Kela asks approximately 21,000 students to explain lack of progress in their studies – some may lose their benefits

Kela has sent a request for further information to about 6,000 upper secondary students and 15,200 higher education students who do not meet the minimum study credit requirement for financial aid for the academic year 2024–2025. A total of about 284,00 students received student financial aid in the previous academic year. This means that only about 7,5 per cent of all students will be asked to explain their lack of progress.

“It is understandable for students to sometimes have problems with their studies and not make progress at the planned pace. If a student receives a request for further information from Kela, they should respond to it and tell Kela why their studies have slowed down,” says Legal Counsel Linda Reinikainen from Kela’s Student Financial Aid Section.

She further clarifies that students generally make good progress in their studies. Students in higher education must earn an average of at least 5 credits per month of financial aid and a total of at least 20 credits per academic year in order to qualify for financial aid for students. For students in upper secondary education, the minimum study progress required is 20 credits or ECVET points per academic year.

If a student has received a request for further information about their study progress, the first thing they should do is check whether all their study credits have been properly entered into their study record. If data are missing from the study record, the student should ask their educational institution to enter the missing credits in the study record and mention this in their reply to Kela.

In addition to missing credits, there are other acceptable reasons for a lack of study progress. Acceptable reasons for a slower study progress include for instance the student or someone close to them falling ill, a difficult life situation or working on an exceptionally extensive study module. Students who are facing any of these challenges should tell Kela about it in their reply.

Not responding to the request for further information may lead to loss of benefits

Students in upper secondary education must respond to the request for further information by 3 October 2025 at the latest, while higher education students must respond by 25 October 2025. The answer can be sent through OmaKela. OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish, but the reply can be in English.

If a student does not reply to the request for further information or if the reasons presented in their reply are not accepted, Kela will stop paying them student financial aid and housing supplement as of 1 January 2026. Reinikainen wants to remind students that the changes made to student housing benefits in August 2025 mean that study progress now also affects a student’s housing benefits.

“This year, it is more important than ever to respond to Kela’s request for further information on study progress. Not responding to it, or not presenting an acceptable reason for the lack of study progress, may lead to Kela stopping the payment of the student’s financial aid and housing supplement. This means that students should respond to the request as soon as possible so that they do not forget to do so and lose their benefits at the start of the next year.

If Kela does stop the payment of a student’s financial aid and housing supplement, the student can apply for it again once they have made enough progress with their studies.

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