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Complete your interrupted degree at Diak

Kukkamekkoinen nainen seisoo nurmikolla.

Did your university studies come to a halt? Sometimes you need to pause before you can move forward.

Diaconia University of Applied Sciences offers a dedicated application route that provides a flexible and straightforward way to return to your studies and graduate if your degree was left unfinished. At Diak, you’ll benefit from personalised guidance, a work-oriented learning environment, and the opportunity to qualify as an expert in human encounters within the social, health, or humanities sectors.

You can apply for a new study right at Diak and complete your degree if you have at least 150 credits from any Finnish university of applied sciences.

When to apply?

The application period for spring 2026 is 7 January – 15 May 2026. The application period ends on 15 May 2026 at 23:59.

The application period for autumn 2026 is 3 August – 13 November 2026.

Who can apply?

You can apply for a new study entitlement for finishing your studies if you have lost your study entitlement due to not registering as an attending or non-attending student, you have not completed your studies within the normative duration plus one year or you have withdrawn from studies, and it has been a maximum of 10 years since the losing of your study entitlement counted from the application date.

To apply in the separate application for finishing your studies, you need to have completed at least 150 credits in an unfinished degree at a Finnish University of Applied Sciences. If you haven’t completed 150 credits, you can study at our open UAS until you are eligible to apply. Read more about tuition fees in the open UAS on this page. LINKKI

You can only be granted a new study entitlement once in this separate application.

Please read the full admission criteria in Studyinfo .

Degree Programmes Available in the separate application for finishing your studies
  • Sairaanhoitaja (AMK)
  • Sairaanhoitaja (AMK), diakoninen hoitotyö
  • Sosionomi (AMK)
  • Sosionomi (AMK), diakoniatyö
  • Sosionomi (AMK), kirkon nuorisotyö
  • Sosionomi (AMK), kirkon varhaiskasvatus
  • Terveydenhoitaja (AMK)
  • Tulkki (AMK), asioimistulkkaus
  • Tulkki (AMK), viittomakielen ja puhevammaisten tulkkaus
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care, Nursing

Master’s degree programmes are not available in this separate application.

How to apply?

When you want to apply, please contact Diak Admission Services by email admissions@diak.fi. In your message, please include information about your previous degree and when you intend to resume your studies, so we can send you the correct link for the application form. Please note that you need to submit your application at Studyinfo before the application period ends.

On the form you are asked to submit a motivation letter where you are supposed to write about your motivation and your plan for finishing your studies.

If the studies have been completed at an institution other than Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, you must also attach the following required documents:

  • An official transcript of completed studies
    • If the official transcript does not show the date your study right has ended, a certificate of withdrawal or other document to prove the date
  • Descriptions of completed courses or links to the descriptions online
  • A list of completed practical trainings (places and dates)
  • For programmes in health care: a statement on the status of your medical calculation studies

Required attachments must be submitted within 7 days after sending the application.

Student selection

The student selection will be made based on the information given on the application form, motivation letter and a possible admission interview. If the interview is needed, an invitation to it will be sent to the email address given on the application form.

Information about the student selection will be sent by email and we will also publish it to MyStudyinfo service within 30 days of receiving the application. You have to accept the offered study place within 7 days of the publication of the results.

Granting a new right to study

In the separate application process, the applicant may be granted a new right to study for the purpose of completing the unfinished degree. The new right to study is granted for the current curriculum and for a period based on the number of missing credits. Applicants are expected to complete around 30 credit points’ (ECTS) worth of studies per semester.

Not all completed studies are automatically transferred or accepted towards the degree. Therefore, the number of credit points (ECTS) required for completion can be higher than the number of missing credit points (ECTS).

Your right to study may start during the same semester, if you are able to proceed in your studies taking into account the study modules offered during the semester. Otherwise, the new right to study will be effective from the start of the next semester.

Students who are admitted via this application process are not eligible to register as non-attending or request a discretionary extension.

The new right to study can only be granted for the same degree programme and in the same language as previously attended.

According to one study place per term provision, you may accept only one offer of admission to a study programme leading to a higher education degree in Finland in education that begins in the same academic term (1.8.–31.12. or 1.1.–31.7.). Please see Studyinfo.fi for more information.

Tuition fee

Universities of applied sciences and universities in Finland charge Bachelor’s and Master’s level students a tuition fee for studying in languages other than Finnish or Swedish. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens are not charged the fee.

Please read more about Diak’s tuition fees at Tuition Fees and Scholarships page.

You are exempted from paying tuition fees if you have one of the documents mentioned below:

  • Passport or identity card to indicate the citizenship of EU/EEA/Switzerland
  • EU Blue Card
  • Continuous residence permit card in Finland, Type A permit. NB: A continuous residence permit (A-type permit) granted for studying in Finland (from 15 April 2022 onwards) doesn’t exempt student from paying the tuition fee.
  • EU Family Member’s Residence Card in Finland
  • Permanent residence permit card in Finland, Type P permit
  • EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (Type P-EU)

The document must be valid when your right to study starts. Please attach the document to your application form.

If you do not have a document that exempts you from paying the tuition fee and your new right to study starts in the middle of the semester, you are required to pay the tuition fee for the whole semester.

Health and functional capacity required for studies

If you plan to apply for a study programme leading to a degree in the fields of social services and health care, and humanities and education, you have to assess your own suitability to the field already at the application stage, on the basis of your health and functional capacity.

In social services and health care, studies include working with client groups requiring special protection, thus ethical requirements and requirements on patient or client safety are essential. Health and functional capacity of students shall be such that they are capable of performing assignments and practical training related to their studies. Studying and working in these professions requires sufficient physical, mental and social capacity. Please read more on the health and functional capacity requirements on UASinfo.fi web page.

Based on the applicant’s notification filed at the application stage, the university of applied sciences may require more detailed health status information to assess whether the student will be able to manage the studies and which reasonable support measures may be required.

Questions? Admissions Services can help!

We serve you by phone and email

admissions@diak.fi
Tel.+358 (0)400 725 384 (phone service mainly Mon–Thu 10am–11am and 12am–14pm, closed on Fridays)

Please use secure email when sending sensitive information. Sensitive information includes, for example, health-related data.

Postal address: Diak, Admissions Services, PL 12, FI-00511 Helsinki
Visiting address: Kyläsaarenkuja 2, FI-00580 Helsinki (2nd floor)

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