Financial Support for Students
Grants for Exchange Students | Student Financial Aid Committee | Granting the Student Financial Aid | Duration of Student Financial Aid | Student Financial Aid after Resignation | Student Financial Aid after Completion of a Degree | Student Financial Aid for Students Enrolled in Adult Education or
Studying according to a Curriculum that Diverges from the Rest of the Group
| Salary during Practical Training | Grants | Studies Abroad | Student Financial Aid during Summer | Sufficient Study Progress | Monitoring the Study Progress | Student Financial Aid for Extension Time | Income Limits for Student Financial Aid | Student Loan Tax Deduction | Changes
in Circumstances | Further Information on Student
Financial Aid
Student Financial Aid for Degree Students Who Are Non-Citizens of
Finland
Non-citizens of Finland can get financial aid for studies in Finland if they
live in Finland on a permanent basis for a purpose other than studying. This
requires that they are registered as permanent residents in the Finnish
population register system. The purpose of residence in Finland is determined
by reference to such matters as the residence permit, registration or
acceptance to an educational institution. Applications for student financial
aid must be accompanied by the appendix form OT10 for foreign residents. If you
come to Finland solely for the purpose of attending a school, you cannot get
the Finnish student financial aid.
More information: www.kela.fi/english
Grants for Exchange Students
The outgoing exchange students of PIRAMK University of Applied Sciences receive
a grant which covers part of the travel and studying costs. Also students
outgoing for practical/clinical training may apply for travelling grant and/or
training support.
Incoming exchange students from EU/EEA-countries may apply for scholarships
through the Erasmus, Nordplus or other programmes in their home countries if
their home university is a partner of PIRAMK University of Applied Sciences.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid Committee
The duties of the financial aid committee are according to the Student
Financial Aid Act 9 a §:
- to follow the progress of studies and to provide KELA with statements,
either spontaneously, at the request of KELA or at the request of the student
regarding the progress of studies;
- to determine the adequate extent of studies completed in the summertime
and to provide statements for KELA in individual cases;
- to determine the adequate extent of studies completed abroad outside
student exchange programmes and to provide statements for KELA in individual
cases;
- to provide statements at the request of KELA or the student on whether
the graduated who has been granted government loan guarantee is entitled to
student loan tax deduction;
- to provide statements either spontaneously or at the request of a
student on whether the maximum eligibility period of student financial aid may
be extended as prescribed in 7 a § when the student has received student
financial aid for the maximum period.
The financial aid committee, selected for a term of two academic years at a
time, comprises four representatives of the personnel, four student
representatives and a secretary.
The chair of the committee is Mr Heikki Toijala, senior lecturer at the Degree
Programme in Business Administration, the Option of Marketing of Agricultural
and Rural Industries, tel. +358 40 010 3396, firstname.familyname@piramk.fi
the secretary is study affairs coordinator Ms Taina Jaakonsaari, tel. +358 50
568 5365, e-mail firstname.familyname@piramk.fi
the vice secretary is study secretary Ms Kareniina Kaarre, tel. +358 50 365
1154, firstname.familyname@piramk.fi
Mail to the financial aid committee to address:
PIRAMK/Opintotukilautakunta
Kuntokatu 4
33520 TAMPERE
Top of Page
Granting the Student Financial Aid
Student financial aid comprises the study grant, housing supplement and
government loan guarantee. The basis for granting financial aid are acceptance
to an educational institution, full-time study, study progress and economic
need.
Full-time studies should continue for at least 8 consecutive weeks at a time.
Student financial aid can be granted no earlier than from the beginning of the
month that it has been applied for. The arrival date of the application is
decisive, not the date of mailing the application. The student financial aid
can be granted for the entire normative duration of studies at the same time.
Students apply for the student loan from a bank and the bank decides whether to
grant the loan or not. KELA provides the banks with the government loan
guarantee decision. Students studying in higher education institutions can
withdraw their annual student loan in two parts: the part for autumn semester
no earlier than 1 August and the part for spring semester no earlier than 1
January.
Non-citizens of Finland can get financial aid for studies in Finland if they
live in Finland on a permanent basis for some other purpose than studying. This
requires that they are registered as permanent residents in the Finnish
population register system.
