Credit transfer means the approval of students’ prior studies or other learning as part of a degree, study module or course.
Your duties as a teacher include assessing whether students’ learning corresponds to the learning outcomes set for their studies and degrees. Applications for credit transfer are processed by Student Services and emailed to the relevant teacher for assessment.
Students may request credit transfer by submitting an application for substitution or inclusion.
Prior learning can be acquired through formal education and in other contexts:
It is recommended that students discuss any credit transfers with their PSP teacher as part of planning their studies. However, PSP teachers do not process or assess applications.
Students themselves are responsible for applying for credit transfer and must attach to their application the necessary certificates and other documents, such as a transcript of studies completed outside the University of Helsinki accompanied by a description of their content. Students submit their applications for either substitution or inclusion in the Sisu student information system. Students completing open university studies do not submit their applications in Sisu but use separate forms instead. Detailed instructions can be found in the open university instructions for recognising prior studies and applying for credit transfer.
If a student applies for credit transfer based on a course or study module provided as open online teaching (MOOCs) at a higher education institution in Finland or abroad, the student must submit a separate course or module certificate, provided by the relevant teacher or institution, on which the student’s name is indicated.
If a student has previously incorporated into their first-cycle degree a course or study module which is a compulsory part of the curriculum for a second-cycle or doctoral degree, you should agree with them on separate studies enabling them to achieve the minimum scope of their module or degree.
From the beginning of the 2023–2026 curriculum period on 1 August 2023, students cannot incorporate a course or study module into the same degree more than once:
The administrative staff at University Services process all credit transfer applications in Sisu. In other words, they extract applications for processing and record decisions in the system. They also assess applications for the inclusion of studies and are responsible for transferring credits for studies completed during international exchange as a separate study module, unless otherwise provided in the degree programme curriculum.
The curricula for degree programmes determine the coordinating teacher of each course and study module, who assesses credit transfer applications and decides on the substitution of studies. It is possible to decide to follow a different procedure in the curriculum of a degree programme (e.g., all decisions on the substitution of basic studies are made by a teacher responsible for credit transfer). The coordinating teacher of the course or study module assesses and decides on applications for the inclusion of learning acquired in non-formal and informal education.
The Language Centre is responsible for transferring credits for language studies completed outside the University of Helsinki towards the compulsory language studies referred to in the Government Decree on University Degrees and Professional Specialisation. It is also responsible for transferring credits for studies completed elsewhere to be incorporated into its own language programmes. The student’s degree programme or University Services is responsible for transferring credits for other language studies.
The assessment of credit transfer applications is always based on the student’s learning and seeks to establish whether the learning outcomes described in the curriculum are achieved. When assessing student applications, compare the learning acquired by the student to the targeted learning outcomes of the relevant degree, study module or course. It is important that you assess the acquired learning instead of merely looking at the number of credits. If the acquired learning corresponds to the required level of studies and learning outcomes, you can approve the student’s application.
Always base your assessment of the application on the student’s original learning or studies. Completed credits previously transferred by another higher education institution must not be used as the basis of an application or its assessment.
If the educational establishment providing teaching differs from the one awarding the certificate of studies, the inclusion of studies is possible if so determined in the degree programme curriculum. However, the educational establishment awarding the certificate must be a higher education institution.
Credit transfer applications must be processed and resolved within one month of the student submitting the application together with all the documents and information required to resolve the matter. This deadline only applies to credit transfer based on learning acquired in formal education. If a student submits their application between 1 June and 31 August, the decision may take over a month.
The date of completion of any credits transferred is the original date of completion. For example, if a student completed a course on 10 October 2017 and had credits transferred on that basis on 5 May 2023, the date of completion recorded in the student information system is 10 October 2017.
When transferring credits for learning acquired in non-formal and informal education, the date of your decision on credit transfer is recorded in the student information system as the date of completion. If the student is required to supplement their learning, the date of completing the relevant supplementary studies is recorded in the student information system as the date of completion.
Number of credits transferred
As a rule, in the case of substitution, the student receives the number of credits defined for the course or study module to be substituted. If, in your estimation, the student’s prior learning or studies fully correspond to the course or module to be substituted, you cannot require that the student complete additional studies.
