Enrolment for Attendance or Non-Attendance

On the basis of the enrolment for non-attendance, a student can be non-attending for two academic years in all. Being non-attending for two academic years during the studies is not counted towards the limited study time. Absence due to military service, maternity, paternity or parental leave, child care leave, and sick leave are counted towards the maximum absence period of two academic years. No notification of the reason for non-attendance is required.

Please use the non-attendance possibility with consideration. If you use it for purposes such as working, and later face a situation where you have to be non-attending for a cogent reason, it might happen that you will exceed the maximum study time and therefore lose your right to study. 

Absence due to military service or if the student needs time off their studies to take care of a child in regard to the child’s birth or adoption does not affect the student’s study time. Otherwise, a student has the right to enrol for non-attendance for two semesters in total.

Documents that prove the legal grounds for your absence:

1. service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995): Call-up order
2. you require a leave of absence from your studies due to birth or adoption of a child: Kela's certificate regarding maternity, paternity, or parental/partial parental allowance period or, if the certificate has not yet been received, a medical certificate regarding the pregnancy. Corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave. You can prove your paternity leave with Kela's certificate of paternity leave or, if you do not yet have a certificate, a medical certificate of your spouse's pregnancy.

According to the Universities of Applied Sciences Act, a first-year student may register as absent for the academic year for the following reasons only:

1. service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women's Voluntary Military Service (194/1995);
2. the student needs time off their studies to take care of a child in regard to the child’s birth or adoption;
3. in case the student cannot begin studies due to being incapacitated by personal illness or injury (reduces the permissible semesters of non-attendance).

A student has the right to register as absent due to military service, non-military service or women’s voluntary military service or leave in order to take care of one’s child due to birth or adoption. Such absences can extend a student’s study right and are also not included in the maximum number of semesters as absent.

The document that proves the legal grounds for your absence needs to be delivered to Study Services.

Please use the non-attendance possibility with consideration. If you use it for purposes such as working, and later face a situation where you have to be non-attending for a cogent reason, it might happen that you will exceed the maximum study time and therefore lose your right to study. 

In case the student’s situation changes during the academic year, the student may change the enrolment for attendance or non-attendance as regards the spring semester. The change can be made in November / December during the period mentioned on the Haaga-Helia Academic Year information page. However, please pay attention to the exceptions related to first-year students.

In addition, a student may, based on a well-grounded cogent reason, apply for a change in the enrolment for attendance or non-attendance also in the beginning of a semester during a period informed separately. The Head of Study Affairs makes the final decision on changing the attendance status in the beginning of a semester based on a well-grounded cogent reason.

Read more about the application process >>