Applying for graduation
Students can apply for graduation in Sisu when all courses required for the master's degree have been registered in Sisu, and the master’s thesis submitted to evaluation (or completed).
Graduation is sought through the study plan in Sisu and therefore it is crucial that the study plan is up to date, reviewed and approved by programme administrative staff.
The courses shown in the study plan will also be printed on the degree certificate.
Note that you can apply for the approval and evaluation of the thesis in MyStudies and apply for graduation in Sisu at the same time.
Note: The electronic degree certificate will replace the traditional paper degree certificate for those graduating on or after 1 August 2025
The electronic degree certificate is an official original document bearing the digital signature of the school dean.
The electronic degree certificate is more reliable than a paper certificate, since it is considerably more difficult to forge. It is also easily authenticated in e.g. the certification service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. In addition, it can simplify a student’s job search, as it can be easily included as a digital attachment in an online application form.
Most Finnish universities have already switched to using electronic degree certificates. Aalto is currently preparing its migration to the new system. We will inform you as the project proceeds.
Checklist for graduating students:
Take care that the completed thesis has been submitted for approval and evaluation in mystudies.aalto.fi (see detailed instructions).
To be able to apply for graduation, you must be enrolled as attending for the current semester.
You cannot graduate as a non-attending or passive student (if your study status is either of these, please contact your programme staff).
Submit a graduation application in Sisu immediately after turning in your last study attainment (e.g., a thesis). This does not have to be recorded in Sisu to apply for graduation.
Please respond to the which will take about 20 minutes.
With this survey, Aalto University collects feedback on the studies, study content and employment of new Master's degree graduates. To develop study programmes and university activities in the future, and monitor employment and salary levels of graduates,it is crucial we hear the voice of students.
Instructions to Sisu /en/applications-instructions-and-guidelines/request-for-graduation
Keep following your aalto email as you will receive information about the certificate status and pickup. You can either decide to collect the certificate from the Student Service Desk independently, have it mailed to you (e.g., if you live abroad) or participate in a Graduation Ceremony where you get the certificate.
At the end of each academic year, Aalto University also hosts a Ceremony Week. Next Ceremony Week will be organised in June 2025.
Students who, in the course of their studies towards either the bachelor’s or master’s degree, have shown excellent knowledge of the field as well as exceptional maturity and sense of judgment in the thesis may have this recognised in their degree certificate with the phrase ‘completed with honours’. The decision regarding awarding a degree with honours rests with the school.
In the field of technology a degree may be awarded with honours if the weighted average grade of the studies (with the thesis) included in the degree is at least 4.00 and if the thesis grade is 4 or 5.
In the field of economics and business administration a degree may be awarded with honours if the weighted average grade of the studies (with the thesis) included in the degree is at least 4.50.
If the thesis included in the degree has been graded on a grading scale other than the scale from 0 to 5, the thesis will be taken into calculation in accordance with provisions that were in force before this regulation entered into force.
Language versions of the commendations:
(su) Tutkinto on suoritettu erinomaisesti.
(sv) Examen har avlagts med utmärkta insikter.
(en) The degree was completed with honours.
This decision will enter into force concerning the degrees awarded in the field of technology and in the fields of economics and business administration as of 1 December 2021.
Timetable for graduation
Graduation dates
|
Deadline for applications
|
Degree programme committee meeting date
|
Graduation ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 27.10.2025* | no meeting* | Wed 10.12.2025 |
| Mon 24.11.2025 | Mon 15.12.2025 | 3/2026 |
| Wed 31.12.2025*** | January 2026 | 3/2026 |
| Mon 26.1.2026* | no meeting* | 3/2026 |
| Mon 23.2.2026 | Mon 17.3.2025 | 6/2026 |
| Mon 30.3.2026* | no meeting* | 6/2026 |
| Mon 27.4.2026 | Mon 19.5.2025 | 6/2026 |
| Mon 25.5.2026 | Mon 9.6.2025 | 10/2026 |
| Mon 29.6.2026* | no meeting* | 10/2026 |
| Fri 31.7.2026** | Mon 18.8.2025 | 10/2026 |
| Mon 31.8.2026* | no meeting* | 10/2026 |
| Mon 28.9.2026 | Mon 19.10.2026 | 12/2026 |
| Mon 26.10.2026* | No meeting* | 12/2026 |
| Mon 23.11.2025 | Mon 14.12.2026 | xx |
| Thu 31.12.2026 | January 2027 | xx |
* Only graduation requests can be submitted on these dates. All credits including master's thesis and maturity test has to be approved and registered previously.
Degree Certificates (The electronic degree certificate and FAQ)
You will receive a message in Sisu notifying you that your graduation request has been approved and your degree has been awarded. In Sisu, you can also track the delivery status of your degree certificate.
The Dean signs the certificates electronically. The final electronic certificate will be ready within a month. Once the certificate is signed, you will receive an email with instructions and a download link the following weekday morning. The link is valid for 30 days.
