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Enclosures to the international master’s degree programmes

Enclosures to the international master’s degree programmes

Please note that this information does not apply to the admission to regular master’s programmes (e.g. the 2nd National Joint Application/ 2a Gemensamma ansökan/ Toinen yhteishaku).
Questions related to the admission process can be e-mailed to admission@abo.fi prior to the admission deadline.

Required enclosures

For a complete list of required enclosures please see instructions on how to apply.

Degree Certificate

A degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has successfully completed all studies included in the degree. The student has graduated. The degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, and the name of the person to whom the degree certificate has been issued and which title/degree the person has been awarded.
Note that if you are applying with a for the programme relevant master’s degree you will always need to also enclose your bachelor’s degree certificate.

Temporary (Provisional) Degree Certificate

A temporary (provisional) degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has been awarded or conferred an academic degree. The temporary degree certificate is issued as a replacement for the actual degree certificate e.g. in case the actual degree certificate cannot be given to the student immediately after the studies have been completed due to technical or administrative reasons. The temporary degree certificate must include:

  • the name of the institution awarding the degree
  • the date of award/conferral of the degree
  • the name of the person to whom the temporary degree certificate has been issued
  • which academic title/degree the person has been awarded.

It is important to note that a document stating only that the student has completed all the courses is not sufficient as a temporary degree certificate.

Transcript of records

The official transcript of records should include the following information:

  • full titles of the units that the student has completed for the degree
  • completion times of study units (or at the very least the overall study time at the institution)
  • grades obtained
  • credits awarded
  • information on the grading scale used at the institution at the time of study
  • If you have not yet graduated: The transcript of records must include the name of the degree that will be awarded to you when you graduate (Bachelor of, Master of, etc.)

Translations

All certificates must be translated into English, Swedish or Finnish. An official translation must be one of the following:

  • issued by the awarding institution
  • an officially certified copy of a translation issued by the awarding institution
  • translated by an official translator
  • an officially certified copy of a translation made by an official translator
    Each page of an official translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be exact translations of the original documents. Translations done by the applicant him- or herself are not accepted.

Scanned copies

Åbo Akademi University requires you to submit all application documents electronically through the online application form.

  • We accept scanned copies of the original degree certificates and transcripts as well as of the translations
  • Scan the original documents with care, always scan in color and remember to scan all the pages. If your scan is e.g. blurred, discolored or the file is corrupted it will not be accepted. The use of PDF format is encouraged, as this ensures the files can be opened in all operating systems.
  • We do not accept scans of photocopies unless photocopies have been certified by the awarding institution.

Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Please note that Åbo Akademi University will not return any documents to the applicants. Therefore do not send original degree certificates with your application.

Certification

All copies of the documents supporting education (e.g. degree diplomas, university transcripts) must be certified or legalized by an authorised university official at the university that has issued the diploma or transcript (university registrar), or a notary public. Certified means that each copy must bear an official stamp and signature by an official that guarantees the copy’s authenticity.

Country specific requirements

There are some country specific requirements regarding enclosures listed here. These requirements apply to applicants whose academic credentials have been issued in one of the countries listed. Please check if the country from where your educational credentials have been issued is listed.

Electronic Transcripts

Åbo Akademi University accepts official electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) from a few recognized sources listed below. The transcript must always be verifiable from the service.

Please request your electronic transcript to be submitted to admission@abo.fi or select Åbo Akademi University from the list of receivers.

Electronic transcripts sent through the following organizations and institutions are accepted:

Updated 3.5.2021