Frequently asked questions about Sisu

The proper instructions for creating and editing a study plan can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan.

Why do I need a study plan?

In Sisu, registering for implementations such as courses and exams, submitting applications, and graduating always starts through a study plan. A study plan helps you to keep track of the progress of your studies and visually shows which studies you have completed and what are still missing from your degree.

Can I choose studies freely?

When you create a plan in Sisu connected to your study right, the plan will already include the structure of your degree and its compulsory studies. Within the structure, there are also parts where you can choose your preferred study modules from several options, as well as parts where you can freely select study modules or course units from your own or other degree programmes.

What needs to be planned in the study plan?

At a minimum, your plan should include the course units you want to register for. However, if you are about to graduate soon, your study plan must contain all the studies of your degree in the correct places. In all parts of the structure where a minimum scope is given, it must read “parts completed”. If there are entities in the plan where no minimum credit is marked and which read “no selections”, you can still apply for graduation if the total scope of the degree is met. These include optional study modules, optional course units, or other studies.

Why can't I apply for an extension or submit a graduation request through my study plan and the plan is "against the rules"?

If your study plan was made for a curriculum period that is no longer valid, you cannot use the electronic services of Sisu, and the plan is in a state that is against the rules. You need to either update your plan according to the instructions or create a new study plan. The curriculum period of your study plan is displayed under the plan’s heading.

In order to apply for an extension, all parts should be in the state "selections done" or "parts completed,” and the studies should also be scheduled on the Timeline page. Instructions for applying for extension can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applying extension.

A graduation request can be made when all parts are in the state "parts completed". You can find the instructions for making a graduation request on the page Sisu instructions: Graduation request.

How do I know which year’s study plan I should follow?

When you create a new study plan, you can choose which academic year’s plan to use. You can find the available options in Sisu by clicking the “New study plan” button and looking at the “Curriculum period” section of the window that opens.

Faculties plan teaching for three years at a time, but there may be small changes also annually. The degree structure for each academic year is determined by this curriculum. You can graduate with a plan according to the structure of any academic year of the current three-year curriculum period, but not according to earlier three-year curriculum periods. You cannot choose a degree structure for a year that is before the start of your right to study. The Faculty Council can also decide on a deadline after which students must start studying according to a newer curriculum.

If your study plan is made according to a too old curriculum period structure, the plan will give an error, and you cannot apply for graduation with this plan. In this case, you either need to create a completely new plan with a newer degree structure (some version of the last two three-year periods’ academic years) or update the plan. If your plan is according to the current curriculum period, but there have been changes to the latest degree structure, you can choose whether you update the whole plan to the latest version, or just sections of it. It may make sense to update only part of the plan if you have already completed most of the degree, but there are still studies missing from some part that you need to register for. You can read more about updating the plan and its sections on the page Sisu instructions: Updating a version of a course or a study module in the study plan.

What should I do if I can’t add courses to the desired section of my study plan?

If your degree structure includes a course unit that you have already completed, but you completed it under a different code, first check the code in your completed studies in Sisu (My profile -> Completed credits) and then see if the course you completed can be found in the equivalent courses tab of the course in your study plan. Instructions for selecting an equivalent course can be found in The course brochure section of the page Sisu instructions: Study plan.

If you wish to replace a compulsory course unit in the degree structure with another course unit not found in the equivalent courses tab, or deviate from the degree structure in another way, you must make an application in the free edit mode. In the free edit mode, you can also place already completed studies in the desired location, even if the "Add to the plan" button allows you to place them only in other or optional studies. Instructions for applications in the free edit mode can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

How do I add optional courses or modules to the Structure of studies?

If your degree structure has a section for optional study modules, you can add a module there. Instructions for searching for and adding optional modules and course units can be found in the Searching for courses and study modules section on the page Sisu instruction: Study plan.

