Doctoral studies: How to request rectification of an admissions decision

On this page, you will find information on your right to request rectification of a doctoral studies admissions decision and how to draft and submit a formal request. Please read the instructions carefully before requesting rectification.

You may submit a written request to rectify the admissions decision if you believe the University of Jyväskylä has made a mistake, such as applying the admission criteria incorrectly. Do not request rectification just to get feedback or more information on your application; only request rectification if you believe the University made an error in handling your application.

If you wish to request rectification, you must do so within 14 days from receiving the official decision. Your rectification request must be received by 3:00 p.m. (Finnish time) on the day of the deadline. The University will not process requests received after the given deadline.

Below you fill find more detailed instructions on rectification request.

In which situations can you request rectification?

An admissions decision will be rectified only if the University has made a mistake. If your request is based on grounds other than an actual error made by the University, your request will not be approved.

The admissions decisions are based on the admissions criteria decided by the University of Jyväskylä. If your application does not meet the eligibility requirements, this is not a mistake on the University's part, and you cannot be admitted. Similarly, if the University was not able to carry out the evaluation due to insufficient documentation, your request will not be approved. It is the applicant’s responsibility to familiarise themselves with the admission criteria and follow the given instructions. If you failed to follow the instructions or missed a deadline, this is not an error on the University’s part.

Yliopiston päärakennus C, Alvar Aalto, Seminaarinmäki

Below, you will find a list of examples of irrelevant grounds that do not justify rectification and will be dismissed:

I do not understand the rationale for the admissions decision/why my application was rejected.
I forgot to submit a document, or the document that I submitted was lacking in some way.
I missed a deadline due to a delay on the part of my previous university, test organiser, or courier, or because of internet connectivity issues, unexpected illness or some other reason unrelated to the University of Jyväskylä.
I did not know about some eligibility or document requirement.
I did not prove my English skills according to the admission criteria, but English is my native language/I’m fluent in English.

In all these cases, there are no grounds for rectification, since they do not demonstrate a mistake made by the University of Jyväskylä.

What information must be included

If you request rectification for several study options, you must make the request separately for each decision you consider erroneous.

The request must indicate:

the applicant's name and contact information
the name of the unit that made the decision (admissions decisions are made by the Faculty in question)
the name of the programme (and possible specialisation) your request concerns
when you received the admissions decision (i.e., the release date of the final results)
which decision you wish to have rectified
which part of the decision you wish to have rectified
how the decision should be rectified, and
the grounds for rectification (i.e., give reasons for why you believe the University handled your application incorrectly)

The University makes admissions decisions based on the documentation you delivered by the deadline for submitting application attachments. Any new documents you submit with your request will not be considered. For example, if your application did not include a language test result but you submit one now, it will not be considered since the submission deadline for application attachments has expired.

Submitting your request

You can lodge a rectification request after receiving your official admission decision. Please notice that throughout the application process, you may receive updates on the status of your application, but these are not official decisions.

Your rectification request must be delivered to the Registry Office of the University of Jyväskylä. Please send your request as a PDF file to kirjaamo@jyu.fi, preferably from the same email address you used on your application form. Alternatively, you can mail your request (see Mailing instructions below).

In most cases, it is not necessary to include confidential information (e.g., your national identification number or information about your health situation), as they are not included in the admissions criteria. If your request does contain confidential information, please use encrypted email. (Please leave the GSM field empty.)

Mailing address	Street address
Appeal Committee of the University P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä	Seminaarinkatu 15, 40100 Jyväskylä

If you submit your request by post, the envelope must reach the Registry Office by the given deadline. It is not enough that you mail it by the deadline. The University will not consider any late requests even if there was a delay caused by a third party, such as the postal service, courier, or customs. It is your responsibility as the appellant to ensure your documents arrive on time.

Decision

The Appeal Committee of the University of Jyväskylä will review your request for rectification and decide whether it will be approved or rejected. The rectification requests are usually processed in approximately one to two months. The University will inform you of the results by email.

If your rectification request is rejected or not considered, you will receive instructions for appealing the decision through the administrative court.

If found that an incorrect decision has been made, the University will take appropriate action.

Abandonment of the rectification process

If the applicant wishes to abandon the rectification process before the Appeal Committee of the University of Jyväskylä has made a decision on the matter, they may do so by submitting a written notification of abandonment to the Registry Office of the University.