Accessibility and individual services
Table of contents
Accessibility and individual services
General information about the services and costs
The University of Jyväskylä deems it important that students' needs for accessibility and individual services are accommodated at the university as far as possible. The university is committed to developing its learning environments and practices according accessible education.
In regards to Finnish students with disabilities, their home municipality is in charge of services such as personal assistants, transportation services, as well as interpretation and translation services. This does not cover international students, and universities have no allowances for individual services.
The university also hires student tutors (students of our university) to assist all international students in practical matters in the beginning of their stay. However, a tutor cannot be compared to a personal assistant, and one tutor usually tutors 5-6 students at the same time. Please see below for information on how to hire a personal assistant.
Grants for Erasmus / Nordplus students
Some student exchange programmes (for instance Erasmus and Nordplus) include a possibility of obtaining accessibility grants. Please contact the Erasmus / Nordplus coordinator of your home university for further information. Information for Erasmus students is also available on the European Commission website.
If you come to our university through an exchange programme other than Erasmus or Nordplus, please inquire about the possibilities for an accessibility grant from your home university.
Accommodation
International students registered at the University of Jyväskylä can apply for housing from KOAS or Soihtu student housing units where a few tailored rooms are available for students with mobility impairments. The student apartments are located approximately 2.5-4 kilometres from the Main Campus and the city centre. If you have special requests concerning accommodation, please inform the student housing provider or, if you are an exchange student, the International Office about them and apply for accommodation as early as possible before your arrival.
Physical accessibility
The university buildings and units are situated on three different campus areas. Accessibility has been taken quite well into consideration in the buildings in Mattilanniemi, Ylistönrinne, and buildings of the Agora and Ruusupuisto.
The older university buildings have been repaired to provide easy access for all users (i.e. the buildings include an elevator or an appropriate slide). These buildings include Historica (H), Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences (L), building A, Musica (M), Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication in building Oppio (O), building (T), YTHS, Student Union building (Yo-talo) and Seminarium building (S).
The F building does not provide easy access for all users. Some of the toilets in the older university buildings are quite difficult to access because of their small size.
Please inform your faculty or, if you are an exchange student, the International Office and the faculty-level coordinator at JYU before your arrival about your needs to guarantee easy access to all lecture rooms. If the notification is received early enough the lecture room can be changed. If you want to take language courses from the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication, you should notify the Centre already approximately one month before the beginning of the semester, to guarantee an easy access, if possible.
Campus area map
Accessible learning environments
A few lecture halls at the university are equipped with an induction loop for students using a hearing aid. In addition, a WLAN network is in operation in most of the university buildings.
Information on the WLAN coverage of the university
Celia is a specialist library in Finland providing literature for the visually impaired and those with other print disabilities. University course books can be borrowed from Celia free of charge. Books available include talking books, Braille and/or e-books.
Please note however, that the collections of Celia do not include all the course books used at the University of Jyväskylä. Celia can also acquire new books according to students' needs, if they receive the request 2-3 months prior to the time that the book is needed.
Studying and individual arrangements
The purpose of the arrangements is to support the student in achieving the learning outcomes required by the degree and individual courses. Individual study arrangements are therefore made to promote academic progress. The arrangements, however, do not impact or change the assessment: your competence will always be evaluated based on the learning outcomes outlined in the curriculum.
The learning outcomes may include, for example, practicing communication and interaction skills, in which case the course cannot be completed solely through independent written assignments. It is important that you have the chance to develop these skills as part of your studies. The University supports you in developing your skills: for example, the courses of the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi) can be part of your individual arrangements. You can receive support for your communication and language studies, for example, through the services provided by the Goodies of Movi.
Individual arrangements may vary from one course to another. Exemptions from mandatory parts of the degree are granted only for very serious reasons. This requires collaboration with the accessibility contact persons and education coordinators of the faculties.
Our university is committed to developing more accessible pedagogy. Different modes of delivery (such as lecture courses, exams, seminars etc.) are intended to enhance accessibility in studies and reduce the need for individual arrangements.