If your study plan does not have a place for optional modules, you can make an application in the free edit mode. Instructions for the free edit mode can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

You can explore the offering of optional studies, for example, from the faculty-specific pages found on the Optional studies collection page or by searching for courses and exams in the course search of the Studies service.

How do I place my planned exchange studies in the structure of Sisu?

If you plan to complete compulsory studies for your degree during student exchange, see the instructions on the page Sisu instructions: Planning compulsory studies to be completed during a student exchange.

If, on the other hand, you intend to complete optional studies for your degree during the exchange, see the instructions on the page Sisu instructions: Study draft.

Can I plan and complete Master’s studies even though I have not yet graduated with a Bachelor's degree?

Yes, you can, if you have been granted the right to both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. In two-tier study rights, the study plans for the Bachelor’s and Master's phases are made using the same planning template. The Master's option is confirmed only after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, but you can start planning the Master’s phase at any time. You can make your Master's option visible on the Structure of Studies page by clicking on the upmost title in the structure. Instructions for choosing a Master's programme can be found on the page Sisu instruction: Choosing Master's programme.

If I have more than one study right at the same time, is one study plan enough?

No, it's not enough. Study plans are specific to each study right, so a primary study plan must be made separately for each study right.

How do I know which studies I am supposed to register for each semester and how do I find them in Sisu?

An overview of the studies included in your degree and a more detailed degree structure, i.e., the individual studies included, can be seen on the page Scope and structure of the degree.

Compulsory studies included in your degree are also visible in Sisu after you have created a study plan. After you have made the necessary selections in the plan and added optional studies to your plan, you will also see them in your plan. Instructions for creating and editing a study plan can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan. Additionally, other studies can be browsed in the course search of the Studies service, or through faculty-specific pages found on the Optional studies collection page.

In Sisu, you can also use the timing templates possibly offered by your degree programme, which display the recommended schedule for your studies on Sisu's Timeline page. You can read more about timing templates in the Planning the timeline of your studies section on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan.

I have completed studies that I do not want to use in my degree; what do I do with them in Sisu?

All completed studies are visible in Sisu on your My profile page on the Completed studies tab. If you do not want to bind certain completed studies to your degree, you can remove the courses from the Structure of studies by clicking in the selection assistant the Remove button, which has a trash can icon. The button is immediately visible for optional studies, but for compulsory and alternative studies, you might need to first open the free edit mode from the selection assistant's additional menu with three dots.

You can always request a separate transcript of all your studies completed at the University of Helsinki. Instructions for ordering a transcript can be found on the page Order a transcript of studies.

How is course registration done in Sisu?

In Sisu, the course unit in question must always be added to the primary study plan before registration. Also, before registering for the course, you must select the method of completion (e.g., lecture course or examination). You can do the actual registration for courses and exams through the Registration page. You can read more about registration in general on the page How do I register for my courses and exams? and find detailed instructions on the page Sisu instructions: Registering for teaching and exams.

Why can't I see teaching on the course unit?

If you do not see upcoming teaching on the course unit, check that the version of the course unit matches the current academic year. You can see the version under the course unit name in the course brochure. Instructions for changing the version can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Updating a version of a course or a study module in the study plan.

If the code for the course unit has changed, future teaching may not be visible at all with the old code. In this case, you might try searching for the teaching with the course unit's name in the Courses search of the Studies service. You can also check what the latest structure of the degree program includes by creating a new study plan in Sisu for the latest version. This allows you to compare any differences to your primary plan and makes it easier to find teaching, which is generally available in the latest versions. Once you have found a new or alternative code, you can add it to your plan and then register for the teaching. Instructions for adding optional studies to your plan can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan, and for changing compulsory studies on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

How do I register for open university courses?

For open university studies, actual registration is exceptionally done through the course page.

• If you are studying only open university studies, you register for teaching only on the course page, and you do not need to create a study plan in Sisu.
• If you are a student at the University of Helsinki, start your registration for free places for bachelor’s or master’s degree students at the University of Helsinki from Sisu. First, add the course unit to your study plan if it is not already there. Then choose the completion method and teaching. Finally, Sisu will direct you to complete the registration on the course page.