*** Deadline 31.12.2025: Notice the holiday season. Contact your thesis supervisor well before Christmas (24.12.2025).
If you graduate with a master's degree on 31 December and will no longer be a master’s degree student in the following spring term, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee for the spring term and you will not be eligible for FSHS services even if you had enrolled as an attending student for the whole academic year.
** Deadline 31.7.2026: If you are applying for MSc thesis approval and evaluation on deadline 31st of July, contact your thesis supervisor well before mid-June to agree on the schedules during summer holiday season. Also, check that your personal study plan is up-to-date. Contact your programme coordinator or planning officer in any unclear situations.
Graduation ceremonies
The degree recipients will receive an email to their Aalto email address about one month after the date of degree award by Dean with a link for Graduation Ceremony enrolment. Via the survey link you can confirm if you want to participate in the ceremony or to collect your degree certificate on another occasion. Please note that if choose to collect your degree certificate before the graduation ceremony you cannot participate in the ceremony.
Graduation ceremonies in 2025
| Wednesday | 12.3.2025 | at 16.00 | Hall U2, Otakaari 1 |
| Wednesday | 11.6.2025 | at 16.00 | Hall 213, Otakaari 4 |
| Wednesday | 1.10.2025 | at 16.00 | Hall U2, Otakaari 1 |
| Wednesday | 10.12.2025 | at 16.00 | Hall 213, Otakaari 4 |
Please, remember to sign up for the graduation ceremony via the electronic survey linked in the invitation (or by email to studies-eng@aalto.fi). Please check the last date for enrolment in the invitation.
The dress code for the ceremony is relatively formal (e.g. a suit or a dress). The graduates and guests are asked to arrive in time. The guests enter the hall before the graduates, who will be called to enter by name at the start of the ceremony. The first rows have been reserved for the graduates. The Dean will enter the hall after the graduates have be called and the audience will stand up as he enters. The ceremony includes speeches and music and it lasts for about two hours. Refreshments are available at the end of the ceremony.
Instructions for arrival:
How to get to Otaniemi (aalto.fi)
Campus map with parking areas (aalto.fi)
Degree recipients who are unable to attend the ceremony can collect their degree certificate from the Student service desk or they may authorize the School to mail the degree certificate to them. You can see the earliest possible pick up date on the email you have received.
With the form which you can find at the end of this page you can authorize Aalto-university to send your degree certificate by mail. Please note that we do not mail degree certificates to addresses in Greater Helsinki.
After graduation
If you graduate in the beginning of a term (autumn or spring), and you can change your enrolment status from attendance to non-attendance in OILI before the enrolment period ends, you can apply for a membership fee refund from Student Union AYY.
If you graduate later during the autumn term and have paid for the entire academic year, you can apply for a refund of the spring term’s membership fee. Read more on AYY website: .
Your study right at Aalto University ends on your graduation date. Because the digital student cards deploy a real-time system in verifying your student status, you cannot use your digital student card after you have graduated.
If you have a plastic student card, it is valid until the end of your AYY membership period. However, if you have a plastic student card and you apply for reimbursement of the membership fee, you must visit Starting Point with your student card. Starting Point will record the change of your status and remove the academic year tag on your student card.
Further information:
- When your right to study ends, remove all the software that the university has provided for home use, unless otherwise stated in the license agreement of the software.
- Return all borrowed study material and equipment.
- Return all keys and access badges.
- The right to access Aalto University IT services remain valid for two months after your graduation. The validity of the access rights may be extended beyond two months only for exceptional reasons.
- Remember to make a copy of the files in your university-provided home directory (network drive) and cloud services (e.g., Google Drive) for yourself. The files in your home directory will be removed once your access rights expire.
- Any messages sent to a closed Aalto email account will not be delivered. If you have used your Aalto University email address to create user accounts for other services (for example Apple ID or Dropbox), please remember to replace the Aalto address with your personal email address in those services.
Please note that you may be bound by a confidentiality obligation even after you graduate, if you have, for instance, gained access to secret information while in a position of trust at the university.
National career monitoring survey is conducted by Career Services of Finnish Universities. The target group in the master's survey is alumni who graduated five years ago. In the doctoral survey, alumni who graduated three years ago.
Please take the time to respond when you receive the survey after graduation. Your response is highly appreciated! It will provide current information from working life that can be utilized in developing teaching and research. Additionally, students who are still deciding on their studies and job opportunities value the information gained from the career paths of graduates.
For more information: /en/collaboration/aalto-university-graduates-in-working-life
Aalto University graduates' degree information is saved automatically in Aalto's alumni and partner system (CRM) after graduation.
By joining Aalto Alumni Circle, the digital network, you can update your contact details, stay connected with fellow graduates and current students, and you can obtain an @alumni.aalto.fi mailbox.
Further information: /en/for-alumni or alumni@aalto.fi.