Graduating from the Theatre Academy
You can apply for a degree certificate when you have completed all the studies required for the degree in accordance with the curriculum.
Graduation and registration for the academic year
You must be registered as attending or non-attending during the academic term when your degree is conferred. You may register for non-attendance and still graduate only if you have completed all the studies required for your degree during the previous academic term.
If you have submitted your master’s thesis project for approval on the last day of the previous academic year at the latest and you have completed all other studies required for your degree (incl. the maturity essay), you may register for non-attendance and graduate as a non-attending student if you so choose. You do not have to register as an attending student to have your thesis project graded and approved. If you are liable to pay the annual tuition fee, you will not be charged a tuition fee during the academic term when you graduate.
If you have registered for the academic term following the term of your graduation and do not have another right to complete a degree at Uniarts Helsinki, your registration will be cancelled by your home academy’s academic affairs personnel. You have right to get a refund of the student union membership fee that you have paid in accordance with the Student Union’s decisions.
Submit your thesis project
Check the guidelines for submitting master’s thesis projects at the Theatre Academy below.
Make sure you have completed all studies required for your degree
Before you anticipate graduating, check that you have completed all studies included in your PSP.
All studies that you need to include in your degree must be completed by the date when you submit your degree certificate application.
If you need help with checking the status of your studies, you can contact the planning officer of your, degree programme.
Graduation schedule for the academic year 2024-2025
Master’s degree / Autumn term 2024
| Deadline for submitting the thesis project (written/reflective component, thesis) to the planning officer | Deadline for submitting the examiners’ statements | Teaching council meeting | Deadline for degree certificate applications | Graduation date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2024 | 30 Aug 2024 | |||
| 2 Aug 2024 | 30 Aug 2024 | 10 Sep 2024 | 15 Sep 2024 | 4 Oct 2024 |
| 30 Aug 2024 | 27 Sep 2024 | 8 Oct 2024 | 13 Oct 2024 | 1 Nov 2024 |
| 18 Oct 2024 | 15 Nov 2024 | 26 Nov 2024 | 24 Nov 2024 | 13 Dec 2024 |
Master’s degree / Spring term 2025
| Deadline for submitting the thesis project (written/reflective component, thesis) to the planning officer | Deadline for submitting the examiners’ statements | Teaching council meeting | Deadline for degree certificate applications | Graduation date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 2024 | 10 Jan 2025 | 21 Jan 2025 | 26 Jan 2025 | 14 Feb 2025 |
| 10 Jan 2025 | 7 Feb 2025 | 25 Feb 2025 | 23 Feb 2025 | 7 March 2025 |
| 7 Feb 2025 | 7 March 2025 | 18 March 2025 | 16 March 2025 | 4 Apr 2025 |
| 7 March 2025 | 4 Apr 2025 | 15 Apr 2025 | 20 Apr 2025 | 9 May 2025 |
| 1 Apr 2025 | 29 Apr 2025 | 9 May 2025 | 11 May 2025 | 30 May 2025 |
| 2 May 2025 | 30 May 2025 | 10 June 2025 | 1 June 2025 | 13 June 2025 |
| 15 June 2025 | 31 July 2025 (diploma is delivered in 30 Aug) |
Bachelor’s degree and doctoral degree / Autumn term 2024
| Deadline for degree certificate applications | Graduation date |
|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2024 | 30 Aug 2024 |
| 15 Sep 2024 | 4 Oct 2024 |
| 13 Oct 2024 | 1 Nov 2024 |
| 24 Nov 2024 | 13 Dec 2024 |
Bachelor’s degree and doctoral degree / Spring term 2025
| Deadline for degree certificate applications | Graduation date |
|---|---|
| 26 Jan 2025 | 14 Feb 2025 |
| 23 Feb 2025 | 7 March 2025 |
| 16 March 2025 | 4 Apr 2025 |
| 20 Apr 2025 | 9 May 2025 |
| 11 May 2025 | 30 May 2025 |
| 1 June 2025 | 13 June 2025 |
| 15 June 2025 | 31 July 2025 (diploma is delivered in 30 Aug) |
Apply for a bachelor’s degree certificate
You can apply for a diploma once all the credits included in the degree have been entered in the register (Peppi).