Note: The completion method "Open University" has been discontinued. Choose either "Participation in teaching", "Exam", or "Independent work" according to the form of teaching.

Note. Registration for the open university studies directly in Sisu. Still, for individual courses, students register outside of Sisu.

How do I register for a resit exam?

If you have previously completed a course with a passing grade, you can register for a resit examination by opening the course brochure and selecting the course version for the academic year in which you completed the course. You may have to change the course version, for example, to that of the previous academic year to access the resit examination. If the previous version does not include a resit examination, you can contact Student Services to register. Contact information for the student services can be found on the page Student Advice.

If the completed course credits have not been registered, you can register for the resit examination normally, without changing the course version to an earlier one. Choose a suitable exam from the course brochure and register.

In some cases, the resit examination may have a different code that the original course. In such cases, the completed credits will appear in your plan twice, but you can delete the additional credits later in the free edit mode. Instructions for using the free edit mode can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

Why is my course registration being rejected?

When your registration is rejected, Sisu will inform you of the reason for the rejection. Check that these conditions are met before you register again:

• You have registered as present for the starting semester of the course.
• You have a valid study right for the entire duration of the course.
• You have added the course unit to the structure of your studies (primary study plan).
• You have selected the correct completion method for the course unit.
• You are registering through the Registration page or calendar.
• You have updated your study plan or created a new one, if your current plan was made before August 1, 2020.
• If you have multiple study rights, ensure that you register through the correct study plan.

If you meet the basic requirements and still are not accepted to the course, it could be that you do not fit in the course or that there is prioritization or exclusive conditions used in the selection. See more detailed information in the instructions What is the basis for selecting students for course units?

Can I register for courses if the following message appears in my plan: ‘Study right must be separately confirmed’?

Yes, you can. This message will appear, for example, if your study track will not be confirmed until after student admissions. However, this does not usually prevent you from registering for courses, unless accepting the student’s registration depends on that specific right to study. In such cases, you can contact Student Services. Contact information for the student services can be found on the page Student Advice.

What criteria are used when selecting students for courses? 

In Sisu, you can see from the course brochure and the registration confirmation window the criteria used to select students for the course. Usually, students are selected on criteria other than speed.

To be accepted to the course, basic conditions must be met. In some cases, certain previous studies are also required to have been completed. Additionally, the order of acceptance may be influenced by, for example, the amount of completed credits, phase of studies, study track, or whether the student is an exchange student or not. Usually, students meeting the conditions are automatically accepted onto the course after the registration period ends. If there is still room on the course, others may also be accepted. You can read more about the requirements for registration in the instructions What is the basis for selecting students for course units?

I have registered for a course that I do not intend to complete. What should I do?

Cancel your registration, or, if the course has already started, discontinue it on the Registration page. By doing this, you free up your slot for another student and avoid unnecessary course-related messages. Additionally, by removing the course's teaching from your Study calendar, you won't be disturbed by redundant calendar events. Instructions for cancelling registration and withdrawing from a completion, as well as for removing teaching from the calendar, can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Registering for teaching and exams.

Can I register for a course when I have not registered for attendance for the academic year? 

No, you cannot. Register for attendance before you register for courses. Your registration for the academic year must be valid also for the start of the course.

Credits can be given only for the semester during which you are registered as present.

Must studies be included in the Timeline in Sisu before course registration? 

Studies need not be included in the Timeline in order to be able to register for courses. 

I have registered in a specific group, but the teaching of another group is also shown in my study calendar. How do I get rid of the extra group? 

This may be a joint teaching session that has been added to both or all groups, and Sisu is therefore displaying it in the information as being for the first or last group in order. In this case, the teaching session should not be removed because it is also a part of your group's teaching. If needed, you can compare the group's schedule shown in the teaching information with the course brochure or course page, and the events in your calendar if you want to verify that it is indeed intended for your group.

