University of Vaasa to switch to electronic degree certificates
The University of Vaasa will be among the first universities to switch to electronic degree certificates starting in August 2022. This change will make certificates more reliable, faster to obtain and easier to process later, e.g. in working life.
The electronic degree certificate includes a Transcript of Studies in Finnish and English as well as a Diploma Supplement in English. Graduates of the international programme will also receive a degree certificate in English. An electronic degree certificate is an official certificate which is electronically signed by the Dean. This means that you no longer need to certify your electronic degree certificate separately. The electronic degree certificate meets the highest standards set by the EU Commission and can be verified by anyone who it is delivered to.
During the academic year 2022–2023, students will also receive a printed copy of their degree certificate. However, the degree certificate will only be official in electronic form. The final paper-only certificates will be issued to those graduating at the end of July (the application must be submitted by 1 July 2022).
Benefits and changes for students
“An electronic degree certificate has many benefits for students graduating from our university The electronic certificate is a more reliable way to prove your qualifications versus a paper certificate. Graduates can use the electronic degree certificate, for example, when applying for jobs and study places, where increasingly more people want to receive attachments in electronic form,” says Annukka Jokipii, Vice Rector for Education.
It will also make it easier to keep the certificate safe. An electronic degree certificate can be stored in several places, such as on a computer, in the cloud or on a memory stick. Each saved certificate is an official original certificate, the authenticity and integrity of which can be easily verified using the validation service on the University of Vaasa website or the “check PDF document” service of the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
The electronic degree certificate will be available on the student’s Peppi desktop on the day of graduation. The certificate can be downloaded on or after the date of graduation. However, it must be retrieved before the expiry of the student’s user IDs, if the right to study at the University of Vaasa expires at the same time. As before, there will be at least one graduation day per month, and two graduation days in December, May and June.
From the beginning of the next academic year, the application for graduation will also be updated. In the future, graduation will be applied for in the graduation service on the Peppi desktop. The new service will allow students to track the progress of their application and receive confirmation of their graduation date by email. Students will be informed about this change in more detail during this summer.
Further information:
Annukka Jokipii, vice-rector, tel. +358 29 449 8482, annukka.jokipii@uwasa.fi
Nina Nässlin, vice-director, Study and Education Services, tel. +358 29 449 8163, nina.nasslin@uwasa.fi
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