Congratulations for being selected to SECCLO! On this website, you will find further information on the next steps to take for preparing your arrival to Finland and starting your studies.
4 April 2024: Welcome event for new students in Zoom. See the information slides here and the student stories slides here.
2 May 2024: Second webinar for new students. See the slides here (administrative). Slides of Prof. Tuomas Aura you can find here.
25 June 2024: Third webinar for new students (getting to know each other) in Zoom
1. Accept your admission offer at Studyinfo.fi by the given deadline. Instructions have been sent by email (see Welcome letter). Please note that students may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (One study place per term provision (Universities Act 558/2009)). Once you have accepted the offer, the acceptance cannot be cancelled. If you do not accept the admission offer in Study Info -portal by the given deadline, your admission to SECCLO programme and possible scholarship will be automatically cancelled.
If you already have a right to study at a Master’s programme in Aalto University, please note that you can have only one valid right to study towards the same degree. If a student accepts a new study place in a Master’s programme (for instance, leading to the degree of Master of Science in Technology) the old Master of Science in Technology right to study is forfeited.
2. Self-funded students: We will send you the invoice for the first academic year after you have confirmed your participation. Send a receipt of the paid participation cost as a scanned copy to secclo(at)aalto.fi by the given deadline.
3. Conditional acceptance: Submit attested copies of your degree certificate and transcript of records to SECCLO Admission Office as soon as possible (but by 8th August 2024 at the latest). Please inform us once you have sent the documents. See Application documents for instructions and pay attention to the country-specific requirements if applicable. Your acceptance is conditional until you submit the documents as requested. If you fail to do this, the conditionally granted study right will be cancelled.
According to SECCLO’s admission procedure, all students selected with an incomplete Bachelor’s degree will need to graduate by 31 July 2024 and submit officially attested copies of the degree certificate and the transcript of records by mail by 8 August 2024. If you fail to do this or do not graduate in time, the conditionally granted study right will be cancelled.
You have different options, depending on your situation:
1) Mail us the documents (with official translations, if not in English). The paper copies of the documents need to comply with our country-specific document requirements. If there are no country-specific requirements that apply to the country of the instution that awarded your degree, the copy needs to be stamped and signed either by the issuing university or a notary public. Please see further instructions at Application documents.
2) If you are uncertain whether you can get the copy of your degree certificate attested and delivered by the deadline: Send us by email the copies of your degree certificate and transcript of records. If you have not yet received the degree certificate, we can accept a provisional degree certificate or a statement (in English) from your university confirming that you have completed all credits (incl. thesis, if applicable) by 31 July 2024. This statement must be sent by email to secclo(at)aalto.fi by 8th August. In this case, you will need to bring your original degree certificate, final transcript and their translations (if applicable) with you when you arrive to Aalto University.
4. Insurance: All enrolled SECCLO students are covered by an insurance scheme by insurance company Dr-Walter. This insurance meets the minimum health and accident coverage requested by the European Commission. According to the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master EMJMD regulations, coverage starts maximum 2 months before the official inception date and ends maximum 3 months after the official end of the programme. This is stated on the insurance or on a separate note.
5. Return other required documents, such as student agreement, by given deadlines. Instructions are sent by email.
6. Apply for a residence permit (non-EU/EEA citizens) or book an appointment in order to register your residence at the Finnish Immigration Service (EU/EEA citizens). EU/EEA citizens do not need to apply for residence permit.
> See the information bulletin of the Finnish Immigration Service Instructions for degree students with tuition fees
Do I have sufficient funds for 2-year permit?
All Erasmus Mundus scholarship recipients have sufficient funds to be eligible for 2-year residence permit. Self-funded students must have 6 720€ as a bank deposit or other scholarship/grant in order to get 2-year residence permit. In addition, self-funded students need proof of the paid participation fee. Read more here.
What shall I put as date of arrival and date of departure from Finland?
Please arrive to Finland by end of August at the latest. The orientation begins on 26 August 2024.
Date of arrival: the date when you intend to arrive to Finland, earliest at the beginning of your study right which is 1st August as stated in the Letter of Admission. But please note that there are no activities on campus before 26 August. In addition, please ensure you have accommodation from your arrival date onwards.
Departure date: 2 years from arrival date, for example 26th of August 2026.
What is my learner number?
You can see your learner number from Studyinfo, where you accepted the admission offer. Although this field is not compulsory, it may help the processing of your application.
What should I answer to who has granted the scholarship?
The scholarship is granted from outside of Finland by European Commission/ Erasmus Mundus.
What is the duration of studies/stay in Finland?
Two years (the studies include a mobility period to another EU country).
What should I answer in “Mobility from Finland to another EU Member State under Directive (EU) 2016/801”
Please click “My studies are covered by a Union or multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions.”
To the question “During your stay in Finland, do you intend to exercise your right of mobility from Finland to another EU Member State under Directive (EU) 2016/801?” please select YES, and fill in as the name of the programme SECCLO Master’s Programme in Security and Cloud Computing.