Decisions on the student financial aid applications of polytechnic students are
mainly made in the Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid in
Jyväskylä.
Top of Page
Duration of Student Financial Aid
The maximum duration of student financial aid for polytechnic students that
have started their studies on 1st of August 2005 or later is defined on the
basis of the normative duration of studies. Studies taking an academic year or
consisting of 60 credits entitle the student to have student financial aid for
9 months and studies taking a semester entitle the student to have student
financial aid for 5 months. The maximum duration of student financial aid is
the duration counted in the above-mentioned way plus 10 months.
The normative durations of studies and the maximum duration of student
financial aid for students that have started their studies on 1st of August
2005 or later are:
- For a degree requiring 210 credits, the maximum duration of student
financial aid is 42 months, normative duration of studies 3.5 years
- For a degree requiring 240 credits, the maximum duration of student
financial aid is 46 months, normative duration of studies 4 years
- For the degree requiring 270 credits, the maximum duration of student
financial aid is 51 months, normative duration of studies 4.5 years
Students that have started they studies on 1st of August 2005 or later may
have a 9-month extension to the maximum duration of student financial aid if
the delay in studies is due to the student´s or his/her next of
kin´s illness or the student´s difficult life situation. It has to
be possible to complete the remaining studies in an academic year and the
amount of the remaining studies can be 75 credits maximum.
In polytechnic degree studies started before the 1st of August 2005, the
maximum duration of student financial aid has been defined as follows:
- degree of 210 cr, the maximum duration of student financial aid 45
months, normative duration of studies 3.5 years
- degree of 240 cr, the maximum duration of student financial aid 50
months, normative duration of studies 4 years
- degree of 270 cr, the maximum duration of student financial aid 55
months, normative duration of studies 4.5 years
The saved financial aid months can be used for postgraduate studies or other
higher education studies. The maximum duration of student financial aid
available for higher education studies (polytechnics + universities) is 70
months.
The duration of student financial aid in PIRAMK is nine months per academic
year, except 10 months for the continuing students studying in the field of
health care.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid after
Resignation
If students drop out from a degree programme and thereafter begin new higher
education studies (polytechnic or university), the financial aid months already
used for the interrupted studies will be deducted from the number of financial
aid months available for the new studies.
E.g. if a student studies for 2 years at a university in 2005-2007, uses 18
financial aid months and discontinues his/her university studies to begin a 210
credit polytechnic degree after 1 August 2007 the number of financial aid
months available for the polytechnic studies is 42 - 18 = 24 financial aid
months.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid after Completion of a
Degree
After completing a polytechnic degree, the remaining financial aid months
available for new studies can be calculated by subtracting the used financial
aid months from the maximum of 70.
E.g. if a student has used 31 financial aid months in the academic years
2003-2006 to complete the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration s/he
has 70 - 31 = 39 financial aid months left for new higher education studies.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid for Students Enrolled in
Adult Education or Studying according to a Curriculum that Diverges from the
Rest of the Group
In most degree-awarding adult education programmes, the student financial aid
is applied for through PIRAMK’s financial aid committee on the basis of
the personal study plan. Part of the previous studies/work experience can be
accredited and the number of credit transfers received by the students may
vary. This means that the number of credits which students are required to pass
each semester may vary, too.
Other students who have curricula diverging from the rest of their group should
also address their student financial aid application to the PIRAMK´s
financial aid committee. This applies for example to transfer students and
students with credit transfers for former studies.
Applications with the annexes should be addressed to the PIRAMK’s
financial aid committee. The financial aid committee assesses the sufficient
study progress in accordance with the Student Financial Aid Decree 4 §:
Higher education studies are considered to progress sufficiently in order to
complete the degree in the maximum eligibility period for student financial aid
set for the degree if students complete on average at least 5.5 credits of the
degree studies per financial aid month. Student financial aid may however be
granted or continued if the student completes on average at least 4.8 credits
of the degree studies per financial aid month.
