Open UAS studies

Open UAS is open to all, regardless of your background, work experience or age. However, you must have the necessary study skills and language skills to study. Some courses may have prerequisites, which are described in the course description. Please also note the language of instruction of the course.

The path studies (master) requires an appropriate bachelor’s degree. Post-university work experience is not required. If you later apply as a degree student on the basis of your studies at an open university of applied sciences, two years of post-university work experience is required for eligibility.

Most of the courses open for Open UAS students are the same courses the degree students take. In other words you study together with them. Some courses are arranged separately. In these cases the student group consists of Open UAS students only.

Performances can include exams, assignments, essays, reports and projects. More detailed information of performances is available in course descriptions. Partly web-based or online courses are also available.
One credit equals 27 hours of the student’s work. It can include e.g. contact classes, distant studies and assignments.

To participate in day time studies, you must be able to attend a class during the day on weekdays. Day time studies can include contact learning, independent work, online learning or project work.

Multiform studies is suitable for those who are already in employment or who are otherwise unable to attend a traditional full-time studies. A job is not a prerequisite for a multiform studies. It is more independent than day time learning and involves more e-learning. Studies also include contact learning, independent work and project work.

Both day time studies and multiform studies may include e-learning. In addition, there are also courses that are delivered exclusively online. However, e-learning is partly time-bound, as course assignments (etc.) must be completed according to the timetable indicated in the course description. Online learning emphasises written interaction, self-direction and time management skills.

Nonstop courses require strong self-direction and time management skills, as they do not involve face-to-face teaching or similar meetings. You can cope well by scheduling your studies from the start and sticking to your timetable.

Open UAS studies are not studies leading to a degree. As a result, an open UAS student is not entitled to student financial aid, student discounts or other social benefits intended for degree students.

If you are unemployed, please contact your local Employment Office well in advance before the start of the studies and find out the possibilities for benefits during your studies.

If you are employed, you can find out your possibilities of getting adult education subsidy from the Employment Fund during your study leave at the address: www.tyollisyysrahasto.fi/en/launch.

We provide guidance and counselling to help you start your studies and to support the smooth running of your studies. We also help students to find the courses that best suit their individual goals.

For advice and guidance on open UAS studies, please contact SAMK’s Open UAS staff. Questions about the course and its content are answered by the course teacher. Support for the systems used in the studies is available from eSAMK. The SAMK IT Support is available to help with IT problems.

Contact the staff of the Open University of Applied Sciences if you need advice or guidance on matters related to studying at the Open UAS.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding your open UAS studies.

• By e-mail: avoinamk@samk.fimail
• By phone: Open UAS contact persons informationarrow_forward
• If you wish, you can also book an online coaching session with the staff of the Open UAS (e.g. HILL, TEAMS, etc.).

Open UAS contact Open UAS tuition fees include a credit-based fee and a term fee.

A credit-based fee (10 €/credit) entitles you to conduct only a predefined number of credits during a limited right to study (individual courses, higher education diplomas and other study modules).

With a term fee (100 €/term) you can study an unlimited number of open UAS courses during the term. A term fee entitles you to study either during spring-summer term or autumn term (Tuition starting between 1 January – 31 July/tuition starting between 1 August – 31 December). The term fee is intended for path students and those who take several individual courses during the term. One-year long Path Studies´ tuition fee is 200 € (incl. two term fees of 100 € each).

• retired people
• the unemployed and laid off
• secondary education students
• the staff of SAMK and SAMMAKKO
• students of Pori University Consortium taking courses belonging to their PSP at SAMK
• Ukrainians with temporary protection status. (UKR100)

SAMK alumni study free of charge in studies starting after 1.1.2023

• Free studies are possible for all graduates of SAMK degree programmes after 1.1.2022.
• The right to study free of charge is valid for four semesters following graduation.
• The free-of-charge applies only to individual study courses in the Open University of Applied Sciences (excluding pathway studies, higher education diplomas and other study modules). When registering for courses, alumni should use the code ALM100.

Please also subscribe to the SAMK alumni newsletter. You can see the latest education news in it.

If you are entitled to free studies and you enrol for a course through Meerkado, please remember to do following things:

• You should include group’s code AV100 / ALM100 or UKR100 in your enrolment.
• In addition, you should use the email address of your institution when enrolling.
• You may need to provide proof for your entitlement for free studies.

Individual courses

In case of hindrance, the student place must be cancelled not later than 14 days before the beginning of the course by sending email to the address: avoinamk@samk.fimail. Otherwise, full course fee will be charged. N.B.! The enrolment for nonstop courses is binding, so there is no right of withdrawal.