However, other group's teaching may show in your Study calendar if you previously selected multiple groups and were eventually selected for only one of them. You can remove the extraneous groups from your calendar by deselecting "Show events in the calendar" for the group in the calendar selection assistant.

Why does the credit total and average displayed on the front page of Sisu not match with the transcript of records?

Sisu displays on the homepage only the credits from the courses that are in your study plan. You can view the actual credit total from all the studies you have completed in Sisu from your profile on the Completed credits tab. More detailed instructions can be found in the instruction Adding missing course credits to the study plan.

Why does a course appear as a partly completed credit on the My profile page?

When a teacher enters a grade for a course or an exam in Sisu, it will immediately show up for you as partly completed credits. During the next night, it will automatically turn into a full course unit completion, by which time it will also appear as completed in your study plan. However, this requires that you have selected a method of completion for the course unit. If you have not selected a method of completion, the partly completed credits need to be manually changed to a course unit completion by the student services.

Contact student services if your partly completed credits do not turn into a full course unit completion overnight. You can find the contact information for student services on the Student Advice page.

Partly completed credits are counted towards the total credit amount, and Kela is also informed about the credits from partly completed courses for monitoring the progress of studies.

What should I do if my old courses do not automatically show up in my study plan?

If the missing course has been marked in Sisu as equivalent to a specific course unit, you can add it to your plan yourself. If the course you completed is marked as equivalent on the course brochure for the course unit in your study plan, you can add it from the Equivalences and substitutions tab by clicking the radio button next to the completed course. The selection does not need to be saved separately. You can find instructions for selecting an equivalent course unit on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan. If no equivalence has been marked, you can apply to add the performance separately in free editing mode. Instructions for using the free editing mode can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

I have completed a course under the old degree requirements, which corresponds to a course included in basic studies. However, Sisu does not recognize it. How can I make it visible?

Sisu checks if the code of the completed course matches the course unit code in your plan. Therefore, the same name is not enough. If the course you completed is marked as equivalent on the course brochure for the course unit in your study plan, you can add it from the Equivalences and substitutions tab by clicking the radio button next to the completed course. The selection does not need to be saved separately. You can find instructions for selecting an equivalent course unit on the page Sisu instructions: Study plan. If no information about equivalences is found in the brochure, you can apply to add the completed course to your plan in the free edit mode. Instructions for using the free edit mode can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

How can I get courses completed elsewhere into Sisu? (student exchange, JOO studies)

If you have completed courses or exams outside the University of Helsinki, you can submit a substitution or inclusion application directly through your study plan in Sisu. You can read more in the instructions Recognition of prior learning through credit transfer and from Sisu instructions Sisu instructions: Applying for credit transfer.

How can I add studies to my study plan that have been linked to another degree or module completed at the University of Helsinki?

Submit an inclusion application in Sisu if the studies you have completed belong to another

• degree that has been completed at the University of Helsinki, or
• study module that has been completed at the University of Helsinki or in the Open University.

You can read more in the instructions Recognition of prior learning through credit transfer and from Sisu instructions Sisu instructions: Applying for credit transfer.

Where can I find the offering of compulsory studies in Sisu?

For compulsory studies, you can find the available teaching directly in Sisu from the Completion Methods tab in the course brochure. The course brochure opens by clicking on the course code in the study plan on the Structure of Studies page.

Where can I find the offering of optional studies in Sisu?

It is more convenient to browse the offering of optional studies through the faculty-specific pages found on the theme page Optional studies. Once you have decided which optional studies you want to take, you can add them to your study plan in Sisu. You can read more about adding optional studies in the instruction Editing and completing a study plan.

You can also search for upcoming courses through the Studies Service course search. Once you have found a suitable course, you can view its code from the course page information and add the course to your study plan in Sisu. You can read more about adding optional studies in the instruction Editing and completing a study plan.

Where can I find the teaching offered for the next academic year of my degree programme?

