Recognition of prior learning

We’re updating the instructions and faculty specific details on September and October.

When can I apply for the recognition of prior learning?

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a process that allows you to gain academic credits from prior learning or experience that meets the learning outcomes of your degree. You can apply for RPL based on your prior certificated learning completed at another educational institution or prior experiential learning achieved outside formal educational settings. RPL may take the form of either substitution or inclusion.

All students who are registered as attending and hold a valid right to study at Tampere University are eligible to apply for RPL. You can apply for RPL throughout the year and at any stage of your studies. We recommend applying for RPL at the beginning of the studies.

You can submit your RPL application after you have successfully completed the prior learning. With study draft -function you can add credits to your plan beforehand, for example, the courses you will take during an exchange period that will be counted towards your degree later. See Sisu instructions on how to prepare your study plan and study drafts.

For questions related to RPL, you can contact the education specialist of your degree programme. Contact the education specialist especially when you have

• doubts on whether to apply for substitution or inclusion,
• a lot of previous studies,
• the situation is challenging and you do not recognize clear equivalences of studies, or
• you are unsure about the remaining competence and credits after the equivalences.

What are the types of learning that can be recognised?

You can claim credit for certificated learning that you have completed at Finnish or foreign higher education institutions or for competence acquired by other means outside the formal educational system. Examples of experiential learning include work experience, positions of trust, hobbies, continuing education and non-degree adult education programmes.

To be eligible for RPL, your prior learning must meet the expected learning outcomes of your degree and studies included your degree.

When RPL is not possible:

• Credits that you have previously earned by completing a thesis or a maturity test cannot be used to meet the requirements of your Tampere University degree. Likewise, it is not possible to put credits from a bachelor's degree towards a master's degree in the same degree education. 
• Credits you gained while working towards a previous qualification, which was one of the requirements for admission to your current programme, cannot be used towards your current degree unless the study unit in question is compulsory in the curriculum.

Recognition of informal and non-formal learning during studies (in Finnish: opinnollistaminen) refers to identifying, recognizing, assessing and accrediting  competence gained during one’s studies. The process differs from the recognition of prior learning in that the agreements on accreditation are mainly made before the student begins gaining the competence and the competence has not previously been assigned a number of credits. Furthermore, the starting point is the achievement of the learning outcomes of a study unit in an alternative manner, e.g. through work experience or by engaging in academic research or teaching activities. For further information, see the page Recognition of learning.

When to apply for substitution?

You can apply for substitution if your prior certificated learning or prior experiential learning meets the learning outcomes of a course included in your study plan. If your application is accepted, the course included in your study plan will be substituted for the course you have already completed, and the credits will be transferred towards your current degree.

Example:

• Your study plan includes a course titled Introduction to Business Management (5 ECTS) and you know the expected learning outcomes of the course.
• You have previously completed a course* with similar learning outcomes at another higher education institution or have otherwise acquired prior learning that enables you to demonstrate that you have already achieved similar learning outcomes.
• You can apply for substitution via Sisu. If your application is accepted, the credits carried by the course Introduction to Business Management (5 ECTS) will be counted towards your current degree.

*there may be more than one course which, when combined, meet the expected learning outcomes of an individual course included in your programme of study.

The number of credits you receive depends on the credits carried by the Tampere University course that is substituted. If the learning outcomes of the previously completed course match the learning outcomes of the Tampere University course, a difference of no more than one credit between the two courses is acceptable. The number of credits carried by the Tampere University course is the maximum number of credits that may be transferred towards your current degree.

Example:

• You have previously completed a course that carries 4 credits. You apply to use this course to replace a Tampere University course that carries 5 credits. If your application is accepted, you will receive 5 credits towards your degree.
• You have previously completed a course that carries 6 credits. You apply to use this course to replace a Tampere University course that carries 5 credits. If your application is accepted, you will receive 5 credits towards your degree.