Path studies and other study modules

Cancellation terms are determined by the study modules, and there is information about them in the education brochure and/or the letter of invitation sent to the student. As a rule in path studies and other study modules, the students confirm their student places by email. A confirmed student place is an obligation to pay the fee.

Cancellations must always be made in writing by sending email to: avoinamk@samk.fimail. Not starting the studies is not regarded as cancellation. If a student drops off the course he/she has already started, a full fee is charged. A fee is returned in full only if the studies are cancelled because of reasons arising from SAMK.

You have to enrol for the courses of Open UAS at the latest two weeks before the beginning of the course through the Meerkado service (choose the right course and enrol for it). Students are accepted to the course in order of enrollment. You pay the tuition fee when you enrol for the course in Meerkadolaunch.

If you cannot find a suitable course from Meerkado, you can leave your contact information and details of the course you are looking for by filling in the general form of open UASlaunch.

NB! Degree students do not enrol by using the enrollment form of open UAS, but as usual on Loki.

What happens after enrolment: please take your time and follow the email you received on the application form. Before the start of the course, our Student Services Secretary will send you an email with instructions on how to register your SAMK-ID, among other things. Please note that the processing time for nonstop courses is two weeks. Enrolments will not be processed during holiday periods (July and Christmas break).

Learning environment Moodle: In general, the Moodle platform for our courses will automatically open for the student once the teacher has approved your enrolment for the course in Loki. The Moodle platform of the course is only visible to you when you log in to SAMK Moodle with your SAMK-ID. If you log in to our Moodle with your SAMK-ID for the first time, the course will be visible to you after about an hour (NOTE! The Moodle base of the course will not appear until the teacher has approved your enrolment for the course). If the Moodle base of the course exceptionally contains a Moodle key, you can either get it from the course teacher in your student.samk.fi email or you can find the key in the course implementation plan in the More information for students section.

The application form is on StudyInfo.fi.

It is possible to apply around the year. The application form is open from 1 April to 30 September and from 1 October to 14 March. Your application will be taken into processing within 14 days from receiving it. Please note that applications will not be handled during holidays (week 8, summer vacation, week 43 and Christmas holidays).

Please upload all the required attachments on the application form before sending it.

When your study right begins

• If you apply between 1 April and 30 September and get accepted, your study right for degree studies begins in the fall semester.
• If you apply between 1 October and 14 March and get accepted, your study right for degree studies begins in the spring semester.
• If you are required to pay the tuition fee, your study right can only start from the beginning of the next academic semester because the tuition fee must be paid fully before the beginning of semester.

If you want your study right to start on a certain academic semester, please send a request to admissions@samk.fi as soon as you have submitted your application.

After sending the application

Please follow your email as you may be asked for more information to support your application. Remember to follow your email’s spam folder as well, in case our emails arrive mistakenly there.

You will receive the decision to your email as soon as the decision has been made. Study right will be set so that it matches the completed studies and/or based on your PSP. If the study right is admitted, you need to accept the study place within seven days.

When you accept the study place, you will be marked as a degree student to our system. After that you can, for example, get a study certificate and join the Student Union. As a member of the Student Union, you get a student card, and you will get to use student benefits and discounts.

Please remember the FSHS student health care feearrow_forward: when you have enrolled as present degree student, you need to pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education. You will not receive an invoice, but you must pay the fee on your own initiative.

If you don’t accept the offered study place, you can apply for a degree student again later.

If a study right can not be admitted to you, you will be informed about it by email and you will be advised on how to proceed in the future.

• Regarding application options 1-3: everyone who has completed the required open UAS studies will be accepted as degree students.

• Regarding application options 4-5: the number of available study places varies by degree programme. Some degree programmes or groups don’t have available study places or there might be only few study places available.

SAMK collects tuition fees from non-EU/EEA students.

Those applying to study in the field of Health Care and Social Services must have good health status and functional capacity to be capable of completing practical assignments and work placement periods as part of the studies. SAMK has the right to receive the health status information required for the evaluation of admission as well as information from another higher education institution about possible pending proceedings regarding the withdrawal of the study right.

One Study Place per Term Provision: This separate application is included in the one study place per term provision. According to this provision, a student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland in education that begins in the same academic term. This rule applies to all higher education.

1. You have completed 45 ECTS for bachelor’s degree at a Finnish Open UAS (Open path studies), and you want to become a degree student.