What should I answer in “Health insurance”? (this will be checked later)
Your studies last two years, so your insurance needs to cover pharmaceutical costs/medical expenses for up to 40 000 EUR. The Dr. Walter insurance scheme covers all expenses with no deductible, so you can choose “My insurance covers all expenses with no excess”.
7. Apply for accommodation.
> For more information, please see Aalto University’s website
8. Organize your travel to Finland. New students are expected to arrive to Aalto University Otaniemi Campus by the beginning of the orientation. The orientation week’s programme will be published in June/July and you will receive it by email. You can find more tips for planning your arrival at here (moving to Finland and financial matters) or here (student residence permit and health insurances)
9. Enrol as attending student by paying the Aalto student union (AYY) membership fee. We recommend you to take care of the enrolment by 31 July. Enrolling as attending is a precondition for using any Aalto services, getting a student number, and registering for courses. You can enrol at the university after the condition has been fulfilled and the admission is not conditional anymore.
To enrol as an attending student at Aalto University after accepting your offer of admission, log in to the OILI service (using the link you received to accept the admission offer) and pay the membership fee of the Aalto University Student Union (AYY). You can pay the fee with credit card. The fee for academic year 2024-2025 is around 65 €. Online enrolment in OILI is possible until 30 July 2024.
If you are unable to enrol as attending in the OILI service, please send a message to secclo(at)aalto.fi. If you pay the membership fee outside Finland, please be prepared to pay foreign transaction charges. The AYY membership fee must be paid in the exact amount.
> For more information on AYY membership fee, please see AYY website
10. Activate your Aalto IT credentials (username and email account).
You can activate the Aalto University IT account from July onwards after you have enrolled for the academic year and received an activation email. It will be sent to the email address you have used when you applied to SECCLO. Please follow the instructions of IT services and activate your account as soon as possible.
11. Get your student card
The student card is proof of your student status and it is the simplest way to get student discounts in, for instance, the university restaurants and public transport. For additional information on the student card go to the AYY site.
You can download an electronic student card for mobile devices, after you have enrolled as an attending student and after your study right has officially started (1 August). The electronic card is accepted in the university restaurants and public transport as proof of student status. The app will ask you for a Finnish ID number but you can leave this field blank if you don’t have one yet.
You must enrol as attending by 31 July 2024 at the latest so that the activation is possible when the academic year begins.
12. Pay the FSHS healthcare fee
Students who are registered as attending are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS, Finnish abbreviation YTHS) and must therefore pay a healthcare fee, which is paid to Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland). You must pay the healthcare fee by 15 November 2024. You can pay the healthcare fee via Kela’s e-service if you have Finnish online banking credentials. Otherwise please check the updated instructions in Kela’s website: How to pay student heathcare fee.
13. Please follow your email for more information about orientation, the start of studies and other practical issues. Please remember to notify us if you change your email address.
1. Arrive to Finland before orientation week for new students. In case you have difficulties in arriving to Finland on time due to coronavirus situation, please keep us updated!
2. Get your keys and move in your apartment. Please see Tips for furnishing your apartment for more information on how to purchase affordable furniture and houseware.
3. Pay AYY student union membership fee and enrol as attending if you haven’t done so already. Students lose their right to study if they have not enrolled by the end of the official enrolment period which is on 1 September 2024.
5. Attend the orientation week programme. (This will be sent to you by email before summer).
6. Submit your personal study plan (HOPS) in Sisu student information system and design your study schedule. Instructions for making your personal study plan will be given during orientation week or before by email.
7. Register to courses that start in period I. Academic year at Aalto University is divided into five periods. For more information, please see Aalto University academic calendar.
8. EU/EEA citizens: register your residence at the Finnish Immigration Service (you can get Finnish personal identity code at the same time).
9. If you have not received a personal ID-code when applying for a residence permit or when registering as EU-citizen in Finland, you can apply for that at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Send the personal ID-code to us using encrypted email.
10. EM scholarship recipient: open a bank account if you do not have a European bank account. For more information on opening a bank account in Finland, please see Opening a bank account. Please be prepared that the process may take several weeks.
11. Other practicalities after paying the AYY membership fee and enrolling as an attending student:
SECCLO students during May Day celebrations 2019, Aalto University Otaniemi Campus
| Institution | Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aalto University, Finland | Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits (Migri) |
| EURECOM, France | Living costs (pdf) | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden | Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
| Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway | Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
| Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark | Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
| University of Tartu, Estonia
See also: https://ut.ee/en/getting-started-international-students |
Living costs | Accommodation | Academic calendar | Residence permits |
| Institution | Department/school in charge of SECCLO programme | Specialization |
|---|---|---|
| Aalto University | Department of Computer Science | |
| EURECOM | Big Data Security | |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Communication Systems |
| Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) | Department of Information Security and Communication Technology | Information Security |
| Technical University of Denmark (DTU) | Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science | Reliable Distributed Systems |
| University of Tartu | Institute of Computer Science | Cryptography |
Computer Science -building, Otaniemi Campus, Espoo
Street address: Konemiehentie 2, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Postal address: SECCLO, PL 15400, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
We are in building number 30 in Aalto University campus map
