Substitution and inclusion of studies on Sisu

After you have completed the studies or gained the learning you have described in a study draft, please apply to have the studies/learning included in your degree or recognised towards it as a custom course credit.

How to submit an application:

1. Open the study draft and click on the ‘Suggest credit’ button.
   • Note: If you are applying for credit transfer to have the exact same course/learning recognised as part of another degree you are completing at Aalto University, select the ‘I am applying for an included course credit’. 
2. Fill in the title of the studies/learning and other requested information. 
   • Choose whether you want to be informed on Sisu only or also by post after your application has been approved or rejected.
3. A single application should only contain the studies and learning that you want to get included as a single completed unit. One application = one completed course in your study plan.
   • Itemise the studies and learning you have completed/gained at other universities or corresponding educational institutions. The original locations and dates of completion of the transferred credits will be indicated on your transcript of records.
4. Submit the application.
   • You may also print out a copy of the application.
   • You can also cancel your application. (Note: a cancelled application cannot be reactivated for processing.)
   • You can add attachments to the application after submitting it if it is still in the ‘Requested’ state.
   • You cannot remove any attachments after submitting the application.
   • Once the application has been taken up for processing, you can no longer add attachments to it.

1. Select the study module in which you want to include the study draft.
2. Click on the ‘Add a study draft’ button
3. Fill in the required information and save. 

• When you have completed the studies in question, make them part of your degree by following the instructions for credit transfer. 
• If the studies for credit transfer form a minor, check that your study plan contains a code for the minor and that your study drafts are under it.

A course included in a degree can be substituted for by corresponding studies completed elsewhere or by otherwise acquired learning. Substitution requires that the contents of the studies correspond. 

Applying for course substitution:

1. Go to the ‘Structure of studies’ page.
2. Find the course you want to substitute. Click on the course code and go to the ‘Substitutions’ tab.
3. Open the ‘Credit transfer’ section and click on the ‘Go to application’ button.
4. Click on the ‘Add information on studies or other prior learning` button. Fill in the requested information.
   • You can add studies, other learning or both to the application. A single application should contain the studies and learning that you want to get included as a single completed unit. 
   • Itemise the studies and learning you have completed/gained at other universities or corresponding educational institutions. The original locations and dates of completion of the transferred credits will be indicated on your transcript of records.
5. Choose whether you want to be informed on Sisu only or also by post after your application has been approved or rejected.
6. Click on the ‘Submit application’ button.
   • After you submit an application, you can print it out or cancel it if you want to. Note: a cancelled application cannot be reactivated for processing. 
   • You can add attachments to the application after submitting it if it is still in the ‘Requested’ state.
   • You cannot remove any attachments after submitting the application.
   • Once the application has been taken up for processing, you can no longer add attachments to it.
   • If necessary, the application you sent can be returned to you, allowing you to supplement it.

Studies completed or learning gained elsewhere can be included in your degree. The contents of the studies or learning do not need to exactly correspond to the contents of any Aalto University courses. If you want to include studies completed elsewhere in your degree, apply for inclusion on Sisu.

• You can only include studies that will become part of your degree. 
• Applications and approvals for inclusion are specific to a certain right to study and a certain section of your degree. The studies in question cannot be automatically transferred to a different degree or another section of your study plan.
• A single application should only contain the studies and learning that you want to get included as a single completed unit. One application = one completed course in your study plan.
  • Itemise the studies and learning you have completed/gained at other universities or corresponding educational institutions. The original locations and dates of completion of the transferred credits will be indicated on your transcript of records.

Applying for inclusion

1. Go to the ‘Structure of studies’ page.
2. Create a study draft to a module where you want to include the credits on your study plan.
   • Instructions: Study plan
   • If you are unsure, contact the staff of your programme before making an application. 
3. Click the study draft and click ‘Suggest credit’ button.
4. Fill in the name (credit/course name without the code) and the other information requested (in the next view). Some information is automatically copied to the form from the draft.
5. Attach your transcript of studies and a description of the studies you want to include.
6. Choose whether you want to be informed on Sisu only or also by post after your application has been approved or rejected.
7. Click on the ‘Submit application’ button.
   • After you submit an application, you can print it out or cancel it if you want to. Note: a cancelled application cannot be reactivated for processing. 
   • You can add attachments to the application after submitting it if it is still in the ‘Requested’ state.
   • You cannot remove any attachments after submitting the application.
   • Once the application has been taken up for processing, you can no longer add attachments to it.
   • If necessary, the application you sent can be returned to you, allowing you to supplement it.

If you have gained learning outside formal education, you can have it accredited towards your degree as custom course credit.

• Examples: doctoral students’ summer/winter schools, individual study attainments, conference participation, etc. 

ALWAYS discuss and agree on custom course credits in advance with a teacher-in-charge. (If you need help in finding a suitable person, contact learning services.)

• If some learning or courses have already been entered in the register, do not apply to have them re-included there as custom course credits.

