In the duration of a study right is not counted non-attendance due to  

  • statutory reasons
  • other reasons for a maximum of two terms (or, if your studies began before 1 August 2015, four terms)

The non-attendances don't have to be on consecutive terms. If you have multiple active study rights, you don't have to register as attending or non-attending simultaneously to all of them. You may instead register as attending for one degree programme and as non-attending for another at the same time.

If you study on an extended study right, non-attendance does not have effect on the length of the extension.

 Statutory non-attendance

 Statutory reasons are

  • conscription
  • non-military service (civil service)
  • voluntary military service for women
  • pregnancy leave, parental leave (earlier maternity, paternity or parental leave) and leave due to adoption

You may register as non-attending due to statutory reasons for an unlimited amount of terms without consuming the duration of your degree. Hand in a certificate of the statutory reason (see below) for non-attendance to Kaisa House Student Advice while your study right is still valid. You can also hand it in afterwards, but before your study right has expired. If your study right has already expired the statutory reason can no longer be considered.

A statutory reason can only be registered for a term you are registered for as non-attending. One day of a statutory reason during a term you are registered for as non-attending is enough for the whole term to be registered with a statutory reason. If you were registered as attending or forgot to register for a passed term, the registration status cannot be changed afterwards to non-attendance with a statutory reason. Such terms will consume the duration of your study right.

 Proof of a statutory reason

For a non-attendance to be registered as non-attendance with a statutory reason you should hand in a certificate showing the duration of the statutory reason. You ca do it also later during your studies, but you need to do it while your study right is still valid.

Accepted certificates are

  •  a military passport
  • a non-military service certificate that shows the start and end dates of the service
  •  a decision from Kela about pregnancy or parental allowance (in earlier decisions maternity, paternity or parental allowance) or equivalent certificates of statutory parental allowances from officials of other countries

Please note that, if you were allowed deferral for the first year of study due to reasons other than those mentioned above, the non-attendance consumes your study right the same way as other non-attendance (se below).

Other non-attendance

You may register as non-attending for other than statutory reasons for two or four terms without consuming the duration of your study right. After accepting your study right you don't need to separately hand in any proof to the university about that kind of non-attendance. You just need to register as non-attending for the term.

You may register as non-attending without consuming your validity of the study right

  • for two terms if your study right began on or after 1 August 2015
  • for four terms if your study right began before 1 August 2015

If you register as non-attending for more terms than that, it affects the duration of your study right.