How to apply for substitution

1. If the course you are looking to substitute is not yet included in your study plan, add the course to your plan.
2. Check on the course page in Sisu if there are specific instructions for applying for a substitution (select Equivalences and substitutions on the course page, scroll down to the Substitutions: approval of a course with competence completed elsewhere -section. Please also check possible faculty specific instructions on this page.
3. Ask the responsible teacher of the course for the approval of substitution before submitting your application. You can find the name of the teacher on the course page in Sisu. Use your @tuni.fi email address to send the message and title the message clearly. If your transcript of records contains a personal identity code, send the email as an encrypted message. Attach to the email:
   1. a transcript of records, or code, name, ECTS credits and location (educational institution),
   2. a description of content incl. learning outcomes of the completed studies you are applying to use as substitute and
   3. information and/or suggestion on which studies you are applying for substitution.
4. When you have received the teacher’s approval, submit a substitution application in Sisu. You can find more detailed Sisu instructions below.
   1. If you’re applying for substitution based on completed studies, attach the transcript of records, description of content and the approval from the responsible teacher (pdf print of the approval)
   2. If you’re applying for substitution based on other prior learning, attach a document and or certificate describing the content of prior learning you completed at another institution and the approval from the responsible teacher (pdf print of the approval)
5. After your application has been processed, you will receive a notification via Sisu. If your application is accepted, credits for your prior learning will appear in your study plan and academic record.

Notes and Additional Information

• See the detailed Sisu instructions at the bottom of the page.
• Before submitting the application, ensure that the approval from the responsible teacher clearly indicates which course’s equivalence the teacher supports and with what competence the course is being replaced.
• If you are applying for the equivalence of multiple courses, submit a separate application for each.
• More information about the substitution of a study module can be found at the bottom of the page under the section “Recognition of a Study Module.”
• For the Language Center studies, you do not need to ask the approval of the responsible teacher. Also, see “Credit transfer for communication and language studies by substitution.”

When to apply for inclusion?

You can apply for RPL based on inclusion if your prior certificated learning or prior experiential learning does not match any specific course included in your study plan or curriculum but is still suitable to be counted towards your current degree. Inclusion means that your prior learning is accepted as part of your degree as such.

Example:

• You have completed a course titled Political Geography (6 ECTS) at a different institution. Your study plan or the curriculum does not include any courses that match the learning outcomes of this course. However, you want the course to be counted towards your unfinished degree at Tampere University.
• You can apply for inclusion via Sisu. If your application is accepted, the course Political Geography (6 ECTS) will appear in your academic record under its original name and the six credits will be counted towards your current degree.

How to apply for inclusion

Start by checking below for additional faculty specific instructions.

Including a Course in Free Choice Course Units:

1. Add a study draft to your study plan.
2. Open the study draft and fill in the inclusion application. Attach the following to the application:
   • Transcript of records (in Finnish and English)
   • Description of the content of the completed study
3. If your application is accepted, credits for your prior learning will appear in your study plan (location of the study draft) and academic record.

Including a Course in study module other than Free Choice Course Units:

• If you want to include a course in a study module other than Free Choice Course Units (e.g., intermediate studies or advanced studies), you need approval for it.
• You can contact the education specialist of your degree programme to ensure that the placement of course unit can be approved. Contact information: Guidance and Contact Information: Faculty-specific Services. If necessary, contact the responsible teacher of the study module for approval. 
• After receiving approval for the placement, add the study draft to the correct place in your study plan and fill in the inclusion application. Attach the approval from the responsible teacher to the application.
• After adding the study draft, the study module in your study plan will likely be in the state “Selections against the rules.” Open the free edit mode through the selection assistant and apply for an exception approval (Module content approval application). Attach the approval of the responsible teacher to the application.

Additional information

• See also the more detailed Sisu instructions at the bottom of the page.
• Contact the education specialist of your programme if you have a lot of previous studies you're planning to include.
• Further information on recognition of study module can be found under the section Recognition of study module.
• You can also apply for inclusion through the three-dot menu in the study structure view instead of using the study draft. In this case, you still need to place the attainment and included credits as part of your study plan using Sisu’s checklist function or free editing mode. See more details in the Sisu study plan instructions. LINKKI

Grading RPL credits

As a rule, the original grading scale of 1-5 will be used when accrediting prior learning towards a Tampere University degree. If your prior learning was assessed using a different scale, grading will be on a Pass/Fail basis. If multiple courses are counted towards a single award of credit under the RPL framework, the grade will be Pass.

Who can I contact with questions?

If you have any questions about RPL, please contact the educational specialist of your degree programme.

RPL principles and appeals against RPL decisions

The general RPL principles set out in the Degree Regulations of Tampere University and the Guidelines on the recognition of prior learning and other competence at Tampere University will apply to the recognition of prior learning as of 1 August 2020.

In the event that you are dissatisfied with decision on RPL, you have the right to seek rectification. For further details, see page Appeals against decision concerning a student and the Guidelines on the recognition of prior learning and other competence at Tampere University.