In the student information system Sisu, the Structure of studies (study plan) section has been complemented with a new grade improvement function, which makes it simpler for students to register for a course (also referred to as a study unit) in order to raise their grade.  

Previously, students have not been able to register for a course that they have already completed if a different version of the same course has been included in their study plan. For example, when students have tried to improve their grade by registering for a course offered during another academic year, their registration has been rejected, because the course they were trying to register for was a different version than the one they already had in their study plan. What is more, before the new function was introduced, the automatic grade improvement function did not work in Sisu in cases where the student had chosen a different completion method for improving a grade.  

With the new grade improvement function you will be able to raise your grade by taking a different version of the course or choosing a different completion method. First, go to the study attainment details in Sisu and select ‘improve your grade’ in your Sisu study plan. Next, choose the course version and completion method you wish to use for improving your grade. Once you have completed those steps, you can register for a course implementation in the registration view as usual. Once your new study attainment has been evaluated, and if the grade is higher than the previous one, Sisu will automatically replace the old grade with the higher one during the following night. 

This change is designed to make it simpler for students to register for courses for the purpose of grade improvement. Aalto University's rule on retaking courses remains unchanged. According to the rule "students may retake a course they have not passed for as long as an opportunity for retaking the course is available. Students may retake a passed course only once in order to get a higher grade as long as an opportunity for retaking the course is available." (General regulations on Teaching and Studying, 22 §)

For detailed instructions on improving a grade, see the Sisu guidelines. 

Further information: 

Specialist Sanna Eriksson, sisu@aalto.fi 

Specialist Jaakko Marttila, sisu@aalto.fi