The evaluation can focus on the academic year 2021–2022 or the entire time the student has completed higher education studies in Finland.
The evaluation of the progress of the course is based on the laws regulating the study support system.
The number of information requests increased from the previous year
Kela evaluates the academic progress of university students every year. The assessment has now been made for approximately 138,000 university students who have received financial support for at least three months in the academic year 2021-2022.
The request for information has been sent to 8,400 university students and 7,200 university of applied sciences students. Last year, a total of 13,800 students received an application, of which 7,100 studied at a university and 6,700 at a university of applied sciences.
Definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress
Academic progress is assessed based on two factors:
- Has the student earned at least 20 credits in the most recent academic year (2021-2022)
- Has the student earned an average of at least 5 credits from each month of the support, either during the last academic year or during the entire study period
The requirement of 20 credits does not apply to students who have started their studies in the spring semester of 2022. If the student has graduated or completed a university degree in the academic year to which the academic progress monitoring applies, or in the autumn before the monitoring is carried out, the student has progressed sufficiently in his studies. The academic progress of students who have completed a university degree and are continuing their university studies is assessed from the period following the month of graduation.
In evaluating the progress of the study course, all credits earned in Finnish higher education institutions and the number of support months used from August 1, 2011 are taken into account. If a student has credits from more than one university, Kela automatically includes them in the evaluation of grades. Unfinished studies are also taken into account.
Students are advised to respond to the request for information without delay
The last time to respond to the request is 25 October 2022. Students can use, for example, the online form found in the OmaKela online service.
Based on the answer, Kela will consider whether there are acceptable reasons for unsatisfactory academic progress. For students who do not respond or whose criteria are not accepted, the payment of support will be stopped from January 1, 2023.
HT
Source: Kela
Source: The Nordic Page