A deficiency of up to one credit between the course to be substituted and the student’s prior learning or studies is acceptable if you find that the learning outcomes of the studies to be substituted have been reached. For example, a student may have completed studies worth four credits at another higher education institution, gaining learning equivalent to a five-credit course at the University of Helsinki. In this case, a substitution worth five credits is granted.
If you find that the student’s learning exceeds, in terms of content or number of credits, the learning required for the course or study module to be substituted, the student can include the additional learning as a separate course in, for example, optional studies. In this case, you may advise the student to apply for the inclusion of the excess part.
Inclusion is always based on the original scope of the completed studies. This applies to decimals as well (e.g. 3.5 credits).
When including learning acquired in non-formal and informal education, you as the teacher decide on the scope of credits.
Please note that the ECTS scale used at higher education institutions outside Finland does not always correspond directly to the scope of credits in Finland.
Grading scale
Substituted studies will be assigned the same grade as that assigned for the original substituting studies if they were assessed using the same grading scales or systems as those used at the University of Helsinki (0–5; pass or fail; good–satisfactory–fail in written and oral skills in the second national language, i.e., Swedish or Finnish). The grading scale applied to each course or study module is indicated in the degree programme curriculum and is also applied when transferring credits.
You should assign the grade ‘pass’ only if the studies serving as the basis for the substitution have been assessed using the pass–fail system or different grading scales from those used at the University of Helsinki. Different grading scales include scales that do not only use whole numbers or that use a scale of A to F. If the studies serving as the basis for the substitution have been completed abroad, you will assign the grade pass.
Studies to be included in a degree will be assigned the same grade as that assigned for the original studies if they were assessed using the same grading scales or systems as those used at the University of Helsinki.
You can assign the grade ‘pass’ if the studies to be included have been assessed using the pass–fail system or different grading scales from those used at the University of Helsinki. In the case of the inclusion of learning acquired abroad, you will assign the grade pass.
In the case of the inclusion of learning acquired in non-formal and informal education, you will assign the grade pass.
Please also note that students cannot attempt to raise the grade of a course or study module for which credits have been transferred.
Partial credit transfer
If the targeted learning outcomes are not fully met, the student’s prior learning or studies can be recognised through partial credit transfer. This is possible, for example, if the student’s prior learning or studies do not cover all of the requirements for an extensive study module. In such cases, the student must supplement their learning and complete the missing studies in the manner you determine in the decision on credit transfer. If you decide to grant a partial credit transfer, reject the application and record in the grounds how the student can supplement the missing areas of learning. Supplementary studies can be completed, for example, as an examination, an essay or a partial completion of a course.
Assess the student’s supplementary studies and assign a grade for the whole course according to the scale or system defined in the curriculum. Send a request for a personalised evaluation to assessment support services. Instructions are available on the Assessment and grading in different systems page. Partial credit transfer is not entered in the student information system as credit transfer, but as a normal course completion.
If students can register for the course (or ‘implementation’) in question in Sisu and you are indicated as the course coordinator, you can ask students to register for this course and assess the supplementary studies through it in Sisu. Ensure that when assessing the completed studies, you are able to register the same scope as that determined for the course in the curriculum.
Rejecting an application
If you reject a student’s application, you must give your decision in writing. Record the grounds in your email reply to the application forwarded by Student Services. The grounds recorded must be based on the relevant learning outcomes, unless the application is rejected because of formalities (see the section on restrictions on credit transfer).
In accordance with the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights at the University of Helsinki, students may submit a request for administrative review of a decision first with the decision-maker and then with the University’s Academic Appeals Board.
Disregarding an application
Credit transfer applications may be disregarded in situations listed in the rector’s decision on credit transfer (see list below). If in your view an application should be disregarded, notify Student Services of this and the grounds for your decision in your response to the request for a credit transfer assessment. Student Services records the grounds in Sisu.
When is credit transfer not possible?
The rector’s decision on credit transfer states that credits cannot be transferred for the following:
A thesis for a second-cycle degree
NB! In the degree programmes in medicine and dentistry, credits can also be transferred for the theses of students whose right to study in the programmes took effect prior to the 2023–2024 academic year.
