Guidance compass – Find the right support

HelsinkiUni Help is the University’s general advice service that you can contact about any matter. For students, HelsinkiUni Help offers advice with these topics and more:

• Study rights and registration for the academic year
• Using Sisu
• Language and communication studies
• Certificates and signing of documents
• Graduation
• Open university studies
• Applying to degree programmes at the University of Helsinki

You can also contact HelsinkiUni Help with any other questions related to studying and the University. Always start with HelsinkiUni Help if you’re not sure who to ask: if the service’s specialists don’t know the answer to your question, they will help you find a solution and the right support.

Through HelsinkiUni Help, you can also reach the student advice of your home faculty when you need more detailed, faculty- or degree programme-specific advice.

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

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.

IT Helpdesk provides assistance with IT problems related to, for example, user accounts, Office 365, Moodle and other information systems.

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.

With questions on using Sisu, please contact HelsinkiUni Help.

The Orientation and tutoring page contains the schedules and instructions for orientation. If you have any questions about participating in orientation and tutoring, please contact your home faculty's  student advice through HelsinkiUni Help.

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.

HelsinkiUni Help and faculty student services provide 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 via HelsinkUni Help 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?

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.

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.

• 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, you can contact that faculty's student services through HelsinkiUni Help.

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

HelsinkiUni Help and faculty student services help you with questions related to, for example, course registration and the equivalence of studies.

Contact us through HelsinkiUni Help 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 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.

Some teachers have office hours during the study year, during which you can go meet the teacher without a prior appointment. You can find the office hours in the teachers’ personal profiles via Flamma’s person search. If the profile does not show any office hours and you would like to meet the teacher, please contact them in advance to set an appointment.

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.

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.

International Exchange Services help in matters related to exchange studies and international traineeships.

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?

You can find instructions related to compulsory language and communication studies under the theme Language and communication studies. You can find the full range of languages and courses offered by the Language Centre on this summary page. See also the Finnish language courses for international students.

HelsinkiUni Help 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.

Learn more about our Swedish-language courses and the opportunity to complete a bilingual degree. Learn more about languages of study and degrees. 

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.

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.

• 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.

Instructions and services to support job seeking and career planning are available under the theme Work and career. For more information on traineeships, start under the theme Traineeships.

Through HelsinkiUni Help you can reach our specialists who support your growth into an expert and help you recognise career opportunities and search for jobs. We also offer you advice on completing traineeships in Finland, finding traineeships, as well as on matters related to traineeship agreements and funding.

Contact us in situations such as the following:

• I would like to discuss my expectations and opportunities related to my career and future.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

• HelsinkiUni Help helps 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 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?

• The faculties’ doctoral 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 specialists 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.

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.

Visit the page Equality, diversity and accessibility at the University for contact information of harassment contact persons and information on how to proceed if you encounter harassment or inappropriate behaviour at the University.