Sisu instructions for students

If you need help with using Sisu

1. First, read the user instructions for Sisu.
2. See whether your question has already been answered on the Sisu FAQ page. 
3. You can also contact Student Services. If you are about to graduate and you have an urgent question, mention this in the subject field of your email.
4. Walk-in Sisu Guidance is available in Zoom on Tue 11-13 and Wed 13-15
5. If you experience problems with accessibility, contact an accessibility liaison.  

Current bulletins on Sisu

• Applications in Sisu: Read this before submitting an application (6.9.)
• Registration for studies to end soon – Check in Sisu whether you have been admitted (27.8.)
• WebOodi to close on 31 August (25.8.)
• How to plan and register for studies for the academic year in Sisu (18.8.)
• Sisu tutors again available for support in August and September (11.8.)

Technical instructions for using Sisu:

• Study plan
  • Updating your study plan created prior to 1 August 2020
  • Instructions for students who began their studies before 2017
  • Placing exchange and JOO studies in the study plan (study draft)
  • Updating a version of a course or a study module in the study plan
  • Study plan for non-degree studies and JOO studies
  • Study plan for exchange students
• Registering for teaching and exams
• Applications in the free edit mode
• Potential issues with information transferred from Oodi
• My profile, credits and applications
• Downloading a transcript of studies and a certificate of student status
• Applying for a credit transfer
• Applying for module content approval
• Study module's registration request
• Choosing a Master's programme
• Graduation request
• Applying for an extension

Walk-in Sisu guidance

Walk-in Sisu guidance provides support for students with technical issues in the use of Sisu, with the focus on how to create and edit your study plan in Sisu. If you need assistance concerning the content of your degree or course equivalences, please contact the student services of your own faculty.

• Walk-in Sisu guidance in Zoom on Tue 11-13 and Wed 13-15, organised by the Kaisa House Student Information
• For more information about the events, please email studentinfo@helsinki.fi

Student Services

Please contact the Kaisa House Student Information at studentinfo@helsinki.fi if you need help with technical issues concerning Sisu or if you wish to give feedback about the system. Check first if your question has already been answered in the FAQ below.

If you need guidance or support on the planning of your studies, please contact your supervisor or the student service point of your faculty.

Special arrangements to support the use of Sisu

Unfortunately there are still accessibility issues in Sisu, especially for people using screen readers. More information is available in Sisu’s accessibility statement. Funidata Oy, the company developing Sisu, is working on finding the best solution for solving the issues. If you are unable to use Sisu due to the accessibility issues, please contact the University’s accessibility liaison. Their contact information can be found on the page Special arrangements support studies.

Sisu orientation session material

The orientation session on 25 February included the new schedule for the deployment of Sisu as well as an introduction to the use of the study plan, the adding of missing credits and registration for teaching.

• Sisu orientation session material in English 25 Feb 2021 (pdf)
• Watch the recording of the orientation session on Unitube (the video is captioned in English)

The deployment process in brief

• Sisu was deployed in stages as of 2017, fully replacing WebOodi as the University’s student information system on 31 May 2021. Students will continue to have read-only access to WebOodi until 31 August 2021. Initially, Sisu only contains the essential features that enabled the migration from WebOodi. The system will be developed on the basis of feedback, and new features will be introduced continuously, so there is no need to worry if you cannot immediately find in Sisu all the features you are familiar with.
• Going forward, each student must have a study plan in Sisu. All study plans created in Sisu prior to autumn 2020 must also be updated or, alternatively, an entirely new primary plan must be created. For further information, please see the instructions at Study planning and supervision.

What if I have not yet created or updated a study plan?

You must have a study plan to register for studies, graduate and submit electronic applications in Sisu. Moreover, studies recorded in Sisu will not be correctly displayed in your plan if you have not first added them to it and selected a completion method. Any studies you complete will nevertheless be recorded as partially completed under My profile. In such cases, you must request the retrospective correction of the information from Student Services.  Further information on partially completed studies is available on the FAQ page.

In other words, you should create a study plan as soon as possible. At a minimum, you must add to your plan the courses you wish to register for or which will be recorded as completed in the near future. If necessary, you can ask for advice on how to create and update the plan from Student Services, Sisu tutors or your PSP supervisor.

 What will change with Sisu?

Thanks to Sisu, students will have a clearer path to follow from the commencement of studies to graduation, as well as smoother access to digital services. Your study plan in Sisu helps you keep up to date on your progress and portray in a visual format which studies you have completed and which studies you must still complete for your degree. You can receive feedback on your study plan, as well as ask questions from your supervisor directly via Sisu.

Compared to WebOodi, one of the main differences is that you must plan your studies before registering for teaching. In practice, you must first add a course to your study plan and then register for the course. However, the planning and timetabling of studies does not mean that the selection of studies available will be reduced. All the courses offered by the University of Helsinki can also be found in Sisu. You can also flexibly edit your study plan as your studies progress, it does not have to be completed at once.

After May 2021, the following will be done in Sisu:

• planning and timing of studies
• registration to courses
• transfer of credits based on prior learning
• assessment of studies
• registration of study modules
• application for degree diploma
• application for the extension of study right

You can learn more about the changes brought by Sisu from the video above (subtitled in English).
You can also watch the video on YouTube.

What is the difference between Sisu’s applications? Which application should I use for which purpose?

If you are unsure about which application you should use, ask the Student Services for help before submitting an application. All applications are processed in the Student Services.

Application for content that deviates from the pre-determined structure (free edit mode)

If necessary, you can deviate from your degree structure defined in Sisu using the free edit mode. Use the free edit mode, for example, if you wish to substitute a study module in your study plan with a module that has been completed with old degree requirements. Approval must always be applied for changes made in the free edit mode.

Substitution application

Submit a substitution application (credit transfer) if you want to substitute a compulsory or an alternative course with prior studies that you have completed in another institution of higher education in Finland or abroad. You can submit a substitution application on the course brochure. Note! If you have completed an equivalent credit at the University of Helsinki, you can mark the equivalence yourself on the course brochure. If this is not possible, you must use the free edit mode instead of the substitution application.

Inclusion application

Submit an inclusion application (credit transfer) if you want to include prior studies that you have completed in another university in Finland or abroad as a part of your degree’s optional or alternative studies. Apply for inclusion also for studies completed at the University of Helsinki if they have already been attached to another degree.

Application for module content approval

Submit an application if you can see the notice “approval required” in any section of your study plan. This means that the content of the module is forwarded to the Student Services for evaluation and if necessary, to the coordinating teacher before graduation.

Application for a custom course credit

Submit an application for custom course credit if you have to complete a course or study module that has been left uncompleted. First, agree on the completion of a credit with a teacher in accordance with these instructions.

See frequently asked questions about Sisu