Kela has sent a request for further information on study progress to 20,000 students
Kela monitors study progress annually for students in upper secondary education and higher education. Students are required to make satisfactory progress with their studies in order to get financial aid for students from Kela.
Kela has requested further study progress information from approximately 5,600 secondary school students and will do the same for about 14,600 higher education students who do not meet the minimum credit requirement for financial aid for the academic year 2023–2024. Students who have opted out of receiving paper mail from Kela will receive the request in OmaKela only. A total of about 278,000 students have received financial aid in the academic year 2023–2024. This means that only 7 per cent of students receive a request for further information.
“On the whole, students make good progress with their studies. However, if you receive a request for further information, I would advise you to respond to it and explain why you have had difficulties with your studies. At Kela, we understand that studies may not always go as smoothly or as quickly as you might wish,” says Anne Jääskeläinen, coordinator of the Student Financial Aid Section at Kela.
Students must earn an average of at least 5 credits per month of financial aid and a total of at least 20 credits per academic year in order to qualify for financial aid for students. Kela takes into account all the credits completed in higher education studies in Finland. Incomplete studies are taken into account as well. For upper secondary education, the minimum for study progress is 20 credits or ECVET points per academic year.
Students who receive a request for further information are advised to begin by checking that all their credits have been entered in the study record. If data are missing from the study record, the student should ask the educational institution to enter the missing credits in the study record and mention this in the reply to the request for further information.
Students who have an acceptable reason for having made slower progress must explain the reason in their reply. Acceptable reasons for slower academic progress include for instance the student’s own or a close relative’s illness, some other difficult life situation or the completing of an exceptionally extensive study module.
Kela may stop payment of the financial aid for students if a student fails to answer the request for further information
Students in upper secondary education must respond to the request for further information by 4 October 2024 at the latest, while higher education students must respond by 25 October 2024. The answer can be sent through OmaKela. Jääskeläinen encourages students to reply to the request as soon as possible.
“The sooner a you respond to a request for further information, the sooner you find out if the payment of your student financial aid will continue next year. Apart from anything else, that makes it easier to plan your own finances for the next academic year.”
Financial aid payments to students who do not reply or whose reasons are not accepted will be stopped effective 1 January 2025. Students can, however, reapply for the benefit once they have made enough progress with their studies.
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