When applying for a bachelor’s degree certificate, first answer the national Finnish Bachelor’s Graduate Survey at https://kandipalaute.fi/en. After answering, you will be directed to the bachelor’s degree certificate application. If you are not able to answer the survey, please contact kandipalaute@uniarts.fi.
Answering the Bachelor’s Graduate Survey takes 15 to 20 minutes. The results of the survey will be used to develop the education at the university. The Bachelor’s Graduate Survey is a part of the universities’ funding model: The results and response rate affect the amount of total funding the university receives, so the responses are valuable in this way, too. The University of the Arts cannot connect given answers to individual students.
Apply for a master’s or doctoral degree certificate
You can apply for a diploma once all the credits included in the degree have been entered in the register (Peppi).
For those graduating with a master’s degree, with the exception of graduation dates of a few months; You can apply for a degree certificate according to the graduation schedule but conditionally. The certificate application is no longer valid unless the thesis project is approved by the Teaching Council.
Electronic degree certificate
The official degree certificate is electronic. The diploma can be downloaded from Peppi on the day of graduation. It is no longer possible to get a degree certificate in paper form.
You will receive your degree certificate and transcript of records either in Finnish or Swedish and English.
Each student is also given an English-language Diploma Supplement as an appendix to their degree certificate to be used in international contexts. The Diploma Supplement describes the content and level of your degree. It also includes information about the Finnish education system.
Read here how to download your degree certificate from Peppi
Graduation ceremony
The Theatre Academy organises a festive graduation ceremony twice a year: in December and in June.
Next graduation ceremonies:
- Fri 13 Dec 2024 > Cancelled!
- Fri 13 June 2025 at 1 pm
- Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 2 pm
- Fri 12 June 2026 at 1 pm
All students who have completed a master’s or a doctoral degree during the past academic year are invited to the event.
Things to remember when graduating
Uniarts user ID is valid two months after graduation.
The student account/student card on Tuudo is valid until your graduation day.
Your right to access facilities will expire according to the following schedules:
- If you graduate during the spring term (1 January – 31 July), your access rights will expire on 30 September.
- If you graduate during the autumn term (1 August – 31 December), your access rights will expire on 28 February.
After graduation, remember to
- save important messages and files from your uniarts email and the university’s network drive
- empty your personal items from Uniarts Helsinki’s facilities (lockers, cabinets etc.)
- return your key tag to staff at the campus info desk
Graduating MA student – Fill in your information for the MAx catalogue
The MAx catalogue provides employers with information on new master’s degree graduates.
Graduation and student financial aid from Kela
Do I receive financial aid for the month of my graduation?
If you receive student financial aid, remember that if you graduate before the 18th of the month, you will not be entitled to receive financial aid that month.
How does graduation affect the financial aid income check?
In the income check, the income that you have received during the entire year (1 January – 31 December) is compared to the annual income limit.
When Kela monitors student incomes, Kela checks the income data in the taxation data and the national incomes register. However, graduation cannot always be taken into account in the preliminary decision. In other words, you may receive a preliminary decision even if you have earned your income or part of your income at some other time than during your time as a student. In this case, it is a good idea to request a review from Kela and state when you were an active student and when you earned the income.
Student loan compensation and student loan tax deduction
If you have begun studying for your first university degree on or after 1 August 2014 and you complete your degree within the target time, you may be eligible for a student loan compensation. The student loan compensation means that Kela pays back part of your student loan.
If you have begun studying for your first university degree before 1 August 2014 and you complete your degree within the target time, you may be eligible for a student loan tax deduction. As you make repayments on your loan to the bank, your taxes are reduced by the amount of the student loan tax deduction.