The extent of the student’s personal study plan (HOPS) must be average at
least 4.8 credits per month in order that the student financial aid can be
granted for the whole time of study. If the extent of HOPS is below 4.8 credits
per month for the whole time of study, the student financial aid can be granted
only for the first year of study. Student may apply the extension for the
student financial aid at the beginning of the second year of study if the study
progress has been sufficiency, in other words the student has completed at
least 4.8 credits per month.
The student delivers the application with necessary attachments to the
financial aid committee of PIRAMK.
The application for student financial aid (form OT2) must be attached a
certificate of the degree programme which should include:
- total extent of the personal study plan and the intended time for
completion
- extent of the personal study plan divided into academic years
- number of credit transfers for former studies/work experience in
credits
- if the application is only for a certain period of time, e.g. practical
training, the application should include an annexed certificate on the extent
of the full-time studies and the time when these studies will be completed
Top of Page
Salary during Practical Training
If the salary from full-time practical training forming a compulsory part of
the degree programme is on average at least 505 € per month the student is
not eligible for the study grant. The salary is divided for the whole training
period (for the salaried months) even if its amount varied in different months.
Even if the study grant was refused, housing supplement and government loan
guarantee can still be provided.
Top of Page
Grants
If a student receives subsistence assistance from the educational institution
or other financial support amounting to at least 259,01€ per month, the
student is not eligible for the study grant – housing supplement and
government loan guarantee may still be provided. Subsistence assistances are
also taken into consideration in the income check. The following information
must be submitted on grants: purpose of use, amount, source and time for which
the grant has been allocated.
Since 1 January 2004 grants for student exchange have not been considered as
income and they do not stop from having study grant. These include for example
Erasmus, Socrates and Nordplus grants and the grants from the
polytechnic’s own funds which have been allocated for international
student mobility. You study in Finland and complete related courses abroad.
Practical training and learning by working abroad have also been student
exchange since 1 January 2005 if they are part of the degree and grants
allocated for these purposes are not considered as income or stop from having
study grant.
Top of Page
Studies Abroad
The financial aid committee of PIRAMK has defined that the completion of 4.8
credits per financial aid month is sufficient in studies abroad. If students
participate in an official exchange programme, they submit their application
directly to the Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid and attach PIRAMK´s
form “Attestation of the foreign achievement being part of the
degree”.
The statement of the financial aid committee is needed if the student leaves
abroad during summer or during extension time (see separate instructions).
If students leave abroad outside the official exchange programmes, the
statement of PIRAMK´s financial aid committee is always needed in order
to be granted student financial aid. The financial aid committee has to be
supplied with a certificate of the degree programme which includes information
on the acceptance of the studies as part of the degree, the number of credits
to be completed, the exact dates of the period, destination country and whether
it is a question of practical training or studying.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid during Summer
Definition of the sufficient extent of studies completed during summer and in
individual cases, provision of statements for Kela Centre for Student Financial
Aid have been defined to be one of the tasks of financial aid committees in the
9 a § of the Student Financial Aid Act.
The financial aid committee of PIRAMK decided in its meeting on 4 April 2006
that the extent of studies completed during summer has to be at least 4.8
credits of degree studies per each month for which the student applies for the
student financial aid.
Studies or practical training have to form a part of the students’ degree
and they have to be fully accredited. An incomplete financial aid month has to
include at least 18 calendar days in order to entitle for the student financial
aid of the month. The financial aid period is determined by the days when the
studies begin and end according to the rule full months + 18 days. E.g.
studying/practical training during the period 4 June – 20 August entitles
the student for 2 months financial aid (4 June – 3 July = 1 month, 4 July
– 3 August = 1 month and 4 August – 20 August = 17 days, student
financial aid for June and July if at least 4.8 credits of studies/practical
training is completed in both months).
If the salary paid for compulsory full-time practical training exceeds on
average 505 € per month, students will not be eligible for the study
grant. The salary is divided to the whole practical training period (for the
salaried months) even if its amount varied in different months.
Applications for summertime student financial aid are made by using the form
Otm (Olosuhdemuutosilmoitus in Finnish) and PIRAMK´s form
“Declaration of summer studies“ (Selvitys kesäopinnoista in
Finnish) should be attached to it.
