The request for rectification must be submitted in writing, indicating the following:
All supporting documents must be submitted together with the request for rectification.
Before starting to draft the request, please take a moment to familiarise yourself with a sample rectification to gain an understanding of a possible layout for your request for rectification.
Please draft an individual request for each application option whose admission results you consider erroneous.
Requests for rectification can be submitted to the University of Helsinki Admissions Services after the student admission results have been published. The exact deadline for rectifiying a decision is stated in the personal results letter sent to you. Requests for rectification received after the deadline will not be processed.
You can submit your request for rectifiacation to University of Helsinki Admissions Services in any of the following ways:
You may submit your request for rectification by email to the following address:
Please write Request for rectification in the subject field, followed by the application option that your appeal concerns (for example, Appeal: master’s programme application round, Master’s Programme in Economics). Submit your request for rectification preferably from the email address you entered in the application form used to apply to the University of Helsinki.
Kindly note that the University of Helsinki is not responsible for the data security of the delivery of requests for rectification submitted by regular email. Sending your request for rectification by regular email is done at your own responsibility.
2. Encrypted email
If your request for rectification contains confidential information, you may submit it as an encrypted email.
In most cases, it is not necessary to include confidential information, such as your national identification number or information about your health or life situation, in your request for rectification as they are not included in the admissions criteria that are considered in the admission process. If you wish to include confidential information in your appeal, we recommend that you submit your appeal by encrypted email.
To submit an encrypted email to the Admission Services, please follow the instructions on this website: Sending an encrypted email message to Admission Services
3. By regular mail or personal delivery to the Admission Services mailbox
Requests for rectification can also be submitted by regular mail or by delivering them personally to the Admission Services mailbox. Please follow the instructions on this website: Submitting documents to Admission Services.
Please note that requests for rectification submitted by regular mail must arrive to the Admission Services by the deadline announced in your admission results letter. All deadlines are receipt deadlines, not postmark deadlines.
Please submit your request of rectification to Admissions Services in only one of the three methods stated above. It is not necessary to submit your request of rectification in multiple different ways. Please note that requests for rectification must be submitted specifically to Admissions Services, and not to any other unit of the University of Helsinki (such as the Registry, faculties or Student Services).
University of Helsinki Admissions Services reviews all requests of rectification in an expedited process. The approximate processing time for requests for rectification is one to two months. After your request for rectification has been processed, we will notify you of the decision by email or regular mail. If your request for rectification is rejected or not considered, instructions for appealing the decision through the administrative court will be given with the notification.
Requests for rectification must be submitted in written form. You may submit your written request for rectification either by email or regular mail. Requests for rectification submitted verbally will not be processed.
If you applied to a Finnish- or Swedish-language degree programme, please write your request for rectification in Finnish or Swedish.
If you applied to an English-language degree programme, you may also write your request for rectification in English.
Submit one request for rectification for each application option whose admission decision you consider erroneous. In each request for rectification, itemise the errors applicable to the specific application option.
For example, if you have applied to three application options and you consider the decisions on two of them erroneous, submit two separate requests for rectification, one for each application option. In your request for rectification, describe all the errors related to the current admission decision you are requesting to get changed.
You may request a rectification on decisions concerning the application options that you have ranked higher in your application preferences than the option to which you were admitted.
You may only request a rectification on decisions concerning application options that have rejected your application.
NB! If you have applied to several application options organised by the same faculty, you may not be admitted to options that you have ranked lower in your application preferences than the option to which you were admitted.
The wording of the request for rectification is open but it must clearly include the application option the admission decision on which you are lodging the request for rectification for, for example in the following manner:
“I am requesting a rectification of a decision made by the University of Helsinki in spring 2019 on my application to the Master’s Programme X.”
Admission decisions will only be rectified if an error has been committed by the University. The appeal must indicate the decision to be rectified and specify what kind of rectification is sought and on what grounds.
Please also take the following into consideration:
Therefore, there is no point to refer in the appeal to, for example, factors like the following:
“I have applied to study this subject many times before.”
“I feel that I have good language skills in this language.”
“I should have only received a few more points to be admitted.”
Decisions on the number of points awarded for demonstration of knowledge or deducted for a mistaken statement are made at the discretion of the University. If you refer in your request for rectification to the erroneous application of the assessment criteria, you must specify how, in your opinion, the assessment criteria have been erroneously applied.
In certain cases, admission decisions are made partly or entirely based on the information applicants have submitted to the University in accordance with instructions given and by the deadline indicated. If you have acted contrary to these instructions (for example, neglected to submit a certain certificate by the deadline), the University bears no responsibility for such mistakes.
You can lodge an request for rectification immediately after you have received an admission decision. You will be notified of the decision by email when results are published. The email message includes the deadline for requests for rectification, as well as instructions for drafting an appeal.
Yes, you can. You can do this by first submitting an request for rectification on the matter explaining how high a basic score you should have had in your opinion and then explain in detail how you have arrived at this particular score following the basic score calculation rules indicated in the application options admission requirements.
Yes, you can. You must submit an request for rectification on the matter and in it you must specify in detail the answer that, in your opinion, has been erroneously assessed, as well as the nature of the error.
The time required for making decisions on requests for rectification depends on many factors. The approximate processing time is one to two months.
Different applicants may receive notification of their rectification requests decision at slightly varying times, even if their requests for rectification concerned the same application option.
Unfortunately, Admissions Services is unable to consider requests regarding the processing schedule.
The University aims to review requests for rectification in such a manner that you would be able to begin your studies in the autumn.
Yes, you can appeal the decision through the Helsinki Administrative Court. Instructions for making an appeal will be enclosed with the notification of the appeal decision.