Complementary Study Right

After graduating from your degree programme, your study right in the University of Oulu will end. If you have completed a Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree with no right to a Master’s degree at the University of Oulu, you have the right to apply for a complementary study right. Complementary study right does not have any tuition or other fees.

Applying for a complementary study right

If you wish to complement your knowledge after graduation you can apply for a complementary study right when submitting your application for degree certificate through Peppi's Graduation service. The complementary study right is applied by filling in a specific form and attaching this as a part of your graduation application. Detailed instructions and link to the form will be available starting in Peppi's Graduation service. Please note that complementary study right cannot be applied anywhere else or later after submitting the graduation application.

The complementary study right can be granted on reasonable grounds based on the application and it can contain a maximum of 60 ECTS credits. Complementary study right cannot be applied to studies arranged by Open University or to studies leading to a qualification offered by the Faculty of Education and Psychology. The complementary study right does not give you a right to study for a degree.

Studies available can be viewed from Peppi study guide's Minor subjects and other study modules.

You can apply for a complementary study right to

  • complete minor studies that you have received a study right for during your degree studies
  • take courses from freely selectable minor studies offered by the university
  • take other courses available to students with complementary study right. Please note that courses can have restrictions or prerequisites for participation.

The application must include the course or courses you wish to take during the complementary study right. When planning the studies, you must also take into account when the courses are offered, you can check this from the Peppi study guide. Complementary study right is granted within the units’ quotas. Complementary study right application is processed together with your graduation application at your own Faculty, study right is granted by your faculty's Education Dean. You will be informed of the decision separately through e-mail.

Complementary study right begins the day following your graduation and lasts two full terms (i.e. one academic year) after the term you graduated. For example, if your date of graduation is November 30, 2025 the complementary study right will begin on December 1, 2025 and last until December 31, 2026. You are not able to postpone the start of the complementary study right and you are also not able to apply for an extension to it. After the complementary study right, you can complement your knowledge through other channels at the University of Oulu (such as open university studies or non-degree studies).

A granted complementary study right is marked to Peppi as a new study right and you are automatically marked as present at the University. Please note that with a complementary study right you cannot join the student union OYY. It is your responsibility to register to the courses in question.