Accessibility and individual services
The purpose of the individual 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. Individual services are available for Bachelor's and Master's students and also Doctoral students where applicable, and a medical certificate or an expert's opinion is required to justify the arrangements. The arrangements may vary from one course to another.
Promoting academic progress. 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.
University- and degree-specific. 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. 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.
Doctoral students are also eligible for individual arrangements and the services listed below, where applicable.
The most common individual arrangements are the following:
- extra time for exams +20 min / exam hour
- individual room for taking an exam
- extended deadline or alternative ways for submitting assignments
- handing in a large assignment in smaller pieces
- support for group work or presentations
- extended loan period for course books
- access credentials for Celia’s audiobook service
Health-related reasons. A student can apply for individual arrangements for health reasons such as:
- dyslexia
- sensory disability
- mental health disorder
- learning difficulty
Recommendations are not made for short-term cases of illness. For short-term situations (1-3 months), educational and pedagogic arrangements can be made without an official recommendation.
The following situations are not valid reasons for individual arrangements:
- student lives in a city or a region outside the campus area
- working life challenges
- taking care of a relative or a close one (informal carer)
- insufficient language skills
If you have any questions, please contact your unit's educational coordinator or Heta Orrain, Student Well-being Specialist. You can also contact and ask more: opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi .
To receive any recommendations, you must present a current, valid medical certificate, an expert opinion or individual arrangement document from your own university (exchange students). MyKanta medical certificates and statements are also accepted. You need a translation of your documents, if they are in a language other than your degree's language (English or Finnish).
Applying for individual arrangements usually follows these steps:
- Fill in the application
- Come to a DROP-IN event to get a recommendation
- Sign the given recommendation
- Send the recommendation to those in charge of the practicalities regarding your individual arrangements for e.g. a course or a maturity test.
See below instructions for each step in more detail.
NB: If you are a KYC student, please contact: 📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
1. Fill in the application
Before the DROP IN event, please fill out the electronic form (you need university credentials) to start your process.
Start applying for individual arrangements here
If you have any questions, please contact your unit's educational coordinator or Heta Orrain, Student Well-being Specialist. You can also contact and ask more: opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi .
2. Meeting with a specialist
Get a recommendation for individual study arrangements at DROP IN events (without an appointment) at Student Life premises (Library Lähde, B214).
The meeting with a specialist is typically a DROP IN event but you can get a recommendation also from:
- The experts of enhanced wellbeing support: individual arrangements can be made in connection with the enhanced guidance meetings and through the Learning Support Advisory Service. In this case, there is no need to attend the DROP IN sessions.
- For KYC students, recommendations are made remotely. If you are a KYC student, please contact: 📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
NB: A recommendation can be provided remotely only for very serious reasons (e.g. if you live far from Jyväskylä or if your health condition prevents you from attending in person).
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. The experts will also use pedagogical approaches agreed on in collaboration with the faculties. All discussions are confidential. The student decides how and to whom information related to the recommendation will be shared.
When attending a DROP IN session, please be prepared to
- Provide a medical certificate (fi-eng) or a statement from another specialist (it can be a paper copy, or you can show it from your phone/computer, MyKanta). 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. Please note that you need a translation of your diagnosis documents, if they are a language other than your degree's language (English or Finnish).
- Provide your student information: 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.
For example:
- Disability or illness: If you are applying for individual arrangements due to a disability or illness, you must provide a medical certificate.
- ADHD or ADD: 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.
- Reading or writing difficulty: 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.
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 31st August, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
Mon 10th September, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM or from October onwards.
STUDENTS STARTING THEIR STUDIES IN AUTUMN 2026 BY FACULTY or DEPARTMENT:
Week 37
Mon 7th September 2026, 12.15 PM-15.30 PM
-> Faculty of Information Technology AND Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
Tue 8th September 2026, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
-> Department of History and Ethnology AND Department of Language and Communication Studies AND Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies
Wed 9th September 2026 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
-> Faculty of Mathematics and Science
Thu 10 September 2026, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
-> Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy AND International Students AND Students started before autumn 2026
Week 38
Mon 14th September 2026, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
-> Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences AND Department of Teacher Education
Tue 15th September 2026, 12.15 PM -15.30 PM
-> Faculty of Education and Psychology
After these events, you can attend the DROP IN sessions during the fall / spring semester regardless of your year of enrollment:
MON 5.10.26 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 2.11.26 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 7.12. klo 12.15-15.30 PM
Year 2027
MON 11.1.27 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 1.2.27 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 8.3.27 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 5.4.27 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
MON 3.5.27 klo 12.15-15.30 PM
3. Sign and save your recommendation
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 for your studies at the University of Jyväskylä either until further notice or for a fixed period.
The recommendation will be stored by the university, with your permission. You can read more about storing personal information here. Please note that if you don't give your permission, you need to take care of storing the recommendation securely yourself, as the university won't have any record of the given recommendation. Contact information for questions related to data processing: opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
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.
If you lose your recommendation document, contact 📩 opintojarjestelyt@jyu.fi
4. Send the recommendation to the right people
To receive individual arrangements, you must show your recommendation to the right people, such as the teacher of the course or the reviewer of the maturity test. The accessibility contact persons are also here to support you (see the list below, under Accessibility in JYU)
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.
📩 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
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.
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. Individual services are available for bachelors and masters students and also doctoral students are eligible for individual arrangements and the services, where applicable.
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.
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.
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.
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
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dept. of Music, Art and Culture Studies: Elina Kiuru (elina.kiuru(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Languages and Communication Studies: Sari Mäkikangas (sari.makikangas(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of History and Ethnology: Piia Einonen (piia.einonen(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Social Sciences and Philosophy: Elina Kiuru (elina.kiuru(at)jyu.fi)
Faculty of Information Technology
Mathematical Information Technology: Jaana Markkanen (jaana.a.markkanen(at)jyu.fi)
Information Systems, Cognitive Science, Cybersecurity: Jaana Markkanen (jaana.a.markkanen(at)jyu.fi)
Information Systems: Kristiina Ruokoja (kristiina.ruokoja(at)jyu.fi)
Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
Marja Wollenberg (marja.wollenberg(at)jyu.fi)
Faculty of Education and Psychology
Dept. of Teacher Education: Tiina Nyyssönen (tiina.m.nyyssonen(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Education: Ursula Kaari (ursula.kaari(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Psychology: Tuuli Laitinen (tuuli.t.laitinen(at)jyu.fi)
Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences
Sport Education: Minna Rasinaho (minna.rasinaho(at)jyu.fi),
Social Sciences of Sports: Minna Kettunen (minna.m.kettunen(at)jyu.fi),
Biology of Physical Activity: Katja Pylkkänen (katja.pylkkanen(at)jyu.fi)
Health Sciences: Tommi Tuikkanen (tommi.a.p.tuikkanen(at)jyu.fi)
Faculty of Mathematics and Science
Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics: Tiia-Riikka Tero (tiia-riikka.t-r.tero(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Biological and Environmental Science: Tiina Hakanen (tiina.m.hakanen(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Chemistry: Päivi Lammi (paivi.e.lammi(at)jyu.fi)
Dept. of Physics: Minttu Haapaniemi (minttu.m.haapaniemi(at)jyu.fi)
Open University
Riina Kärkkäinen (riina.karkkainen(at)jyu.fi)
Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication, Movi
Jenni Hirvonen (jenni.hirvonen(at)jyu.fi)
Open Science Centre
Nina Kivinen (nina.k.s.kivinen(at)jyu.fi)
Dyslexia | Entrance examination
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.
Individual arrangements made also for entrance examinations.
