The University of Eastern Finland has begun to reorganise the way entrance examinations will be held this spring under the prevailing state of emergency. It has already been decided that some of the first entrance examinations in April will be organised by using online solutions. The Philosophical Faculty’s internal student admissions to minor subject studies and to qualification studies in teacher education on 16– 29 April will be carried out according to the original timetable by using online solutions. The participants have been notified of the change by email, and they have also received instructions on how to participate.
The University of Eastern Finland’s original plan was to organise a total of 42 entrance examinations over the course of April, May and June. The study programmes available in these entrance examinations would have attracted approximately 20,000 applicants to the Joensuu and Kuopio campuses.
Today, the Finnish universities have jointly decided that it is not possible to organise entrance examinations requiring physical attendance safely due to the coronavirus epidemic (press release by Universities Finland, UNIFI, on 8 April 2020). The universities have decided to replace entrance examinations that would have a large number of participants with alternative modes of student admission.
“Any smaller entrance examinations possibly organised by the University of Eastern Finland will be held so that a maximum of 10 people may be present in the room at the same time,” Academic Rector Tapio Määttä says.
In place of entrance examinations planned to be held in the universities’ facilities, an increasing number of students will be admitted on the basis of their matriculation examination certificate (or equivalent certificate). Digital admissions processes are also being developed to replace entrance examinations requiring physical attendance.
“As a result of this reorganisation of entrance examinations, the University of Eastern Finland will also significantly expand the open university route, so that studies in the open university can, to some degree, be started already in the summer,” Tapio Määttä says.
The universities will make information on the organisation of admissions to different study programmes available as they make the relevant decisions. However, all decisions on changes to the admissions criteria will be made and communicated no later than 30 April. Information about changes to the entrance examination arrangements will be sent to the participants by email. Information on admissions to all study programmes will be made available at: https://haeyliopistoon.fi/valinnat-2020-muutokset/
Questions relating to student admissions and their organisation can be sent to: valintakokeet2020(at)uef.fi.
For further information, please contact:
Academic Rector Tapio Määttä, tel. +358 50 575 1589, tapio.maatta (at) uef.fi
