Visiting students

International applicants may be granted a visiting student status, if at least one of the following requirements is fulfilled:

• They can indicate with a verified document from their home institution that the studies completed at the University of Helsinki can be transferred to their home institution and integrated into their degree programme. This means that the applicant ought to be enrolled at a university at the time of applying. If this document is not included in the application chances of being admitted are very small. This also means, that applicants who have not studied at a university can not be admitted.
• They are scholarship holders.
• They can give other significant academic reasons for their studies at the Swedish School of Social Science.

Interpretation of the conditions above is reserved for the Swedish School of Social Science.

Application procedure

The application must include enclosed the following documents no later than the 15.5.2012 for admission for the autumn term or whole academic year 2011-12 or 1.11.2012 for the spring term 2013. Decisions on admittance is made after the deadline for admissions.

• the application itself (available here)
• a Statement of Purpose (details in the application itself)
• a study plan (please use the information in Courses in English or the Study Guide (in Swedish)).
• A verified document from the student's home institution that the studies completed at the University of Helsinki can be transferred to their home institution and integrated into their degree programme.
• An official transcript of credits from the student's home university.

The application with the required appendixes should be delivered to the Swedish School of Social Science:

International Planning Officer
Swedish School of Social Science
P.O. Box 16 (Snellmaninkatu 12)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki.

Applications that are not complete - there are documents missing or the copies are not certified by the correct authorities - will not be processed. The requested documents must be in either in Finnish, Swedish, English. All translations must confirmed by a sworn/official translator. All copies must be officially certified, i.e. they must bear the stamp and signature of an official entitled to attest documents: an authorised university official, a notary public, a commissioner of oaths etc. The University of Helsinki will not attest any documents or photocopies.

Decision on the application

Applicants will be informed of the decision by e-mail and later confirmed by letter.

The validity of the visiting student status

Visiting student status is usually granted for the maximum of one year at a time. During the period of visiting student studies the student cannot graduate from the Swedish School of Social Science. The decisions on admission are made by the Rector of the Swedish School of Social Science.

Submitting an appeal

The applicant has the right to appeal a decision within 14 days from the day the decision was made public. The mailing address for the request is Swedish School of Social Science, International Office, P.O. Box 16, 00014 University of Helsinki.

Fees

There are no fees for individual courses, but the accepted visiting students are strongly recommended to become members of the Student Union of the University, as the membership gives the student the right to health care at the Finnish Student Health Service as well reductions in the UniCafés.