• You may apply to become a degree student as soon as you have completed 45 credits at a Finnish Open UAS.
• If you have completed your studies at another Finnish UAS, you need to attach a transcript of your studies to the application form.
• If you apply to become a degree student immediately after you have completed the required pathway studies at Satakunta UAS, you will be granted the study right and you can continue studying in the same study group where you completed your pathway studies. Study right will be set that it matches the completed studies.
• If you apply to become a degree student later, your eligibility to apply will be assessed and your completed studies will be compared to the valid curriculum. There might have been changes in the curriculum and it may be that the same degree program in which you completed your credits is no longer available at Satakunta UAS. For these reasons, we recommend applying as a degree student as soon as you have studied the required number of credits at an open university of applied sciences.

2. You have completed 30 ECTS for master’s degree at a Finnish Open UAS (Open path studies) and you want to become a degree student.

• You may apply to become a degree student as soon as you have completed 30 credits of studies belonging to a master’s degree at a Finnish Open UAS.
• You must submit copies of certificates which prove your eligibility to apply to master’s degree in question: suitable bachelor’s or master’s degree and at least 24 months of required work experience. Please check the requirements from Admissions Criteria of the degree programme you are applying to. If you have completed your studies at Satakunta Open UAS, you do not have to submit a transcript of your studies as we can check your credits from our student management system.
• We will assess your studies and eligibility when you apply. Requirements for background education and work experience, as well as curricula may change, so we will compare the studies you have completed with the current curriculum and check to see if eligibility is met. There might have been changes in the curriculum and it may be that the same degree program in which you completed your credits is no longer available at Satakunta UAS.

3. You have unfinished bachelor’s or master’s degree at Satakunta UAS and you have completed all the studies missing from the degree at Satakunta Open UAS. You can graduate immediately.

• If you have completed all of the studies the (unfinished degree and the open UAS studies) at Satakunta UAS, you do not have to submit any attachments. If you have completed your studies at some other Finnish UAS, please attach study transcripts to the application form. Alternatively you can share a link to your completed studies at My Studyinfo.
• If you are applying to master’s degree, please submit copies of your study certificates which prove your eligible education. Please check the requirements from Admissions Criteria of the degree programme you are applying to.
• Your studies will be assessed together with the student counsellor of the faculty.

4. You have completed 60 ECTS or more for a bachelor’s degree in a Finnish UAS and are applying to become a degree student. Completed studies are a part of an unfinished bachelor’s degree. Satakunta UAS offers studies in a similar or close field.

• You must have at least 60 credits of such studies which can be included in the degree programme you are applying to. Please compare your studies to the valid curriculum of the degree programme you are applying to and start to fill in a recognition form.launch
• You can find the curricula in the study guide.launch
• Save the recognition form to your computer and fill it in with the help of the transcript from your previous studies.
• Attach the recognition form and a transcript of your studies or a link to your completed studies at My Studyinfo to the application form.
• If you have completed your studies at Satakunta Open UAS, you do not have to submit a transcript of your studies but you do need to submit the recognition form.
• Your studies and your recognition form will be assessed together with the student counsellor of the faculty and we will create you a preliminary study plan.
• The number of available study places varies by degree programme and study group.
• Study right will be set so that it matches the completed studies and/or based on your personal study plan.

5. You have completed 10 ECTS or more (60 credits degree) or 30 ECTS or more (90 credits degree) for master’s degree in a Finnish UAS and are applying to become a degree student. Completed studies are a part of an unfinished master’s degree. We offer studies in a similar or close field.

• Studies must be such as they can be included to the degree programme you are applying to. Please compare your studies to the valid curriculum of the degree programme you are applying to and start to fill in a recognition form.launch
• You can find the curricula in the study guide.launch
• Save the recognition form to your computer and fill it in with the help of the transcript from your previous studies.
• Attach the recognition form and a transcript of your master studies or a link to your completed studies at My Studyinfo to the application form.
• If you have completed your studies at Satakunta Open UAS, you do not have to submit a transcript of your studies but you do need to submit the recognition form.
• You must submit copies of certificates which prove your eligibility to apply to master’s degree in question: suitable bachelor’s or master’s degree and at least 24 months of required work experience. Please check the requirements from Admissions Criteria of the degree programme you are applying to.
• Your studies and your recognition form will be assessed together with the student counsellor of the faculty and we will create you a preliminary study plan.
• The number of available study places varies by degree programme and study group.
• Study right will be set so that it matches the completed studies and/or based on your personal study plan.