Studies at other Aalto schools or other Finnish universities
Studies in other schools of Aalto
You can complete studies organized by other schools of Aalto other than you own school or field. You can complete invidicual courses or a minor.
Courses (sisu.aalto.fi)
Studies in another Finnish university
NB! The use of Joopas system has ended on 31.12.2021. From the beginning of January 2022, Aalto University will use the university’s own electronic application form.
If a student is registered as a degree student at a Finnish university, according to the national flexible study rights agreement (JOO), they are entitled to apply for a fixed term study right for single courses or minors at any other Finnish university. JOO studies should be integrated in the student’s degree at their home university. Bachelor's, master's and doctoral students can apply for the JOO flexible study right. The university can grant a right to study only for studies that are offered to JOO students, and only when the student’s home university has first endorsed the application.
Aalto will resign from JOO agreement
By decision of the president of the university, Aalto University will resign from the inter-university agreement on flexible study rights (JOO agreement). Aalto’s resignation will be effective from 1 January 2026, which means that no new approvals for JOO studies will be given after 31 July 2025. The JOO study rights granted prior to this date will remain valid as granted.
Contact information
Aalto University as home university
The student must be registered as an attending student at the home university during the JOO studies. There is a two-step application process for JOO studies. The application is first processed at the home university, after which the application is sent to the host university for final processing. The student can get the home University’s endorsement for studies that cannot be completed at Aalto University and that will be integrated in the student's degree.
An application can be endorsed if the following requirements are met:
- The student has enrolled as an attending student.
- The studies are included in the minimum scope of student’s bachelor's, master's or postgraduate degree, and they are a part of the students approved personal study plan (PSP, HOPS).
- The student has demonstrated that his/her studies have progressed normally. A bachelor's student may not receive endorsement for studies that are planned for the first year of study.
- Similar or corresponding courses are not offered by Aalto University. JOO studies are not intended to substitute for the teaching offered in the student's own university, and students cannot take courses at another university if they are available at the home university.
- The studies suit and support the student's degree. They are part of the student's degree, for example, as a minor or as a part of elective studies.
- The studies are not Open University studies.
- Applications by exchange students cannot be approved.
The studies cannot be endorsed without an approved personal study plan. The approved personal study plan and a transcript of records must be enclosed with the application. Information about the approval of the study plan is available in your programme's pages in Student Guide. For instructions and information about your study plan, please contact your degree programme. Please reserve enough time for the process of having the studies approved in your study plan, before the application period begins.
Requirements for minor studies for students of the School of Business
The studies the student applies for must form an entity at the host university. The extent of the minor the student applies for must correspond to the extent agreed upon in the student's personal study plan. If the minor at the receiving school is e.g. 25 ECTS, but the student needs 30 ECTS, he/she can choose an extra course that suits the minor. If the extent is e.g. 32 ECTS, the 32 ECTS can be endorsed. However, if the studies exceed the extent by too much, they cannot be endorsed.
Bachelor student: If you are finishing your bachelor’s studies, you can apply for JOO studies in your master’s degree’s minor. To do that, you need to make a personal study plan (PSP) for master’s degree in Sisu, and for minor you need to choose “M2FINU-BIZ Completed at another University”. The minor needs to be approved by the planning officer of your department.
Requirements for minor studies for students in the field of technology
The studies the student applies for must form an entity at the host university. In the student's degree in Aalto University, JOO studies form a minor or (part of) elective studies. Consequently, the extent of JOO studies depends on the minor or elective studies as defined in the student's degree programme or major.
Requirements for minor studies for students of the School of Art, Design and Architecture
The minor studies must be suited for the student's degree, e.g. as a minor or part of the elective studies. It should form an entity at the receiving school.
Applications are processed on an ongoing basis at Aalto University. The duration of processing applications depends on, for example, other work situations and holidays. The application must be submitted to the home university for endorsement in good time before the end of the application period at the host university, preferably no later than 4 weeks before the end of the application period. The processing time is usually about 2–3 weeks, but the endorsement processing can sometimes take longer. Several universities have application periods. For studies in the following academic year, the application period is in April. For studies in the following spring term it is in October. Applications made during April 2025 need to be submitted to Aalto 16 April 2025 at the latest. Please reserve enough time for processing at Aalto University before the target university's application deadline expires. Late applications are not processed.
- The student fills in the electronic application form, in year 2024 and 2025 as well: https://openregistration.aalto.fi/?ff/en/JOO_2022
- Note! The obligatory attachments to the application are a transcript of records (either link to My Studyinfo transcript: https://opintopolku.fi/oma-opintopolku/ or attached Sisu transcript), and endorsement of the home university. E.g. an e-mail approval from the planning officer or coordinator of your study programme. In School of ARTS, from academic advisor.