Preliminary teaching programmes for degree programmes for the next academic year can be found on the page Where can I find courses?, where they are primarily published during March. Select the desired degree programme from the menu at the top of the page. Teaching is mostly published in Sisu and Studies Service course search by the end of June. In any case, autumn teaching is published by August at the latest, and spring teaching by November.

How do I apply in Sisu for the right to complete restricted optional studies?

The application is made outside of Sisu. You can find each faculty's application instructions via the theme page Optional studies.

I want to graduate. What should I do?

Wait until your last credits have been registered in Sisu before submitting a graduation request. Once you have completed all the studies included in your degree, and all sections of the study structure have the status 'Parts completed' in your primary study plan, Sisu will guide you to submit a request for graduation.

If you are not able to include your prior credits in the plan yourself, you must apply for their approval using the free edit mode. The on-site Student Services will prioritise applications submitted by graduating students.

You can read more and see detailed instructions on the page Graduation.

Below is a list of explanations for the most common notifications related to study plans. You can use the browser’s search function to find a specific notification from this guide.

“You do not have a study right that corresponds to your study plan or you have not registered for the current semester.”

If your right to study and your registration for the academic year are in order, the error message will disappear when you complete a new study plan. For detailed instructions, see the section Study rights on this page.

Reason: 

• You have not registered for attendance, 
• you have created a study plan for a degree program for which you do not have a study right, or 
• your study right is no longer valid.

Solution:

• If the annual registration for attendance has not been done, do it before you register for the course. 
• If your study right has ended, apply for an extension before you register for the course. 
• If your study right is valid and the academic year registration has been done and you receive an error message, you need to create a completely new plan.

“The structure of the study plan is against the rules. Please correct your selections.”

You have made choices in your plan that violate the rules associated with it. Sisu shows a warning at the module level and as a banner at the top. The selection assistant guides you to correct the choices.

Reason:

• The scope of credits you have added in a given section of the study plan exceeds the allowed scope
• You have added a study draft to a part of the plan that only contains compulsory studies
• You have made changes in the free edit mode and have not applied for approval. In this case, ‘Not a part of your degree structure’ is also written next to the course added to the plan.
• You have added the same course to two different parts of the plan, e.g., it is already included in compulsory studies, but you have also added it to optional studies
• You have added a study draft to a section of the plan containing only compulsory studies
• A plan made before 1.8.2020 for academic years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 has not been updated
• The notification may also appear only at the program level when all items are in the state of 'selections done' or 'parts completed', but the total number of points for the degree is not met.

Solution:

• If you have added too many studies to a part of the structure, remove the excess studies. Instructions for removing studies from the structure can be found on the Sisu instructions: Study plan chapter Editing and completing a study plan subchapter “Planning Optional Studies” and the chapter Searching for courses and study modules.
• If you have accidentally added a study draft, you can remove it from the trash can button. Instructions for removal can be found on the page Sisu instructions: Study draft. If you have added a study draft intentionally, for example, for studies to be completed in a student exchange, the notification will disappear after you have applied for the recognition of exchange studies after the exchange period.
• If you have made choices in the free edit mode but have not yet applied for approval. Notifications will disappear when you have applied for approval for edits and the application has been granted, or when you edit the plan so that it will once again conform to the original structure. See the instructions for using the free edit mode.
• If you have added a course to optional or other studies, but it is already part of compulsory studies, remove the course from optional studies. Instructions for removing optional studies from the structure can be found on the Sisu instructions: Study plan chapter Editing and completing a study plan subchapter “Planning Optional Studies”.
• If all parts of the structure read “selections done”, but the degree’s point total is not met, add courses to optional studies or other sections where the scope of credits is not limited.
• If the scope of credits of the degree is exceeded, remove courses, for example, from optional studies until the notification disappears.

"Study right must be separately confirmed"

Reason:

This notification is shown when you are planning your Master's degree studies while the studies in your Bachelor's degree are still on-going. If your study track is not confirmed as completed during student selection, you will see the notification also on the study track section until your study track is confirmed in the Student Services.

Solution:

For the Master’s programme, the notification disappears when you graduate as a Bachelor, when your Master’s degree programme, where you continue your studies, has been confirmed in Sisu. For the study track, you can request confirmation from student services. However, an unconfirmed study track does not prevent you e.g. from registering for courses or graduating.

“Approval required”

Reason:

The content of the study module must be separately approved. There may be restrictions on the content of the module in the degree programme that cannot be reliably modelled in Sisu so that the rules could be reliably set.

Solution:

The content of the module must be sent for approval in Sisu before you can graduate. You can find instructions for applying for separate approval here.

“Selections missing”

Reason:

This notification appears when at least one section of the study plan lacks some of the required studies. The notification first applies to the section in question and then to the entire study plan. For example, if this notification appears under the section “Optional courses”, it can also be seen on the line displaying the name of the degree programme.

Solution:

The notification will disappear also from the degree programme level when you complete the selections in the correct section of the study plan.

"Selections done"

Selections have been made to some part of the plan or the entire study plan.
 

“Optional selections”

This notification is displayed in connection with those sections of the study plan where you are free to select a certain number of courses from any available course, but may choose to select no courses.

"Not confirmed"

Reason:

If you have added a new module to the optional study modules, “Not confirmed” initially appears in the structure and “Selection requires confirmation” in the selection assistant.

Solution:

You can confirm the module as part of your study right by opening the selection assistant by clicking on the module name in the plan, after which you can confirm it as part of the study right from the assistant’s 'Show' link. You can read more about confirming study modules on the Sisu instructions: Study plan page in the section starting with “If in the selection assistant it says 'Selection requires confirmation'”.

“Selected in...”

This notification appears in the selection assistant on a course that is already included in another part of the structure. The credits from this course are only included in the module and part of the structure where it is selected and this notification is not visible. Therefore, you do not need to complete the same course multiple times. You can meet the content requirements of two modules with one course completion. Note, however, that you may be required to complete other credits to meet the scope of the structure or module.

“Approval requested”

Reason:

You have edited a part of the study plan containing compulsory studies and applied for its approval through the free edit mode. The application has not yet been processed in the faculty. You can read more about the free edit mode and the applications made through it on the Sisu instructions: Applications in the free edit mode.

Solution:

The notification disappears when the application is approved. Wait patiently for the application to be processed in the faculty. If the application is the last step before graduation, you can send an email to your faculty’s student services. You can find the contact information for student services on the Student Advice page.

"Study draft"

Reason:

If the course code reads Study Draft, you have added a free-form study draft. The draft can be added to the plan if you plan to complete studies elsewhere than at the University of Helsinki, for example abroad as exchange studies.

Solution:

The draft notification disappears when you have applied for recognition of studies completed elsewhere and it has been approved as part of your degree. If you wish, you can remove the extra study drafts in the selection assistant.

You can read more about study drafts and their removal on the Sisu instructions: Study draft page. You can read more about applying for exchange studies on the Application process for exchange studies page and about applying for recognition of studies on the Recognition of prior learning through credits transfer page.

‘Draft’ in front of the course name 

Reason:

The course information is being edited in the degree programme.

Solution:

This does not affect the plan and the notification disappears when the editing done by the degree programme is complete.

Red warning triangle

• A part of the structure is against the rules.

Gray circle with an exclamation mark inside

• The choices of the part of the structure are incomplete.

Arrows pointing in opposite directions in front of the course icon

• You have replaced a course originally given in the structure with a corresponding course which now appears in the structure.

Laurel wreath icon in the course icon in front of the name and code

• The course has been completed.

Yellow laurel wreath image and text “parts completed” at the programme level

• All parts of the degree have been completed and you can apply for graduation.

Colours of the courses

• They are completely random colours. There is no logic or meaning.