A student may register as absent for the first academic year after admission only with a valid, legally defined, reason.

Considered valid reasons are:

  1. military service, non-military service and women's voluntary military service (in Finland)
  2. maternity, paternity, or parental leave
  3. illness or disability which prevents student from beginning their studies.

Please see how to prove your absence here.

The legislation affects all students who have commenced their studies from 1 August 2015. More detailed information is found on Arcada.fi. External link