Graduation

Applying for the degree certificate (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees)

If you are graduating from the school of professional teacher education, please see the instructions from professional teacher education’s Graduation -page.

You can start the graduation process when you have completed at least 80% of the Bachelor’s degree or 50% of the Master’s degree. Please note that processing time includes several stages in the application process. 

Main phases of the graduation process

• Sign in to Pakki and choose the VALO – graduation service
• Respond to the university of applied sciences graduand feedback survey (AVOP).
  • If you have already answered the AVOP survey or for some other reason cannot answer, please contact your study counsellor.
  • Note that the survey link will take you outside the system – wait for redirecting back to the graduation service.
• Wait for the study counsellor to contact you. The study counsellor will contact you in about a week.
  • NB! VALO doesn’t send a separate e-mail message about the date and time of the graduation discussion. Please, sign in to Valo to see the date.
• Follow the checklist in the application for degree certificate and mark the steps as completed.
• Have a discussion with your study counsellor.
• Wait for the study counsellor’s confirmation: then finish and submit the certificate application. You will receive an email message once your application has been approved and the student services has confirmed the graduation date.

Signing in and using the graduation service

• The graduation service is located on the student’s PAKKI desktop. Click the VALO – graduation service -icon. The system will guide you forward.
• Please note that you have to answer the AVOP survey at one time – the system will redirect you back to the Valo graduation service after answering the survey and an automatic email message will be sent to your study counsellor about your application.
• You can mark things as done on your own checklist before the graduation discussion – remember to save the changes.
  • Make sure that everything is correct before proceeding to the next step. Answers can no longer be edited or deleted.
• After the graduation discussion has been completed, the study counsellor will activate your permission to submit the application for approval. Once the application is approved, you will be notified by email.

Possible problems and solutions

• Valo Graduation Service works best with the following browsers: Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, or Edge.
• Valo works in the same language as your PAKKI. It is possible to change the language in Pakki.
• If the service does not work, try to log off, close the browser, and log in again. Changing the browser might help. If this does not solve the problems – please, send a message to koulutuksentukipalvelut@hamk.fi.
• If you have many study rights at HAMK, please check that you have logged in with the correct student number.
• If your right to study does not lead to a degree, you cannot make a graduation application.

Possible problems related to answering the AVOP survey

• The link to the AVOP survey is not active – check if you have enough credits (bachelor’s degrees, at least 80% and master’s degrees, at least 50% of studies must be done). The credits must have been registered at least one day before answering to AVOP survey.
• If you have already answered the survey: please, contact your own study counsellor
• Answering the AVOP survey has been interrupted and you will not be able to answer it again – please, contact koulutuksentukipalvelut@hamk.fi 
• If you cannot answer for any other reason – please, contact your study counsellor
• If your right to study does not lead to a degree, you will not see the AVOP survey link in the graduation system and you will not be able to create a graduation application.

Graduation schedules

Please note the regulations of the study grant when you are timing your graduation, more information: https://www.kela.fi/web/en.

The completed degree certificate application must be sent no later than three weeks before the scheduled graduation date. We recommend that you begin the graduation process at least six weeks before your desired graduation date.

Graduation schedules spring semester 2023

Recommendation for starting the application process	Send the completed certificate application at the lates	Graduation day
In the beginning of May	25.05.2023	15.06.2023 Graduation Ceremony
In mid-May	09.06.2023	30.06.2023

There is an additional graduation date on 31 July for students who can’t send the completed graduation application by 9 June but all the credits are completed and registered before the summer break.  Contact your guidance counsellor before the summer break. You will get the degree certificate in August.

From 1 August 2023 students can graduate every day during the Academic year. Information will be updated on this web page.

*NB: Students obliged to pay tuition fees

If you submit the certificate application during August or January, you don’t need to pay the tuition fee for the semester. Please contact studentservices(at)hamk.fi for further information.

Degree certificate

For degree programmes conducted in Finnish, the student receives a degree certificate in Finnish.

For degree programmes conducted in English, the student receives a degree certificate in both Finnish and English.

In addition, all graduates receive the Diploma Supplement, which is a document in English language attached to an original degree certificate. The aim of the diploma supplement is to improve international ‘transparency’ and facilitate the academic and professional recognition and comparability of qualifications as well as offer easier access to work abroad after graduation.

Delivering certificates

HAMK  has issued degree certificates electronically from 1 October 2021. 

The digital degree certificate is an official certificate, which does not require any separate authentication. It can be sent to authorities or employers as an attachment. Paper copies of the digital certificate can be printed, but only the digital certificate is authenticated and suitable for official purposes.

Graduate students can download a digital degree certificate from Pakki (documents) for 28 days after graduation. NB: Save your digital degree certificate carefully in several different places. 

Graduation Ceremony 15 June 2023 on Visamäki Campus from 2 p.m .

Graduates since 30 December 2022 to 15 June 2023 are invited to Ceremony by email at the beginning of June.

• Studying at HAMK