Do not apply for a custom course credit if:

• You will complete the studies in question by taking a course.
• You have completed the studies in question at a university other than Aalto (you have a transcript or certificate of the course). 
• The studies in question have already been entered in the register.
  • To place these studies in your study plan (HOPS), edit your study plan and (if necessary) apply for approval for the changes you made. 

For example, the following study attainments (often completed by doctoral students) count as individual study attainments: 

• Conference presentations and participation in their field
• Individually agreed book examinations, reports and other study attainments
• Familiarisation with university teaching, and thesis supervision 
• CHEM: final projects

Applying for credit transfer through a study draft

1. First agree on the custom course credit with a teacher or advisor in your programme.
2. Create a study draft to a module where you want on your study plan.
3. After completing the studies as agreed, use your study draft to apply to have the studies counted towards your degree as a custom course credit.
4. Include any attachments needed to the application.
5. The teacher notifies learning services of your study attainment, and learning services will process your application.
   • Without the teacher’s notification the credit will not be registered.

• When you have decided to include studies from one degree in your other degree, we recommend that you immediately add them as study drafts to the personal study plan (HOPS) you have created for the other degree. When you apply for inclusion using study drafts, Sisu is able to automatically place the courses in the correct section of your other degree.

If you are not sure which one of your study plans should contain the original courses and which one should include them as study drafts, or if you are unsure whether you should apply for substitution or inclusion of courses, contact the student services of your degree programme before submitting an application.

Recognition of the same studies towards several degrees at Aalto University:

1. Add the courses to your personal study plan for the degree to which they originally belong.
2. Apply for credit transfer through the study plan for the other degree you are pursuing. Do this:
   • Apply for substitution if the course you have completed for one degree does NOT have the same course code and name as the course for which it will substitute.
   • If both of your degrees include the exact same course (the same course code and the same name), apply for inclusion.

If you have completed, as part of one degree, a course that corresponds to a course in your other degree, you need to apply for substitution. Note: when two courses correspond, it does not mean that they have the same course code and name. Instead, they just have corresponding contents and learning outcomes.

For example:

As part of your Bachelor of Science degree, you have completed the second national language examinations LC-5001 and LC-5002 and for example the course LC-5410 Swedish for Technology. You also have a right to study for a Bachelor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree. Go to your Bachelor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) study plan to apply for substitution for the exams and the course:

LC-5001 > LCB-5801
LC-5002 > LCB-5802
LC-5410/LC-5411 > LCB-5800 Swedish Business Communication 1

If both of your degrees include exactly the same course (the same course code and the same name), apply for inclusion. 

Note: Sisu suggests that you may replace the study draft with inclusion or a custom course credit. Always apply for inclusion for studies completed at Aalto! 

For example:

Your Bachelor of Science (Technology) degree in Chemical Engineering includes the minor Systems Sciences (SCI3034) which consists of six courses. You want to include the same minor in your Bachelor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree.

Place the Systems Sciences courses in the study plan you have made for your Bachelor of Science (Technology) degree as the minor subject SCI3034. Then go to your study plan for the Bachelor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree. Create a minor called ‘Individual minor’. Under this minor, create a study draft for each course included in the Systems Sciences minor. After you complete the six courses, use the study drafts to apply to have them included in your Bachelor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree.

• Always create a separate study draft for each course to ensure that Sisu will be able to transfer your grades from one study plan to the other.

A security check is run on every attachment, and no attachment may be included that fails the inspection.

• The permissible file types are pdf, txt, doc, docx, png, jpeg and jpg.
• The maximum size per file is 10 megabytes.
• Include no more than 20 files to an application. If you have more files, combine them before uploading to Sisu.
• Write a clear description of the contents of each attachment, such as ‘transcript of records’ or ‘course descriptions’. The maximum length is 1024 characters.
• You can delete attachments before you send the application. In the sending stage, you will see a preview of the contents of your application.
• Note: After you submit the application, you cannot remove any attachments. This ensures that all documents affecting the decision are protected against accidental removal. If it is necessary to remove something, contact the student services staff at your school before the application is processed.
• If the application is returned to you, you can edit all attachments.

After your application has been approved or rejected, you will receive a message on Sisu only. If you selected to be informed of the decision by post, you will also receive a letter at your home address.

• Ensure that your contact information on Sisu is up to date. After your application for credit transfer has been approved, the study attainment will be entered automatically in the record. 

Decision on application for substitution

• If you applied for substitution, the courses in question will be registered as completed. Open the course information sheet on Sisu to see detailed information about the substitution and the decision to approve your application.

Decision on application for inclusion and custom course credit 

• If you applied for inclusion and a custom course credit through a study draft, the completed credits will be entered in the same section of your study plan. 
• If you applied for inclusion or a custom course credit without creating a study draft first, the decision on your application will contain a button that says ‘Add to the plan’. Click on it to go to your study plan and add the studies in the appropriate section.