Restrictions on student admission (SORA legislation)

New restrictions on student admission were introduced at the beginning of 2012 to promote the safety of minors, patients and customers. At the University of Jyväskylä, these restrictions apply to the following disciplines: psychology, social work, and teacher education. In these disciplines, the health and functional capacity of admitted students must allow them to participate in study-related practical tasks or practical training. However, a limitation related to health or functional capacity does not prevent student admission if the impacts of the limitation can be mitigated through reasonable actions such as special arrangements. The intention is not to create unnecessary barriers to access to education due to a disability or other physical or mental limitations. Restrictions are applied only in situations where it is clear that an applicant cannot participate in the education due to a reason related to their health or functional capacity.

A decision by an educational institution to revoke a student’s previous right to study may also prevent admission. For this reason, applicants must inform the university of any such decisions already during the application process.

In certain, very limited cases, a student may be required to provide evidence of having taken a drug test. This primarily applies in situations where testing is necessary to assess a student’s ability to function and where specific legal conditions are met.

Students admitted in 2012 or later may also be asked to provide a criminal record extract for the purpose of assessing their ability to study. These extracts may only be requested from students whose studies involve traineeships or other assignments that require them to work with minors. Requests must be made before the start of the traineeship or assignment. To promote the safety of minors, it is necessary to ensure that students starting a traineeship do not have a criminal record for certain serious offences, such as sexual offences, intentional homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, and drug offences. At the University of Jyväskylä, this applies to students of psychology, social work, teacher training, and biology of physical activity.

Faculty of Education and Psychology

• Bachelor's Degree Programme in Early Childhood Education