- The studies applied for should be specified course by course.
- Check whether the host university wants you to fill in their own application. You can use a paper application form instead of the electronic application above, if the host university uses the paper form.
- If the application is endorsed, the application is forwarded to the host university.
- The host university will process the application and notify the applicant of its decision according to its own timetable.
Aalto University as host university
Instructions for students of other Finnish universities who wish to apply for Aalto University courses:
Other network studies
Instructions for students of other Finnish universities who wish to apply for Aalto University courses: https://www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/non-degree-studies-exchange-studies-studies-under-the-flexible-study-right.
Aalto University is a part of a network of all technical universities in Finland called FITech network university. It enables Aalto students to study single courses or minors in the other universities of the network. FITech study offering consists of network universities’ selected courses from areas such as project management, energy technology and information technology. All studies are free of charge and many courses can be completed entirely or partially online.
Take a look at our studies and apply on our website: https://fitech.io/en/studies
Co-op Network Studies (CNS) is a network established by a group of ten universities. Teaching within the framework of the network is developed, produced and coordinated by the Ruralia Institute of the University of Helsinki together with the other participating universities. The university network was established in 2005 and offers multidisciplinary, web-based minor subject courses and modules related to the co-operative sector and social economy. Moreover, the CNS coordination unit is actively involved in developing and investigating matters affecting the co-operative sector in cooperation with partners. The studies receive support and funding from Finnish co-operatives and mutual companies through the Finnish Co-operative Advisory Board, the Pellervo Society and the University of Helsinki.
UniPID – Finnish University Partnership for International Development – is a network of Finnish universities, supporting universities' global responsibility objectives. UniPID aims to strengthen and advance the interdisciplinary education, research and universities' societal impact on global development. UniPID’s main activities supporting education related to global development include virtual studies on sustainable development, supporting the training of Finnish doctoral students in development studies, and awarding a yearly master’s award in development studies. UniPID supports research cooperation and researchers' networking in Finland and with international partners. Through UniPID, the member universities also participate in the national and international research and development policy dialogues. UniPID aims to enhance the importance of higher education and research in development cooperation and impact the national and international research agenda and funding priorities on global challenges.
UniPID coordinates a multidisciplinary Virtual Studies programme in international sustainable development. The programme is comprised of a collection of online courses, each worth 5 ECTS, offered for free to all Member University students, and suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Students can also complete a Sustainability in Development minor of 25 ECTS. Courses are offered through an easy and accessible virtual platform. The virtual course catalogue and registration on UniPID website (opens in a new tab): www.unipid.fi.
The UniPID DocNet is a nationwide initiative to support the interdisciplinary training and networking of doctoral students in development research. UniPID DocNet is a membership-based network for doctoral students and supervisors from UniPID member universities such as Aalto University.
Since the beginning of 2021, Aalto University has been a member of National Gender Studies Network Hilma. The main purpose of the National Gender Studies Network is to organize online-courses for degree students (both on BA/BSc and MA/MSc levels).
All Aalto University students have access to Hilma courses. All the courses are organized online. Questions of gender, race, intersectionality and equality lie at the heart of the courses of the network. The English language course offering is available at https://blogs.helsinki.fi/hilma-verkosto/in-english/courses-in-english/
The Hilma network is coordinated by the University of Helsinki. Other members are University of Arts, University of Eastern Finland, University of Jyväskylä, University of Lapland, Tampere University, University of Turku, University of Oulu, and Åbo Akademi.
After completing Hilma courses you'll receive information about how to transfer credits to Aalto degree via email. Please follow the instructions carefully. If you have questions about transfering Hilma credits, please contact [email protected].
Aalto students may take studies from university of applied sciences (UAS) course offerings and from a limited number of contractually based study opportunities. The study opportunities are based on education cooperation agreements through which an Aalto degree student who has attending status may complete studies at a UAS in Finland. Any bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level student may apply for the right to study.
The UAS course offerings available to Aalto University students
Students apply to these courses in accordance with the instructions and timetables of the relevant UAS. Before applying, determine whether the course you want to take can be approved in your study plan (HOPS) according to your own programme and as a part of your degree.
- The South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) has course offerings at:
https://koulutuskalenteri.xamk.fi/aalto-opintotarjonta/
(See ‘Registration for studies’, about halfway down the page.)
The study opportunities based on cooperation agreements between higher education institutions will be communicated directly to the student groups concerned. Students register for these studies in accordance with the agreement and the studies are included as part of the student’s degree.
- Published:
- Updated: