Graduation of students liable to pay tuition fees
Table of contents
Practical matters, related to graduation
Students who are liable to pay tuition fees must plan the timing of their graduation well in advance. A degree can be conferred to a student only after the student has applied for the conferral from their faculty. Please find out from your faculty what their schedule for conferring degrees is.
All students must be registered for attendance during the semester when the degree is conferred to them, even if they do not complete any studies during that semester. For tuition-paying students, this means that the student also has to pay the tuition fee for that whole semester. Even if the student graduates at the beginning of the semester, no tuition fee reimbursement will be made for the rest of that semester. If you wish to register for attendance for a fifth semester, please order the invoice for the tuition fee payment by filling in the .
The official timing of the semesters is as follows.
Autumn semester: 1 August – 31 December
Spring semester: 1 January – 31 July
A case example: A student has started her studies in a Master’s degree programme at JYU in the autumn of 2021 and has received the scholarship, which covers the tuition fee for two academic years. The student completes all studies required for the degree by July 2023, but applies for the conferral of the degree in August. The degree is conferred to her in August 2023. The autumn semester starts on 1 August, which means that the student was not able to graduate in two years. The faculty is able to enter the conferral of the degree to the student register only after the student has registered for attendance for the autumn semester 2023. In order for the student to register for attendance for the autumn semester, she needs to pay the tuition fee for that semester.
Tuition Fee scholarships at JYU are not granted for longer than two academic years. The student is required to pay the tuition fee for the semesters exceeding two academic years. However, a separate consideration is possible if the delay is caused by issues in the student’s health (a medical certificate is needed), an illness or death of his/her close relative (a certificate is needed), a delay in getting a residence permit (a proof of delay in getting a residence permit is needed) or other compelling reason not under student's control. Upon a separate consideration, the scholarship may be granted for the fifth semester for completing the Master’s thesis, if studies have progressed in compliance with the approved personal study plan and if the graduation thesis has been started and progressed (a statement from the supervisor is needed). JYU organizes an application round for the fifth-semester scholarship in late spring. Students will be informed about the application process via email.
Renewing your residence permit after graduation
You can apply for an extended permit as a person with a degree completed in Finland if you have graduated, or you have completed all of your studies and you will receive a degree certificate within 1–3 months. There are two types of extended residence permits you can apply for based on your situation: an extended permit on the basis of work, and an extended permit to look for work or to start a business. You should apply for a new residence permit before your current one expires, otherwise your continuous stay in Finland will be interrupted. It is also advised to book an appointment in advance. Please note, that there is no Migri service point in Jyväskylä, the closest are in Tampere and Kuopio.
If your residence permit for studies is still valid and you have found a job, you may apply for an . Your employer must supplement your application. You are allowed to continue working or start a new job already before the extended permit has been issued, and you may work without restrictions. If you have a job but do not earn enough or have enough savings to be granted a residence permit on the basis of work, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work or to start a business.
If you have not yet found a job that would begin before your residence permit for studies expires, you can apply for an . You may get the permit for two years at the most. If you wish, you can take the permit in three parts. If you have a residence permit to look for work, you can work without restrictions regardless of your field of study.
Please see for additional information.
Alumni studies
All graduates who have received their degree from the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ from 1 August 2023 onwards may complete studies free of charge for two full academic years following their graduation date, regardless of tuition fee liability status during their degree studies. This rule applies to all open university studies, as well as faculty studies in compliance with the rights the student had when the degree was awarded. Alumni studies allow you to expand upon your degree flexibly, alongside working or from another location in different life circumstances. Further information:
Further information
Elizaveta Arzamastseva
International Coordinator
JYU International Office
/ degree-students@jyu.fi
T-building, 2nd floor (meetings by appointment only)