Registration, payments and rules

To secure a place on a given course, you must pay the course fee. Registration is always binding for a certain course. Therefore it is not possible to change the course fee for another course.

• The course fee varies according to the extent of the right to study, but never exceeds €15/credit.
• The fees are explained in course descriptions and payable immediately upon registration.via your internet bank as part of the online registration process.
• Aalto University degree students pay the same fee as everyone else (some summer courses can be exception which is separately informed in the summer term).
• Open University course catalogue might include other Aalto University courses whose registration and fee policy might differ from the Open University normal methods (for example non-fee FiTech courses).
• In addition to the course fee, you may have to cover the costs of study materials, study books or supplies.
• Students on the waiting list for the course must pay the fee only after they have been notified of a vacant place on the course and they have been given a confirmation for that place

Grounds for course fees: The fees at the Open University are based on a government decrees (1082/2009) and (1436/2014).

According to the act on the collection of taxes and fees (Laki verojen ja maksujen täytäntöönpanosta 706/2007), course fees are public receivables and as such distrainable without special measures.

Use the Aimo Service to register for the Open University courses.

Registration requires the following steps:

1. Registration as a user of the Aimo service
2. Logging into the Aimo service
3. Course registration
4. Payment of the course fee

1. Registration as a user of the Aimo service

You can register as a user of the Aimo service either with your personal internet bank identifiers or with an electronic ID card. To register choose Register by online bank identification or identification card.

If you do not have personal internet bank identifiers or an electronic ID card choose Without identification to register. In this case, you have to prove your identity after you have done your first course registration. You should contact the Open University [email protected].

2. Logging into the Aimo service

After registration you will be able to log in the service With Aimo-service username and password.

The username in Aimo service is the email (e.g. [email protected]) you used by registration for the first time. It doesn't change though you will get also an Aalto-username for your studies. The original username doesn't change even if your e-mail address changes later

If you already have a valid Aalto University IT account and password (Aalto staff, degree students), you can use them to register for courses and do not have to register as a user of the Aimo service separately.

3. Course registration

The course registration starts from the course page. See the title Online registration for the course which brings you to the Aimo service page.

• Log into the Aimo service with the username you have registered, and select Course registration, and further the appropriate registration form (e.g. Course registration  Spring 2019), and then Fill in form.
• Accept the Open University's rules of conduct, choose the appropriate course in the drop-down menu and once you have found the course of your choice click on Send form.
• You can register for only one course per form.
• Each course is paid in connection with filling in the form

If the course is already full, it is noted after the course name. The notification does not, however, stop you from putting yourself on the reserve list for the course.

• Once you have found the course of your choice click on Send form.
• On next screen click on Save and continue later.

You will be notified by e-mail if a place becomes available on the course. After the receipt of the e-mail notification, you have 48 hours to accept the place on the course. If you fail to accept the place before the deadline, the place will be offered to the next on the list. Please, notice a place can become available also on weekend.

Registration is personal. Teachers do not deal with registrations, always contact Open University by email  [email protected]

4. Payment of the course fee

The course fee is paid in connection with the course registration.

• Select Proceed with payment and log into your internet bank with your bank identifiers.
• To ensure that your payment is registered into the system, you must return to the Aimo service website after the payment. Some internet banks may require that you click on Palaa palveluntarjoajan sivulle (Return to the service provider’s website).

The internet banks available are Aktia, Nooa säästöpankki, Handelsbanken, Nordea, Osuuspankki, POP Bank and Danske Bank, while the credit cards accepted are Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard and American Express.

Payment can be done also by another person.

In case you can not pay with any of these choises, please contact Open University by email  [email protected]

After payment you will get a confirmation of your course registration by email.

If you do not start the studies you have registered for, you must cancel your registration

• Notify the Open University office of your cancellation in writing (email [email protected]) no later than 14 days before the start of the course.
• Students who cancel within the above time limit will be refunded 50% of the course fee. Refund is paid to a bank account within approximately one month after the cancellation. With credit card payments refund is faster.
• Students who cancel their registration for a book examination will receive no refund.
• Interruption of studies does not entitle you to a refund.
• If the teaching at the course changes from the campus teaching to the virtual teaching or vice versa, that does not entitle the students to get refund.
• If the course is cancelled (due to a lack of participants, for instance), you will be refunded the course fee in full by the Aalto University Open University.

Please notice, that possible refunds take a longer processing time during the summer break in July.

Open University in Aalto University applies the rules and guidelines for the degree students of Aalto University also to Open University students, when relevant. These rules and guidelines for the degree students are available at Into pages.
 

Agreement

In registering for Open University studies the student agrees to abide by the rules of conduct of the Open University.
 

Protection of the rights of Open University students

The Universities Act (558/2009) provisions in sections 44 and 82 on the assessment of study attainments apply also to Open University students. They concern the student’s right to obtain information on assessment criteria, the right to see study attainments that have been assessed, and the right to apply — first to the teacher, then to the Academic Appeals Board— for a rectification of the assessment.

Open University students are entitled to modified arrangements within reason, for example, special arrangements may be made in teaching for cases of chronic illness or disability, as in accordance with the guidelines and procedures of the university for respective degree students when applicable. Access to special arrangements requires that the student has not repeatedly and without valid reason failed to use special arrangements granted to him or her in the past.

An Open University student who experiences problems related to teaching or in interacting with other students in group work, for example, should first contact the teacher of the course. An Open University student may who feels subjected to inappropriate behaviour in the teaching or who feels that his or her rights as a student are being inadequately protected may bring the matter to the attention of another Open University staff person [contact email address avoin(at)aalto.fi].

The right to a safe study environment and need for appropriate conduct

All students (degree students, exchange students, Open University students and others) have the right to a safe study environment and to be treated appropriately. Students shall be treated on the basis of equality and non-discrimination. Each student is responsible not only for his or her own actions, but also for the safety and pleasantness of the study environment. Students are to conduct themselves appropriately in the physical as well as the virtual learning environment. It is not permitted to act disruptively or inappropriately towards other students, teachers or staff. Students are to observe the study-related instructions and guidelines given by the Open University, individual teachers and administrative staff.

Cheating, plagiarism and other acts of fraud or deceit in studies are prohibited, see the Aalto University Code of Academic Integrity and Handling Violations Thereof.

Consequences of student misconduct

An Open University student who disrupts teaching, behaves violently or threatens or endangers the life or health of another person may be ordered to leave the premises of a teaching or other university event. A student may be banned from attending teaching for up to three working days if his/her violent or menacing behaviour impairs the safety of another student or person working at the university or if his/her disruptive behaviour makes teaching or teaching-related activities unduly difficult. The teacher may order a student to leave the premises. The director in charge of Open University operations may ban a student from attending all Open University teaching for up to three working days.

Students who violate the university’s user account rules, behaving inappropriately on the digital learning platform, for example, may be subject to intervention in accordance with the user account rules.

An Open University student who commits a serious breach of university order by engaging in disruptive, threatening or violent behaviour or repeated acts of fraud or deceit may be refused admission to Open University studies for a fixed period of up to one year. In urgent cases, a student may be suspended from a course already begun. The course fee of a student suspended from course for misconduct will not be reimbursed.

Behaviour that is violent or contains the threat of violence will be reported to the person responsible for university security and may be reported to the police as well.