Young women at the Helsinki University library. LEHTIKUVA
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The Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela) is closely monitoring the academic advancement of higher education students, reinforcing the importance of consistent educational progress for financial aid eligibility. Undergraduate and postgraduate scholars who find themselves not meeting the stipulated credit requirements will be notified and are encouraged to consider reimbursing the financial aid they have received.
Kela’s annual assessment of student academic progress has revealed that a substantial number of recipients did not achieve the minimum credit benchmarks. These students will be contacted in early October and are expected to provide supplementary information to elucidate their academic journey.
According to Kela’s criteria, maintaining satisfactory academic progress entails completing a minimum of 5 credits per month while receiving financial aid, with a minimum annual total of 20 credits. For instance, students who benefited from financial aid for 9 months within the previous academic year should have earned a minimum of 45 credits during that period. In cases where the credit count falls short of 45, students must have an average of at least 5 credits per month throughout their entire study period.
To rectify the situation, students who are concerned about their credit accumulation and consequent eligibility for financial aid have the option to pay back the financial aid granted for the spring term (1 January to 31 July 2023) through the OmaKela platform. The deadline for repayment is September 10, 2023.
When a student chooses to repay financial aid for the spring term, the months associated with that aid are discounted from the assessment of academic progress. However, students who received financial aid during both the autumn of 2022 and the spring of 2023 and achieved less than 20 credits in the previous academic year will still be subject to further information requests, regardless of repayment efforts for the spring term. This is due to the infeasibility of returning financial aid disbursed in the autumn of 2022.
Kela reminds all students to ensure that their credit records accurately reflect their achievements, as missing or incomplete data can lead to unnecessary scrutiny and inquiries. Maintaining consistent academic progress remains pivotal not only for financial aid but also for academic success and growth.
For more information on financial aid eligibility and academic progress assessment, students are advised to visit the official Kela website or reach out to their respective educational institutions.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
