Important dates for the academic year

Published 23.5.2022 | Updated 19.6.2025

Uniarts Helsinki’s academic year

The university’s academic year begins on 1 August and ends on 31 July.

Registration for the academic year

The registration period for the academic year 2025-2026 is between 2 May and 11 August 2025. The registration period for the Spring term 2026 is between 1 December 2025 and 7 January 2026. New students have separate deadlines.

Registration for courses

Uniarts Helsinki’s course selection can be found in the Study Guide.

Teaching periods

In the 2025-2026 academic year, instruction is given between 4 August 2025 and 12 June 2026. 

What’s happening	2025-2026
Joint studies/ summer studies	4 – 24 August 2025
Teaching period 1	25 August – 10 October 2025
Uniarts Helsinki’s opening ceremony of the academic year	11 September 2025
No contact teaching	13 – 19 October 2025
Teaching period 2	20 October – 19 December 2025
No contact teaching	22 December 2025 – 6 January 2026
Teaching period 3	7 January – 13 February 2026
No contact teaching	16 – 22 February 2026
Teaching period 4	23 February – 30 April 2026
No contact teaching	2 – 8 April 2026
Teaching period 5, joint studies/ summer studies	4 May – 12 June 2026
Uniarts’ joint orientation for the new students	19 August 2025 and 6 October 2025

Uniarts Helsinki’s period for joint studies

The weeks are reserved primarily for the Uniarts Helsinki’s joint studies and mobility studies offered by the academies. The period is dedicated to joint studies and productions that are intended for all students of the Uniarts Helsinki’s academies, as well as – in special cases – for academy-specific courses such as orientation studies. There may also be special intensive courses in theory and languages during these weeks.

Joint studies of the Uniarts Helsinki can also be organised during other times, but the period for joint studies is specifically reserved for these studies so that students have an equal opportunity to participate in them.

Breaks in contact teaching

During the break weeks, students can study and practise independently, for example get ready for performances, exhibitions or exams, or complete written assignments and write their theses.

There is a break in contact teaching at Easter, which begins on Thursday before Easter and ends on Wednesday after Easter.

No teaching is arranged on national holidays.

The dean of the Academy and the director of the Open Campus can make exceptions to the above-mentioned teaching hours, which are necessarily required by the curricula, for a justified reason.

General exam dates

Some course examinations can be completed on the general exam dates. You can read about the available course completion methods in the course descriptions in the Study Guide.  

Literature examinations for the Sibelius Academy’s church music and pedagogical studies can also sometimes be substituted with literature essays. You can request the essay assignments by emailing siba.opintopalvelut@uniarts.fi.  

General exam dates (Helsinki)

Summer exam dates 2025

• Sat 7 June 2025 (registration by 20 May 2025)
• Sat 9 August 2025 (registration by 12 June 2025)

Autumn term 2025

• Sat 6 September 2025 (registration by 27 August 2025)
• Sat 4 October 2025 (registration by 24 September 2025)
• Sat 8 November 2025 (registration by 29 October 2025)
• Sat 13 December 2025 (registration by 3 December 2025)

Spring term 2026

• Sat 10 January 2026 (registration by 31 December 2025)
• Sat 7 February 2026 (registration by 28 January 2026)
• Sat 7 March 2026 (registration by 25 February 2026)
• Sat 11 April 2026 (registration by 1 April 2026)
• Sat 2 May 2026 (registration by 22 April 2026)

Summer exam dates 2026

• Sat 6 June 2026 (registration by 15 May 2026)
• Sat 8 August 2026 (registration by 15 May 2026)

How to register for an examination (Helsinki) 

Students must register for an examination no later than 10 days before the examination. Registrations done after the deadline will not be processed. If you miss the deadline, contact the person in charge of the examination and ask them if you can still participate in the examination.   

Once the registration period has ended, staff from the academic affairs will contact you and provide you with instructions for participating in the examination.   

Register for written examinations 2025-26: The link will be published here later.

On the day of examination (Helsinki) 

Examinations are held in the Auditorium of the Helsinki Music Centre (H1112), the visiting address is Töölönlahdenkatu 16 C. The doors will open at 9:00. Examinations start at 9:15 and end at 13:15. Students are not allowed to leave the auditorium earlier than 30 minutes after the start of the examination. Students must show their student card or ID card in the examination as proof of identity and attendance. A student who has registered as a non-attending student cannot participate in an examination.  

The doors to the Helsinki Music Centre Auditorium are locked, which is why students who do not study at the Sibelius Academy are picked up from the lobby on the Töölönlahdenkatu side of the building at 09:05 and then escorted to the Auditorium.  

Remote maturity tests (Helsinki) 

Some maturity tests can be completed remotely. When you complete a maturity test remotely, you will be sent the maturity test assignment by email on the day of the examination. You have 4 hours to complete the maturity test on your own computer, and when you are done, you return the assignment as an email attachment.   

How to register for a remote maturity test 

You can request the remote maturity by emailing siba.opintopalvelut@uniarts.fi. Please write your teacher’s or supervisor’s name in your email.