Summertime financial aid applications should be delivered to the financial aid
committee of PIRAMK mainly by 31 May. The financial aid committee provides a
statement on the summertime student financial aid for the Kela Centre for
Student Financial Aid.
Top of Page
Sufficient Study Progress
The 4§ of the Student Financial Aid Decree applies to studies completed
since 1 August 2004. According to it, higher education studies are considered
to progress sufficiently in order to complete the degree in the maximum
eligibility period for student financial aid set for the degree if students
complete on average at least 5.5 credits of the degree studies per financial
aid month.
Student financial aid may however be continued if the student has completed on
average at least 4.8 credits of degree studies per financial aid month during
the whole study time. Even if the student has completed fewer credits than
stated above, the student financial aid may be continued if the student has
completed on average at least 4.8 credits per financial aid month during the
financial aid months of the previous academic year.
The study progress is however not considered to be sufficient if the student
has not completed any studies at all during the previous academic year or only
very few in relation to the used financial aid months. In other words, studies
have to be completed during all academic years when the student has received
student financial aid.
Top of Page
Monitoring the Study Progress
The financial aid committee of PIRAMK monitors the study progress in
cooperation with Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid annually (around
October). The monitoring concerns studies completed by the end of the previous
academic year (31 July). Check your records in time and if necessary ask the
teachers to enter the missing credits.
Once Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid has received the information from
the student register, written enquiries are sent to those students whose number
of credits falls short of the prescribed objective. Students then have some 3
weeks in which to offer a written explanation stating the reasons for not
achieving sufficient number of credits to the PIRAMK´s financial aid
committee. If no explanation is received or the committee sees that the number
of completed credits is not sufficient even on the basis of the received
explanations, the committee suggests to Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid
that the students’ financial aid will be stopped. Student financial aid
can also be collected back, if the financial aid committee considers that the
student has outrageously neglected his/her studies.
Top of Page
Student Financial Aid for Extension Time
Student financial aid is first granted for the normative duration of studies.
Thus, a degree of 210 credits should be completed in 3.5 years, 240-credit
degree in 4 years and 270-credit degree in 4.5 years.
After the normative duration of studies, student financial aid is granted on
the basis of a new application. You have to attach the statement of PIRAMK
University of Applied Sciences´ financial aid committee to the
application in following cases:
- if your student financial aid has been ceased earlier because of
insufficient study progress
- if you have moved from your study municipality after the normative
duration of studies (e.g. you are in practical training
- in another municipality or write you bachelor´s thesis in another
municipality)
- if you have not received student financial aid in the preceding
September (you have not been in the latest follow-up of study progress)
- if you apply for student financial aid for summer time
- if you apply for student financial aid for a free period abroad
- if the maximum duration of student financial aid has run out (this only
concerns students who have begun their studies on 1st August 2005 or later)
Student financial aid is applied for extension time with the OTm form or the
OT2 form of polytechnics and universities. The OT2 form is to be used when
student financial aid has not been paid during the preceding six months. Notify
the period of time to which you apply for student financial aid by filling in
the section ’muulle ajalle’ (“for other period”). In
addition, remember to fill in the section ’opintojen arvioitu
päättymispäivä’ (”estimated graduation
date”).
A study certificate always has to be attached to the application. It should
state the beginning date of studies, expiration date of study entitlement as
well as the attendance and non-attendance semesters. The study certificate can
be received from the study office of your unit.
Students who need the financial aid committee´s statement for the
application deliver their application to the financial aid committee of PIRAMK
University of Applied Sciences. In addition to the study certificate, the form
’Liite yliajan opintotukihakemukseen’ available in the quality
manual of PIRAMK University of Applied Sciences also has to be attached to the
application.
Students who do not need the financial aid committee´s statement for the
application can deliver their application directly to Kela Centre for Student
Financial Aid in Jyväskylä or to the study office of their unit.
Top of Page
Income Limits for Student Financial Aid
Taxable earned and capital income, non-taxable grants for subsistence
assistance as well as foreign income from the whole calendar year are taken
into account as income. The study grant is not included in the calculations,
nor is the housing supplement or student loan. Students have a personal annual
income limit, referred to as “free income”. During the months
students receive study grant or housing supplement, they are allowed to have an
income up to 505€ per month and during the months with no student
financial aid 1515€ per month, e.g. the annual income limit for a student
receiving student financial aid for 9 months would be 9090€. Income is not
investigated or monitored when the student financial aid is paid; students must
personally ensure that the annual limit is not exceeded.
