You may enroll as absent during the first academic year only for the legal reasons which includes service under the Conscription Act, the Non-Military Service Act, the Women’s Voluntary Military Service Act, maternity, paternity or parental leave or own illness or disability. 

Download an official attachment stating the reason for the absence here: 

• Autumn 2026 application period:  The documents proving the legal grounds for absence, studies starting in autumn 2026 - LAB University of Applied Sciences

• A student can enroll for absence for the maximum of 2 semesters (one academic year). These semesters are not counted into study time.
• Your degree completion time is not counted if you have a legal reason for absence, which includes service under the Conscription Act, the Non-Military Service Act, the Women’s Voluntary Military Service Act, maternity, paternity or parental leave.
  • please note that the Child care allowance is not legal reason for absence.
  • please note that personal illness or injury is not legal reason for absence.
• Absences over two semesters  for reasons other than legal ones are counted into study time.

Enrollment for absence for the student admitted before 1.8.2015: A student can enroll for absence for the maximum of 4 semesters (two academic years). The enrollment must, however, take place in every academic year. This notified time of absence will not be included in the maximum time of taking the studies. Absences over four semesters for reasons other than legal ones are counted into study time.

You may prove the legal grounds for your absence with the given documents:

• Completing military service, civilian service or voluntary military service for women in Finland, service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women’s Voluntary Military Service (194/1995)
  • required document: Call-up order
     
• Maternity, paternity or parental leave
  • required document: Kela’s certificate regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or, if the certificate has not yet been received, a medical certificate regarding the pregnancy or
  • corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave

The documents proving the legal grounds for your absence must be delivered from here.

If you cannot study due to an illness, you can stay on sick leave. In this case you have two options:

• You may enroll as present student and continue your studies. During the sick leave you can receive sickness allowance provided by KELA.You cannot be receiving both sickness allowance and student aid simultaneously but you can continue to increase your student aid until Kela grants you sickness allowance. After receiving sickness allowance KELA stops paying student aid automatically. If you receive sickness allowance you can study 40% of normal full-time if you wish so. More information can be found at KELA pages.
• You may enroll as absent student, but you can only do this during the registration periods and only if you have not used all your non-attending perioids. If you fall ill in the middle of the semester, the ongoing semester remains an attendance period and you can change your registration details from the start of the next semester. Please note that only a student who has registered as attending has the right to pursue studies, to have credits entered in Peppi and to receive guidance related to the studies. You also may not get student aid but you can receive sickness allowance provided by KELA.

There is no need to deliver a sick leave certificate to the student services. Keep the certificate to yourself. If you need to apply for additional time to finish your studies, you may need to submit the certificate.