Towards Graduation

1. Check out the graduation timetable below. In particular, please take into account the time required to review the thesis if it is the final study attainment to complete your degree.
2. Before applying for graduation, please check that all the study attainments included in the degree have been approved and registered in Peppi. If necessary, ask your study counsellor to check your studies before applying.
3.  To apply, use the Graduation service on the Peppi desktop. Fill in the application to graduate and once it has been reviewed and approved you will receive a notification of acceptance. It may take several days, but, as a rule, you will receive a notification in your student email about one week before the intended graduation date.
4. You can use the application to graduate to register for the Publiikki event and join the alumni network.
5. On the graduation day, you can download your electronic degree certificate from the Peppi desktop. Please do it within two weeks of the graduation date if your study rights at the University of Vaasa expire.
6. Please note that only those who have registered as attending can graduate.

Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis, Master's Thesis) are often the last credits for the degree. When planning your graduation, you should take into account the time it takes to review theses. The examiners have 30 days to give their assesment of the thesis submitted for examination. The dean of the academic unit confirms the master's degree thesis grade after reviewing the examiners' opinion. Find out more about the theses and graduation schedule from the links below.

You can apply for graduation once all the study attainments for your degree have been approved and registered in Peppi.  Please note that the Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis and the maturity text must also be approved and registered.

To apply, use the Graduation service on the Peppi desktop.

Submit your application to graduate on the date specified in the graduation timetable at the latest. The study counsellor will review your application to graduate. You can follow the processing of the application in the Graduation service. Once the request for the degree certificate has been approved, the service will confirm your graduation date. You will also receive an email informing you of the date. Please note that the notification will be sent to your student email (student.uwasa.fi). It takes several days to process an application to graduate during rush times. As a rule, you will receive a notification in your student email about one week before the intended graduation date.

In the Graduation service, you can see the contact person processing your application. You can contact them with any questions related to your graduation. The contact persons are degree programme study counsellors or Graduate School experts in the case of postgraduate studies.

Download your electronic degree certificate from the Peppi desktop!

Feedback survey regarding graduation

Students graduating with a Bachelor's and Master's degree will also be asked to complete a subject-specific graduate survey when applying for graduation. Also doctoral students will complete a graduate survey.

Content of the degree certificate

In connection with the degree certificate, all graduates are also issued a Diploma Supplement in English for international use as well as a transcript of studies in English.

The average grades for major and minor studies are marked in the degree certificate. They are calculated from the grades of credits as a weighting average of the number of credits. The grades are visible on the official transcript.
See: Compeltition and Assessment of Studies

Electronic degree certificate

The University of Vaasa is to switch to electronic degree certificates starting in August 2022

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 certificate meets the highest standards set by the EU Commission. 

The electronic certificate is a more reliable way to prove your qualifications versus a paper certificate. Graduates can use the certificate, for example, when applying for jobs and study places, where increasingly more people want to receive attachments in electronic form. It will also make it easier to keep the certificate safe. 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 can be downloaded on the graduation date (by 14:00 at the latest) from the top menu of the Peppi desktop, under “Study Certificates”. Remember to download the certificate within two weeks of the graduation date if your study rights at the University of Vaasa expire. Save the certificate to multiple locations, such as on a computer, in the cloud and on a memory stick.

The validity of an electronic degree certificate issued by the University of Vaasa can be verified by anyone to whom it is delivered using the Atomi Validator service. The validity can also be verified using the validation service available on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency website.

For more information about the validation of an electronically signed document, contact edusys(at)uwasa.fi

Degree certificates are issued in Finnish and in English. The student always receives a transcript of studies both in Finnish and in English with the degree certificate.

In addition to the degree certificate and transcripts of studies, the student also receives a Diploma Supplement for international use. In the Diploma Supplement, the content of the degree is described in English.

A graduate who has changed his/her gender will, upon request, obtain a new degree certificate with corrected personal information.

If a graduate has lost or damaged a paper certificate issued before 1 August 2022, they can be provided with a copy of the signed and stamped certificate. The electronic degree certificate should be stored in several places, such as on a computer, in the cloud and on a memory stick. For further information, contact edusys(at)uwasa.fi. 

• Would you like to supplement your degree? Apply for alumni study right.
• The financial aid from Kela automatically ends upon graduation; see www.kela.fi/web/en/students
• Access rights to the university’s information systems will be terminated two weeks after graduation if your study rights at the University of Vaasa expire.
• Students graduating in August or January can apply for a refund of the VYY membership fee using the electronic form. More information: paasihteeri(at)vyy.fi
• Interested in an academic career? After completing a Master’s degree, you can continue your studies in doctoral education at the University of Vaasa’s doctoral programmes.
• You can use our career services for about a year after graduation.