General exam dates and remote maturity tests (Kuopio) 

Some course examinations can be completed on the general exam dates. You can read about the available course completion methods in the course descriptions in the Study Guide.  

Literature examinations for theological studies consist of independent studies and essay assignments. The assignments are sent on the day of the examination by email, and students are also informed of the essay deadline at the same time. You can find the set literature for theological courses in the course descriptions provided in the Study Guide.  

Maturity tests are completed remotely. When you complete a maturity test remotely, you will be sent the maturity test assignment by email. You have 4 hours to complete the maturity test on your own computer, and when you are done, you return the assignment as an email attachment.   

Autumn term 2025

• Fri 26 September 2025 (registration by 16 September 2025)
• Fri 24 October 2025 (registration by 14 October 2025)
• Fri 21 November 2025 (registration by 11 November 2025)
• Fri 12 December 2025 (registration by 2 December 2025)

Spring term 2026

• Fri 23 January 2026 (registration by 13 January 2026)
• Fri 27 February 2026 (registration by 17 February 2026)
• Fri 27 March 2026 (registration by 17 March 2026)
• Fri 17 April 2026 (registration by 7 April 2026)
• Fri 8 May 2026 (registration by 29 April 2026)

How to register for an examination and a remote maturity test (Kuopio)   

Students must register for an examination no later than 10 days before the examination.

Additional schedule for the Academy of Fine Arts 2025-2026

Spring 2025

Orientation for new students: week 2

Spring semester instruction: weeks 3-7 and 9-24

Week free of instruction: week 8, Easter holiday 17.-23.4.2025

Registration for autumn semester 2025 courses/instruction:  15.5.-5.9.2025

The last day during the spring term to fill in the application for a degree certificate: 23th May 2025

Graduation ceremony: 6th June 2025

Autumn 2025

Orientation for new students starts: week 34

Autumn semester instruction: weeks 35-41 and 43-50

Week free of instruction: week 42

Registration for spring semester 2026 courses/instruction: 14.11.2025-16.1.2026

The last day during the autumn term to fill in the application for a degree certificate: 28th November 2025

Graduation ceremony: 12th December 2025

Additional schedule for the Sibelius Academy 2025-2026

General information concerning teaching schedules

The teaching times will be published in the Study Guide. In principle, instruction is provided from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. The instruction of the Junior Academy will be provided also on weekends. The teaching hour is 45 minutes and the room booking for tuition starts on the hour. The teaching times of the individual tuition will be agreed between teacher and student.

Teaching schedules of the academic year 2025-2026

Instruction is provided between 25 August 2025 and 30 April 2026 (in Junior Academy until 31 May 2026).

The fixed class room reservations for tuition will not be valid during the break weeks 42, 8 or during the Christmas and Easter holidays. The times of the Christmas and Easter holidays are mentioned in the rector’s decision on Teaching periods 2025-2026. Other than regular contact teaching can be provided during the break weeks.

The joint studies of the University of the Arts will be provided in August and May. Regular group tuition should not be organised during the joint studies’ weeks. Orchestra periods, intensive courses, project studies and individual tuition can be organised also during the joint studies’ weeks.

Additional schedule for the Theatre Academy 2025-2026

Autumn term 2025

Period 1

1.9. Registration for autumn courses ends in Peppi two weeks before start, but no later than 1.9.
4.-22.8. Joint studies
18.8. Uniarts Helsinki as a learning environment: joint orientation for new students, part 1
21.8. Info for new international degree students at the Sörnäinen campus
Week 35 Teaching begins (with the exception of BA 1 year students and separately agreed courses)
26.8. Camp school for new master’s students
29.8. Uniarts Helsinki as a learning environment: TTP info for new master’s students (TeaK section)
29.8. Photography
1.9. at 13-17 TeaK community day
11.9. at 15 Opening ceremony of Uniarts Helsinki’s academic year at the Töölö campus
30.9. PSP approval dl
October-November Application for TeaK students for international exchange or internship: Norteas network application for short exchange for the following semester
6.10. Uniarts Helsinki as a learning environment: joint orientation for new students, part 2
8.-10.10. Uniarts Helsinki as a learning environment: TeaK section
10.10. Uniarts Helsinki as a learning environment: TTP info for new BA students (TeaK section)
13.-17.10. No contact teaching

Period 2

3.-28.11. Registration for spring courses in Peppi
12.12. at 14 Conferment ceremony (Publiikki)
Week 51 Teaching in all programs ends

Spring term 2026

Period 3

17.-21.2. No contact teaching

Period 4

2.3. at 13-17 TeaK community day
2.-8.4. No teaching on Easter
Week 18 Teaching in all programs ends
May Application for TeaK students for international exchange or internship: Norteas network application for short exchange for the following semester

Period 5

4.-8.5. Intensive courses in general studies (languages, art, work and sustainability)
15.5. Study guides are published and registration for the autumn courses in Peppi begins
15.5.-12.6. Students’ PSP round cover students participation in realised artistic productions
11.5.-12.6. Joint studies, in exceptional cases programme teaching and intensive courses of general studies (languages, art, work and sustainability)
12.6. Conferment ceremony (Publiikki)