A maturity test
NB! The language of the maturity test can be recognised if the student completed their basic or secondary education in Finnish or Swedish, and the maturity test of a Finnish higher education degree in the same language.
Students may not use studies for which they have received a failing grade as the basis for credit transfer.
Restrictions on credit transfer when studies are included in a previously completed degree
If a student applies for credit transfer based on studies that are included in a previously completed degree, the following restrictions must be noted:
For a second-cycle degree, credits cannot be transferred for studies included in
For a licentiate research degree or a doctoral degree, credits cannot be transferred for studies included in
In addition, the number of transferable credits has been limited when they are included in a previous higher education degree:
There is no maximum number of credits that can be transferred if the completed studies have not yet been incorporated into a higher education degree. However, the maximum scope of a degree cannot be exceeded with transferred credits.
Disregarding an application for credit transfer
A credit transfer application is disregarded if the student:
Has previously completed, or had credits transferred for, the course or study module for which they are applying for substitution; this also applies to courses and study modules for which equivalent studies have been defined by a faculty decision.
However, students can apply for credit transfer if their completed studies have expired.
Applies for credit transfer for studies whose scope in credits exceeds the maximum scope of the prospective degree:
The scope of a degree may be exceeded by no more than 10%, in addition to which students may include in their degrees studies up to the nearest five credits in scope. In other words, the maximum scope of a bachelor’s degree (180 credits) is 200 credits, and the maximum scope of a master’s degree (120 credits) is 135 credits. However, this does not apply to students who began their degree studies before 1 August 2017.
Applies for credit transfer based on studies completed more than 10 years ago:
The provision on the expiry of studies applies to learning acquired in formal education, and credit transfer applications pertaining to studies completed more than 10 years ago will not be considered. Exceptions to this are studies in the first language, the second national language and a foreign language required for the degree, for which credit transfer applications will be considered even if the studies were completed more than 10 years ago. Credit transfer applications pertaining to basic studies will also be considered when students use them as the basis for completing intermediate studies or studies for special needs teachers (at least 60 cr).
The expiry period of a course begins on the date of completion. The validity period of a module begins on the date of completion of the last course or examination incorporated into the module. Courses and study modules are valid until the end of the term on which the expiry date falls.
If a degree programme curriculum has stipulated a shorter expiry period, applications containing studies completed before that date cannot be processed.
The provision on the expiry of studies does not apply to the transfer of credits for learning acquired in non-formal and informal education.
As a teacher, you may transfer credits for learning acquired by students in non-formal and informal education.
As the transfer of credits for such learning is based on acquired competence, students must substantiate and document their learning and demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes set for the relevant studies. You may use examinations, portfolios, essays, reports, interviews or other suitable methods in the assessment of student learning. You may also require that students supplement their skills with various learning assignments or equivalent work. However, the workload required by the assignments or work must not exceed the workload indicated by the number of credits earned, and the assessment procedure must not be heavier than the assessment of equivalent studies.
Please note that learning acquired in non-formal and informal education may also be determined in the curriculum as a method of completion for certain studies, such as a traineeship. Such cases fall outside credit transfer but are considered part of the regular completion of studies.
Students dissatisfied with a credit transfer decision may submit, within 14 days of receiving the decision, an oral or written request for its administrative review to the teacher who made the decision.
The teacher must provide a reasoned decision on the request within a reasonable period of time. If a student notifies that they are dissatisfied with the response to their review request, the teacher must issue a written decision.
Further information is available at Students dissatisfied with assessment, the review procedure.
Universities Act (558/2009) (unofficial English translation) in Finlex Internet service
Universities Act. Section 44, subsection 3 provides for credit transfer.
“When studying for a degree or when completing a professional specialisation programme, the student may, as determined by the university, have studies that they have completed in another Finnish or foreign higher education institution or other educational establishment counted towards the degree or specialisation programme; the student may also substitute previous studies for studies in the degree requirements or professional specialisation programme if the prior studies are of an equivalent level. The student may, as determined by the university, have their knowledge and skills attested in some other manner and counted towards the degree or specialisation, or substitute studies in the degree requirements or specialisation programme with the knowledge and skills attested.”