Other paths to studying

With the flexible study right (JOO), you can apply to do optional studies at Tampere University. Both bachelor’s- and/or master’s-level students and doctoral students may apply for a flexible right to study. These studies are free of charge.

Applying for JOO studies happens with the same national form at all Finnish universities.

Further information on how to apply for JOO studies is available on the JOO studies page in the Student’s Guide.

You may see the courses Tampere University offers in the Student’s Guide.

You may continuously apply for studies under the flexible study right (JOO) during the academic year. The academic year is divided into four periods. Your application should reach Tampere University at least a month before the period begins.

Faculty-specific contact details are available at the JOO studies page.

To apply for a JOO right to study, you first apply for an endorsement from your home university after which you can you send your application to another university.

As a rule, your studies at Tampere University must by ones that are not offered by your home university. Please check with your home university whether it has more detailed eligibility criteria. Universities may also have different criteria for the number of studies that need to have been completed prior to JOO studies. 

You must include the JOO studies in your degree.

Eligibility and qualification studies are for people who have earned their degree at a foreign university and need further studies to qualify for a job that requires a higher education degree in Finland or for entering a regulated profession.

Further information on the recognition and international correspondence of qualifications is available on the Finnish National Agency for Education’s website. 

To be admitted to eligibility and qualification studies, the applicant must have the Finnish National Agency for Education’s decision on the correspondence of the degree earned abroad that must be complemented with further studies. Students in eligibility and qualification studies participate in the University's regular teaching, such as daytime lectures, unless equivalent training is available as academic continuing education (Faculty of Education and Culture). The right to study is granted for a limited period.

You can apply for qualification studies in the following fields: class teacher training, early childhood education teacher training, pedagogical studies, and studies in the subject you teach. Some Open University courses in the taught subjects are also available.

In addition, you learn about the possibilities for eligibility and qualification studies in the following fields from the relevant faculty: social work and psychology (Faculty of Social Sciences) and librarianship (Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences).

The courses to be taken will be determined based on the Finnish National Board of Education's decision on the correspondence of qualifications.

Admission to eligibility and qualification studies is discretionary and based on applications.

Applications for eligibility and qualification studies are made on a specific form

The application must be accompanied by copies of your foreign diploma, a transcript of academic records and the Finnish National Agency for Education’s decision on the correspondence of the degrees. Translations of your diploma and the transcript of records done by an authorised translator must be provided unless the original language of the documents is English.

The application period for studies starting in the autumn semester is by 30 April and for studies that begin in the spring semester by 30 October. Please note that the final starting date of your studies depends on the courses you have been allocated and will be specified in the decision granting you the right to study.

Completing eligibility and qualification studies usually requires good Finnish language skills.

The application and its attachments must be submitted to the office of the faculty from which the right to study is requested or sent to the following address: The faculty in question, FI-33014 Tampere University. If you are applying for studies in more than one field (eg in the subject you teach and pedagogical studies), please submit a separate application for each field.

• Complementary studies in the subject taught: the faculty depends on the subject you teach. Please see the faculties’ education provision on their curriculum and course pages.
• Subject teachers’ complementary studies in pedagogy: Faculty of Education and Culture
  • Application only by 30 April, studies starting in autumn.
  • Language requirement is YKI-test 4 or similar knowledge and skills (more information, only in Finnish).
  • No application period in 2024.
• Class teachers’ complementary studies: Faculty of Education and Culture
  • Language requirement is YKI-test 4 or similar knowledge and skills (more information, only in Finnish).
• Supplementary studies in early childhood education: Faculty of Education and Culture.
  • Application by 30 April 2024, studies starting in autumn.

The fee is the same as in Tampere University’s Open University studies (15 EUR per credit) unless a similar course is offered as academic continuing education (Faculty of Education and Culture). The fee is paid at the start of the course.

Applicants will be sent a personal notification of the admission decision. If the decision is positive, further information on enrolment will be provided.