Individual arrangements do not permit students to complete courses in a different order if the learning outcomes of the degree require a specific sequence. The personal study plan (HOPS) advisor supports students in planning their studies.
A recommendation issued at the University of Jyväskylä only applies to degree studies organised by the University of Jyväskylä. If you are completing studies at the JYU Open University, another higher education institution, or any other educational provider, you must apply for individual arrangements from the organiser of the studies. Recommendations issued by other universities cannot be used to apply for individual arrangements at the University of Jyväskylä.
The most common individual arrangements are the following:
· extra time for exams +20 min / exam hour
· extended deadline for submitting assignments
· extended loan period for course books
· access credentials for Celia’s audiobook service
All discussions are confidential. The student decides how and to whom information related to the recommendation will be shared.
If you need individual arrangements, please contact your unit's educational coordinator or Heta Orrain, Student Well-being Specialist. You can also contact and ask more: opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi . A medical certificate or an expert's opinion is required to justify the arrangements.
Applying for individual study arrangements
-
Get a recommendation for individual study arrangements at DROP IN events (without an appointment) at Student Life premises (Library Lähde, B214).
Before the DROP IN event, please fill out the electronic form (you need university credentials) via this link:
Autumn 2025
1st year student: please come on your faculty's or department's shift. We have reserved extra resources for these DROP IN events.
2nd and nth year students: please come on
- Mon 25th August, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM
- Mon 15th September, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM or from October onwards.
STUDENTS STARTING THEIR STUDIES IN AUTUMN 2025 BY FACULTY or DEPARTMENT:
Week 37
-
Mon 8 September 2025, 12.15 PM-16.00 PM Faculty of Information Technology
-
Tue 10 September 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Department of History and Ethnology
-
Wed 11 September 2025 12.15 PM -16.00 PM Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
- Thu 12 September 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM Department of Language and Communication Studies, Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies
Week 38
- Mon 15 September 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM International Students and Students started before autumn 2025
-
Tue 16 September 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM Faculty of Education and Psychology
After these DROP IN EVENTS, you can come to DROP IN EVENTS during the autumn semester, regardless of your starting year or faculty:
- Mon 6 October 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM
- Mon 3 November 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM
- Mon 1 December 2025, 12.15 PM -16.00 PM
In a meeting of individual arrangements, the Student Well-being Specialist will consider with you what kind of arrangements you need to advance your studies.
You will receive a written recommendation of the agreed individual arrangements. The recommendation is signed by you and a student well-being specialist through the JYUSign service. The recommendation is valid for for your studies at the University of Jyväskylä.
All discussions are confidential and the student decides how and to whom information on the recommendation is delivered.
When attending a DROP IN session, please be prepared to:
provide a medical certificate or a statement from another specialist (it can be a paper copy, or you can show it from your phone/computer). Without the certificate, a recommendation cannot be issued. The person providing the certificate must have sufficient professional competence to assess your learning limitations and the need for individual arrangements.
For example:
· If you are applying for individual arrangements due to a disability or illness, you must provide a medical certificate.
· If you are applying for individual arrangements due to an attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD), you must provide a certificate from a doctor or psychologist.
· If you need to demonstrate a specific reading or writing difficulty, you must present an official statement from a special education teacher, psychologist, speech therapist, or medical specialist (for example, a pediatric neurologist, neurologist, or phoniatrist). A certificate of dyslexia will be taken into account if it was obtained at the age of 16 or later. In the case of specific reading or writing difficulties, the decision of the Matriculation Examination Board may also be accepted as such without a medical certificate or other official statement, if the decision indicates that you have been granted support measures for taking the matriculation examination on the basis of specific reading or writing difficulties and the support measures granted for your matriculation examination are the same as those you are applying for during your studies.
· You will need to provide your student ID, major, faculty, the start year of your current studies, and your contact details (student email and phone number). These will be added on the recommendation form.
