Changing student financial aid to be paid out for a specified period of time
If we consider it necessary to monitor your study progress particularly closely, we may have to change your financial aid to be paid out for a specified period of time only.
You will need to complete sufficient study credits during this period in order to be eligible for financial aid after it ends.
The payment of financial aid does not continue automatically after the end of this period, but you must apply for it.
Your financial aid decision will tell you how many credits you must earn during the specified period of time. If you want financial aid after the specified period is over, you must apply for it again.
If you do not complete enough credits during the specified period of time, we will not be able to grant you financial aid.
However, even if you do not have enough credits, you may be able to re-qualify for financial aid if your study progress was slowed due to an acceptable reason. Explain the reason for your slow study progress when you apply for financial aid again after the end of the specified period of time.
If you do not complete enough credits during the specified period of time, we will not be able to grant you financial aid. The specified period of time is usually the academic year during which your study progress was monitored in the autumn.
You can get financial aid again when you meet both of the following requirements:
- You have earned at least 20 credits since the beginning of the academic year for which financial aid was granted for a specified period of time, and
- You have earned at least 5 credits on average for each month of financial aid.
Apply for financial aid again after the specified period of financial aid ends.
Even if you do not have enough credits, you may be able to re-qualify for financial aid if your study progress was slowed due to an acceptable reason. Explain the reason for your slow study progress when you apply for financial aid again after the end of the specified period of time.
You can also cancel financial aid, which will reduce the credit requirement for the specified period by 5 credits per month of financial aid you pay back. You must, however, complete at least 20 credits during the academic year regardless of the number of months for which you have received financial aid.
Studies after the specified period of financial aid ends
If the specified period of time during which you received financial aid has ended and you did not earn enough credits during it, you can receive student financial aid again in any of the following ways:
- by paying back financial aid
- by earning the credits you are missing without the benefit of financial aid
- by earning at least 20 credits' worth of a new course of study since the specified period of time for which you received financial aid ended.
Then submit a new application for financial aid.
Example of financial aid for a specified period of time for a student in higher education
The student did not complete enough credits in the academic year 2021–2022. Because of this, they receive a letter in October 2022 requesting information on their study progress. The student responds to the request for information, but Kela changes the student’s financial aid to be paid out for a specified period of time, because Kela considers that the study progress should be monitored particularly closely. This means that the student must complete at least 20 credits total and at least 5 credits on average for each month of financial aid in the academic year 2022–2023 in order to be granted financial aid after the end of the specified period of time.
In the academic year 2022–2023, the student takes out financial aid for nine months. This means that they must complete at least 45 credits during the academic year, However, they only complete 37 credits during the academic year 2022–2023. The student now has two options:
- They can pay back two months of financial aid for the academic year 2022–2023. This would reduce the credit requirement to 35 credits and the student can apply for financial aid again.
- After the specified period of time is over (31 May 2023), the student can complete at least 8 credits without the benefit of financial aid. This means that they will have completed the 45 credits required as of the beginning of the academic year 2022–2023, and may apply for financial aid again.
Bachelor's and master's degrees at a university
If you are completing both a bachelor's and a master's degree at a university, and your student financial aid was changed to be paid out for a specified period of time only when your progress towards the bachelor's degree was monitored, you are considered to have made satisfactory progress once you have completed the bachelor's degree. This means that you can receive financial aid towards a master’s degree even if you have not met the study credit requirements set for you. However, you must have some months of financial aid remaining.
If you want to get financial aid again, you must apply for it after the specified period is over. More information about financial aid for bachelor's and master's level university degrees.
How to file a new application for financial aid
- Apply for student financial aid on the form for notification of changes in OmaKela (in Finnish and Swedish only).
- In OmaKela, you can see if your application has been decided and how much you will get.
Alternatively you can complete and print out the form titled Notification of changes - Financial aid for students OT 15e (pdf). Send the application and any supporting documents by mail. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
You can get financial aid again from the beginning of the month in which you earned the required number of credits. However, financial aid can be granted no earlier than from the beginning of the month in which your application is received.