The annual income limit can be affected as follows:
- by not applying for student financial aid for all the months of
study
- by cancelling the study grant and housing supplement of the desired
months in advance
- by returning the already paid study grant and housing supplement of the
desired months by the end of March in the following calendar year
Cancelling / voluntary return of student financial aid is done by sending
the form OTm to the Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid. Electronic form is
available on the service facility of Kela webpage at the address www.kela.fi
spot Asiointi. This service is served only in Finnish. Customers sing in with
their web bank passwords.
The Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid receives information on the taxable
income of recipients of student financial aid when the tax returns have been
processed for the year. Study grants are deducted from the income and
subsistence allowances and income from abroad are added to it (it is possible
to deduct special expenses not related to subsistence from the subsistence
allowances, such as travel expenses of students studying abroad). The income is
compared to the income limit counted on the basis of the months of receiving
student financial aid, and if the income exceeds the exempt amount, the Kela
Centre for Student Financial Aid will send a proposal for the recovery of
money.
The student may request for a review of the resolution proposal within 30 days
of receiving it. It is not possible to take the beginnings and endings of
studies into consideration in the resolution proposal because Kela does not
know if the income has been received on the study time or outside it. The parts
of the incomes paid before the first study month or after the graduation month
and exceeding on average 1515 € per month, are not included.
The students who have just started or ended their studies and have not studied
for the whole academic year are advised to request for a review of the matter
and to clarify their study times and incomes. The income check of the year 2005
will be done at the beginning of 2007. More information of income control can
be found at the address www.kela.fi.
Top of Page
Student Loan Tax Deduction
Students who have started their studies on 1st of August 2005 or later can have
student loan tax deduction if they complete their higher education degree
within the time allowed and have more than 2500 euros student loan from higher
education studies at the end of the term in which they completed their studies.
The degree is considered to have been completed within the time allowed if the
completion of the polytechnic degree has taken the normative duration of
studies + one academic year at the most. E.g. the normative duration of studies
for a 240-credit degree is four academic years and the degree has been
completed within the time allowed if it has taken 5 academic years at the most
to complete it.
In relation to the tax deduction, the completion time of the degree always
starts on 1 August 2005 or later at the beginning of the semester during which
the student has accepted a higher education study place for the first time
(always on 1 August or 1 January). Even if the student has enrolled for
non-attendance, he/she has still began the studies in this respect.
E.g. if the student has accepted a higher education study place in the student
admission in the autumn 2005, the time allowed starts on 1 August 2005, even if
the student enrolled for non-attendance, did not receive student financial aid
for the studies and completed some other later started higher education degree
first.
Top of Page
Changes in Circumstances
Students have the responsibility to give a notification concerning possible
changes in circumstances to the Kela Centre for Student Financial Aid after
applying for student financial aid. Notice should be given of the following
changes among others:
accommodation, mode of living or costs of living change
studies are interrupted or studies cease to be full-time
family relations change
students receive salary for practical training, grants, subsidy from the
institution, income from abroad or some other benefit which inhibits the
payment of student financial aid
Changes in circumstances should be notified to the Kela Centre for Student
Financial Aid with the form Otm. Notice of the changes is the duty and
responsibility of support recipients. Support paid in excess or without grounds
will be collected back.
Top of Page
Further Information on Student Financial
Aid
Further information and more precise instructions on student financial aid are
available on the Kela´s brochure on student financial aid or on the
internet (also in English) at www.kela.fi which includes the following services
for students:
- brochure on student financial aid
- inquiry form on the process phase of student financial aid
applications
- application forms which can be printed and signed
- calculations: annual income model calculations and a calculation
programme for calculating the student financial aid and student loan costs
- online service for students (web bank access needed)
- statistics folder, notice board, archive
Also the study offices of the schools and the secretary of the
PIRAMK´s financial aid committee provide further information if
necessary.
Top of Page
| 