The normative duration of studies for degrees

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The Universities Act stipulates the normative duration of studies for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The normative duration is one or two academic years longer than the target period, depending on the study right. Check the remaining duration of your degree studies in Sisu. Instructions on how to check your 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.

The target duration of studies
Non-attendance that does not consume study right

The target duration of studies

The target duration of studies for degrees applies to students whose right to study began on or after 1 August 2005.

The target duration of studies are:

For a first-cycle degree (Bachelor’s) the target duration is three academic years. 

If your study right leads only to a first-cycle degree, you may exceed the target duration by a maximum of 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, with the following exceptions

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Master of Arts (Psychology): five and a half academic years
  • Bachelor of Odontology and Licentiate of Odontology (study rights beginning on or after 1 August 2025): five and a half academic years
  • Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Licentiate of Veterinary Medicine: six academic years
  • Bachelor of Medicine and Licentiate of Medicine (study rights beginning on or after 1 August 2025): six academic years 

If you have a study right both for a first- and second-cycle degree, you may exceed the target duration by a maximum of two years.

For a second-cycle degree (Master’s) the target duration is two academic years, with the following exceptions

  • Master of Arts (Psychology): two and a half academic years
  • Licentiate of Odontology (a single-cycle degree, study rights that began on 1 August 2024 or before): five and a half academic years
  • Licentiate of Medicine (a single-cycle degree, study rights that began on 1 August 2024 or before): six academic years

If your study right is only for a second-cycle degree, you may exceed the target duration by a maximum of two years.

If your right to study expires before you complete your studies, please read the article How to apply for an extension to study right.

Non-attendance that does not consume study right

These instructions are for 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.

Are you a new student? Please note that, on your first academic year, non-attendance is only allowed for statutory reasons. Please visit the instructions for newly admitted students for information on how to register for your first academic year.

Statutory non-attendance

Statutory reasons are

  • conscription based on the Conscription Act 1438/2007
  • non-military service (civil service) based on the Non-Military Service Act 1446/2007
  • voluntary military service for women based on the Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service 285/2022
  • 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, electronically to HelsinkiUni Help or personally to Kaisa House service point, 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.

For the first study year, illness or disability are also included in the statutory reasons for non-attendance. However, unlike other statutory reasons for non-attendance, non-attendance due to illness or disability is counted into the duration of your studies and included into the statutory maximum duration of the degree.

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 (both sides of the card)
  • 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 or missing status consumes your study right the same way as other non-attendance (see 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.