Registration and right to study

Continuing students can register as an attending student by paying the tuition fee with choosing one of the following payment options:

Full academic year payment during 1 March – 31 May

• • Payment has to be done in one installment for the whole academic year (for both the autumn and spring semesters)
  • Early Bird Discount: Students who pay the tuition fee for the whole academic year by 31 March can use 10% discount of the tuition fee.
    • Please note: If you pay the whole academic year tuition fee between 1 April – 31 May you need to pay the full tuition fee without the discount.
    • Please check your tuition fee amount on Tuition fee schemes at SEAMK by choosing the year when you were admitted to SEAMK or on your Notification of student admission-letter.

Semester-based payment:

• • Autumn semester: Pay half of the annual tuition fee during 1 March – 31 May

• • Spring semester: You can pay the remaining half of the annual tuition fee during 1 June – 31 August if you have paid the autumn semester tuition fee by 31 May.

• • Early Bird Discount is not available for semester-based payments.

In case if you do not pay the tuition fee in time, see instructions here: Losing the right to study

Students will be registered as an attending student based on the amount paid – either for the full year or for one semester.

• Students liable to pay do not need to send any registration form. The payment is considered as registration.
  • Please don’t send your residence permit card if your residence permit is granted based on studies.

Tuition Fees Services will record your attendance status in Peppi system after having checked your payment. Only students registered as an attending student can participate in classes, complete studies or practical training and graduate. 

• Register for each academic year by submitting your valid exempting document through the electronic form. The link to the e-form will be provided yearly starting 1 March when the registration period begins.
• Fill in and submit the registration e-form. (Avalaible only during registration period)

To register as a non-attending student by using your non-attendance semesters:

• Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) receives information about your registration status and study right automatically.
• Please note that registering as non-attending may affect your residence permit.

• military service, non-military service or women’s voluntary military service in Finland or
• if the student needs time off his/her studies to take care of a child in regard to the child’s birth or adoption

• order to report for service or a copy of a valid military passport

• Kela’s certificate of decision regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or, if the decision has not yet been received, a medical certificate regarding student’s own pregnancy.

• sickness allowance decision, or if such decision has not been issued, a medical certificate. The medical certificate must indicate that the medical condition or disability prevents the person from beginning their studies.

• for the autumn semester: at least on 1 August, and
• for the spring semester: at least on 1 January

A student who is liable for tuition fees will lose their study right if they fail to register for the next academic year according to SEAMK’s instructions. This means that the student has not paid the tuition fee or has not submitted a valid exempting document by the given deadline. 

Failure to register for the academic year leads to the loss of the study right. 

If you consider applying for Re-registration of your study right, please contact tuitionfees(at)seamk.fi first for further information.

What does losing the study right mean? 

If a student loses their study right: 

• The student is no longer entitled to complete studies, receive student financial aid or meal subsidies, or use student discounts 

• The study right of spring semester ends on July 31 / Study right of autumn semester ends on December 31, and the user account will be locked 7 days later 

• As a consequence, the student will no longer have access to SEAMK email, intranet, or other online services 

• Losing the study right may have effects on students’ residence permit 

Application periods for re-registration of the study right 

A student who has lost their study right due to failure to register may apply for re-registration of the study right: 

• for the autumn semester / the whole academic year during the application period from June 1 to September 10, provided that the student still has remaining study right time  

• for the spring semester during the application period from October 1 to November 30, provided that the student still has remaining study right time

Effects on attendance and non-attendance semesters 

Failure to register for an academic year consumes the student’s remaining attendance and non-attendance semesters. 

• Full semesters between the end date of the study right and the date when the study right is re-registered are counted as non-attendance semesters, if any are still available. 

• Once all allowed non-attendance semesters have been used, the elapsed semesters will consume the student’s remaining attendance semesters. 

At SEAMK, the study right is re-registered from either August 1 or January 1, depending on the application period during which the re-registration has been applied for and approved. 

The semester during which the study right is re-registered is counted in full as used study time. 

Re-assessment of tuition fee liability (previously exempted students) 

Please note that if the study right is interrupted for one full semester or more, the student’s tuition fee liability will be reassessed. This also applies to students who have previously been exempted from paying tuition fees.

After an interruption, the exemption from tuition fees is not automatically retained. 

When applying for re-registration, the student must again meet the exemption criteria and submit a valid exemption document. SEAMK will then check the student’s residence permit history with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). 

If the exemption criteria are no longer met, the student may become liable to pay tuition fees after the re-registration of the study right. 

Re-registration of the study right is applied for using an e-form. 

The application must include one of the following attachments: 

• a receipt of the paid tuition fee, or 

• a valid document exempting the student from paying the tuition fee 

The application processing fee is 50 euros (A1440/2014, 3 §). When you submit form, you will be forwarded to the online payment  

service. You cannot submit the application without paying. Application is active only during the application period. 

What does re-granted study right after the end of the study right period or a discretionary extension mean? 

(Students who started their studies on or after August 1, 2015) 

If you started your studies at a Finnish University of Applied Sciences on or after August 1, 2015, and you were not able to complete your degree within your original study right period or during a granted discretionary extension, you may apply for a re-granted study right. 

This means that you can apply to become a student again without participating in the student admission process, as provided by law (L325/2015, section 32) 

This option is available to former students, in cases where you no longer have access to SEAMK Intra or other internal systems. 

If you consider applying for Re-granted study right, please contact tuitionfees(at)seamk.fi first for further information. 

Application periods for re-granted study right 

You can apply for a re-granted study right during the following application periods: 

• For the autumn semester: June 1 – September 10 

• For the spring semester: November 1 – January 10 

Applications submitted outside these periods cannot be processed. 

Additional requirements for applying for a re-granted study right 

When applying for a re-granted study right, your application must include: 

• An explanation of why your studies has been delayed, and 

• A scheduled study plan for completing the remaining studies, prepared together with a study counsellor 

The study plan should clearly show how and when you intend to complete all missing courses and graduate. 

Please note that students who are granted a re-granted study right do not have the right to register as non-attending. You must study according to the approved plan.  

Re-assessment of tuition fee liability (previously exempted students) 

Please note that if the study right is interrupted for one full semester or more, the student’s tuition fee liability will be reassessed. 

This also applies to students who have previously been exempted from paying tuition fees.
After an interruption, the exemption from tuition fees is not automatically retained. 

When applying for re-registration, the student must again meet the exemption criteria and submit a valid exemption document. SEAMK will then check the student’s residence permit history with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). 

If the exemption criteria are no longer met, the student may become liable to pay tuition fees after the re-registration of the study right. 

Re-granted study right is applied for using an e-form. The study plan that needs to be attached to the application should clearly show how and when you intend to complete all missing courses and graduate.

The application must also include one of the following attachments: 

• a receipt of the paid tuition fee, or 

• a valid document exempting the student from paying the tuition fee. Please note that if the study right is interrupted for one full semester or more, the student’s tuition fee liability will be reassessed.  

The application processing fee is 50 euros (A1440/2014, 3 §). When you submit form, you will be forwarded to the online payment service. You cannot submit the application without paying. 

Application form is active only during the application period.