You can receive a recommendation also from:
2. The experts of enhanced wellbeing support also prepare individual arrangements for students in enhanced guidance in connection with the guidance meetings and through the Learning Support Advisory Service. In this case, there is no need to attend the DROP IN sessions.
3. For KYC students, recommendations for individual arrangements are made remotely. If you are a KYC student, please contact: 📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
NOTE! A recommendation can be provided remotely only for very serious reasons (for example, if you live far from Jyväskylä or if your health condition prevents you from attending in person).
During the meeting about individual arrangements, the expert will discuss with you the specific support or arrangements you may need for your studies. The experts will also use pedagogical approaches agreed on in collaboration with the faculties.
You will receive a written recommendation outlining the agreed arrangements. The recommendation will be signed via the JYUSign service by both you and a student well-being specialist. The recommendation is valid either until further notice or for a fixed period.
The recommendation will be saved. You can find more information here. The recommendation expires when you have completed your degree or the deadline has passed. The recommendation applies only to studies at the University of Jyväskylä.
After receiving the recommendation:
To receive individual arrangements, you must show your recommendation to the teacher of the course and agree on the necessary arrangements. Discuss the arrangements you need with the teacher as early as possible so that they will have enough time to implement them. The accessibility contact persons are also here to support you.
If you are sending the recommendation form to the teacher of the course by email, please use secure email via this link Send message - Secure Mail JYU. You can find detailed instructions for sending a secure email here.
In case of any issues, please contact the person who provided the recommendation:📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
If you lose your recommendation document:
Recommendations made before 2025: 📩 Contact opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
Recommendations made from the beginning of 2025:
· contact the Registry Office: ✉️ kirjaamo@jyu.fi
Contact information for questions related to data processing 📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
Doctoral students are also eligible for individual arrangements and the services listed below, where applicable.
Individual arrangements for entrance examinations: Find out more here for individual arrangements for entrance examinations.
Dyslexia
If you have dyslexia or wish to find out more about it, refer to the student website’s section on wellbeing, where you can find information about enhanced guidance.
Maturity tests:
A student’s dyslexia will be taken into account in the language assessment, and reviewers will be made aware that features related to dyslexia may appear in the text. To facilitate this, the student must submit an official certificate of dyslexia to the reviewer of the maturity test (for the maturity tests written as part of a course) or to the coordinator of maturity tests (for the maturity test written during exams) kypsyysnaytteet-movi@jyu.fi.
Support for the use of Sisu
If you cannot use Sisu because of accessibility issues (visual impairment), please contact your accessibility contact person for the subject. The accessibility coordinator and your education coordinator help you in making a study plan and registering yourself for the courses. The appointment can take place in person or through remote connections. You don’t need any medical certificate in order to receive special support for the use of Sisu.
Transportation and moving around
Some of the local buses are accessible with a wheelchair, but it may be difficult to know beforehand which shift is driven with such a bus. Therefore it is recommended that persons using a wheelchair use a taxi or the service transport provided by the City of Jyväskylä for transportation in the Jyväskylä area. The service transport service costs the standard bus fare and a taxi costs around 14 euros for a 5 kilometres trip during the daytime. An additional fee of approximately 14 euros per trip may be charged if the taxi driver is needed to assist the traveler for example in entering a building.
- Information about travelling by train
- Information about travelling by coach (Matkahuolto)
- Information about travelling by Onnibus
Personal assistance
The costs of hiring a personal assistant are reimbursed by the student's home municipality if the student is a permanent resident of Finland. Students who are not permanent residents of Finland must cover the costs of hiring a personal assistant themselves.
Parking
There are accessible parking places reserved for persons with disabilities on campus. You need to apply for a person-specific disabled parking permit from the local police.
Special diets
Campus area restaurants offer different lunch options. For example, vegan and gluten-free options are available daily. You can always ask the staff for more information. The menus for the campus area restaurants of Semma, Ilokivi and Taide can be found on the internet. Most student restaurants provide easy access to students with mobility impairments, except for the restaurant Lozzi (building P).
