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Academic year, enrolment and study right

Degree students must enrol as a present (attending) or absent (non-attending) for each study year. The duty to enrol applies to all students studying in degree programmes leading to a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.

Two female students laughing together in a park

Academic year 2025/26

Autumn term 25.8.–19.12.2025

Christmas Celebration 19.12.2025

Spring term 7.1.–5.6.2026

Closing ceremony of the academic year 5.6.2026

Autumn break

  • Week 42; 13.–17.10.2025 (Kokkola and Pietarsaari)
  • Week 43; 20.–24.10.2025 (Ylivieska)

Christmas break 22.12.2025–6.1.2026

Winter break

  • Week 9; 23.–27.2.2026 (Kokkola and Pietarsaari)
  • Week 10; 2.–6.3.2026 (Ylivieska)

Teachers’ summer break 17.6.–11.8.2026

Information about tuition fees and scholarships can be found here.

You can graduate on any Friday (excluding December 26, 2025). You may graduate during the Fall Semester 2025 by following these key dates

  • Strong recommendation: Submit 2/3 of your thesis by October 6, 2025.
  • The graduation process in the VALO service must be started by November 14, 2025 (5-6 weeks before graduation).
  • The thesis must be sent for language evaluation no later than November 14, 2025.
  • All studies (including the thesis) must be recorded in Peppi by December 17, 2025.
  • Last day to graduate in Fall semester is December 31, 2025.

Please note: If you do not follow the given schedule, your graduation might be postponed to the next semester.

You can find detailed instructions for the VALO graduation process here.

You can graduate any Friday. You may graduate during the Spring Semester 2026 by following these key dates

  • Strong recommendation: Submit 2/3 of the thesis by March 9 (right after the winter break). Recommended: Start the VALO graduation process.
  • May 11: Deadline for final thesis submission (3/3) – submit the thesis to the language reviewer for final evaluation.
  • The VALO graduation application must be initiated by May 11, 2026 (5–6 weeks before graduation).
  • By June 8, the language reviewer must have recorded the evaluations in Wihi for theses submitted on time.
  • All studies, including the thesis, must be recorded by June 12, 2026.
  • The final graduation date for spring is June 26, 2026.

Please note: If you do not follow the given schedule, your graduation might be postponed to the next academic year.

You can find detailed instructions for the VALO graduation process here.

Enrolment

Degree students must enrol as present (attending) or absent (non-attending) for each study year. The duty to enrol applies to all students studying in degree programmes leading to a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.  

Only students who are enrolled as present students have the right to pursue studies, to have credits entered in the record of credits and to receive guidance related to studies. 

Please note, if you have been exempted from paying the tuition fee and do not enroll for the study year and then apply for readmission, your tuition fee liability be reconsidered based on the new law. That means, if you now have been exempted from paying the tuition fees, you might become a tuition fee paying student.

Continuing students

Students on an extended study time do not enroll for the study year in Peppi. Registration for the remaining study time has been done by the Student Services (based on the decision of the application for extended study right). The student does not have the right for statutory absence included in regular completion time and cannot enroll as absent.

Enrolling as an absent student (continuing students)

Students who started their studies before 1 August 2015

Students who started their studies after 1 August 2015

Military service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women’s Voluntary Military Service (194/1995). 

Maternity, paternity or parental leave. 

Illness or injury preventing the student from starting their study (NB! only starting first-year students). 

Military call-up order (Finnish document only) 

Maternity, paternity or parental leave: Kela’s certificate regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or, if the certificate has not yet been received, a doctor’s certificate verifying the pregnancy. Corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave. 

Sick leave certificate or a doctor’s certificate. The certificate must state which illness or injury the student suffers from and that this condition prevents the student from beginning their studies (NB! only starting first-year students). 

The document will have to be notarized or verified by a Finnish medical professional. Please contact Student Services (studentservices@centria.fi) if you need to enroll as absent. Please note, that if you are starting your studies in fall semester 2025, you need to inform Student Services and deliver the document before the 31st of August 2025.

New students can enrol as absent for their first academic year based solely on statutory reasons. For further information, please contact Admission Services admissions@centria.fi.  

Contact Student Services

The study right and the study right period

Target completion time is based on the scope of the degree.

Study right period

The study right period includes the target completion time of the degree plus one extra year. If the student does not complete the studies in the target time, the student has the right to continue the studies for one year without submitting an application.

Applying for readmission when study right is lost

A student who has lost their study right can apply for readmission. The study right can be restored if the student has study time left and the student is able to complete their studies within the remaining study time. 

The semesters that the student has neglected to enroll for consume their terms of non-attendance and attendance. Semesters between the study right end date and the study right restoration date are covered with non-attending terms if the student is still eligible for absence. When the maximum amount of non-attendance terms has been used, remaining semesters are counted as attending, which reduces the remaining study time and attendance terms.

The study right will be restored on the beginning of the following month after the decision (at the latest). The on-going term, including the time before the restoration, will be considered completely used of the study right duration.

Application for readmission is done by electronic form. 50 Euros will be charged for processing the application (Government Decree 1440/2014). The options for payment of the application processing fee (50 Euros) are the following: Finnish online banking credentials, VISA, MasterCard or MobilePay. Application submission and payment are done at the same time. Please do not pay the processing fee via Flywire.

If you are a tuition fee -paying student you will need to pay both the tuition fee and the processing fee before your readmission application can be processed. Tuition fee payment instructions can be found on the readmission application.

Please note, if you have been exempted from paying the tuition fee and do not enroll for the study year and then apply for readmission, your tuition fee liability be reconsidered based on the new law. That means, if you now have been exempted from paying the tuition fees, you might become a tuition fee paying student.

If you cannot use Suomi.fi e-Identification (if you do not have Finnish online banking credentials), you can use the following options for payment and use the link for electronic form below.

The receipt of payment is attached to the application. The application and the attachment of payment are submitted at once so please have the attachment ready before filling in the application.

Extension of the study right

If a student does not complete their degree within the study right period, they can apply for extension before the study right ends. The granting of an extension is discretionary. 

The prerequisite for granting additional time is that the student applies for extension and prepares and submits a goal-oriented and feasible (possible to implement) study plan that enables student to complete his/her studies in a reasonable time (during one year). 

Extension of study right is granted for a maximum of two semesters. If the extension of study has been granted before, it is possible to apply for an extension of one additional semester for special reasons. Centria will consider the special reasons for the need of extension (e.g., student exchange, systematic preparation for top-level sport, serious illness, substantial difficult life circumstances). Here too, the student must submit an ambitious, feasible plan leading to graduation within a reasonable time, so that his/her application can be considered. If the student has been granted extension of study right in the past, Centria will consider how the student has used that time.

The E-application form is on the student register Peppi (student’s desktop). In accordance with government Decree 1440/2014, a fee of €50 is charged for processing the application. The options for payment of the application processing fee (50 Euros) are the following: Finnish online banking credentials, VISA, MasterCard or MobilePay. Application submission and payment are done at the same time. Decisions on applications are sent to the student’s Centria email address.  

Suomi.fi e-Identification is used to log into the form. This requires strong identification (e.g. Finnish online banking credentials, mobile certificate etc.). If you are not able to use strong identification (you do not have Finnish online banking credentials, mobile certificate etc.) please, contact the Student Services (studentservices@centria.fi). 

Application periods

The study entitlement of students who have not been granted an extension will be declared as expired and the student will be registered as resigned.

Completing an incomplete degree

If you have previously studied at Centria UAS but did not complete your degree, the study right has ended, and there is no study right time left, you can apply to finish your incomplete degree in the same or related degree programme. Further information about applying with an incomplete degree here.