Enrolment and ConREM student status

Table of contents

Freshly accepted ConREM students

If you have received the initial acceptance letter from the HTW Berlin, firstly congratulation! You have received an offer to study in the ConREM programme. Now, place holders have 7 days to provide online confirmation of their intention to enrol (accepting your study place) and to pay the semester fee. The letter providing the notification of acceptance, also lists all the documents which must be submitted for the enrolment as hard copies. Please note, you will not receive a separate invitation letter from the Metropolia UAS, only a welcoming letter that explains the further steps considering your arrival to Helsinki.

For a successful enrolment to the ConREM programme, you have to also provide (already within the enrolment process) a proof of health insurance, that is valid in Finland. This proof of health insurance is also required for the process of your residence permit application for Finland, as you will start your studies in Helsinki.

Obtaining the Finnish residence permit can take up to 6 months, therefore you should start your residence permit application for Finland as soon as you have received the official acceptance letter through the HTW online application portal. Do not wait with the Finnish residence permit application, till you are officially enrolled to the programme. This means that, after you have received the official letter of acceptance, the application process for the Finnish residence permit should run parallelly with the process of being officially enrolled to the ConREM programme. 

If you have questions considering this enrolment process (incl. semester fee), please direct all your inquiries to HTW Berlin. On the HTW Berlin, please contact with the Student Service Center (Ms. Julia Cadete La O) regarding these issues. Metropolia UAS has no role in admission/enrolment procedures, even though the studies start in Helsinki.

ConREM student status

During the enrolment process, ConREM students with more than two years of work experience, thus obtaining a joint master’s  degree, will be registered at the Metropolia UAS, as Degree students. These Degree students must remain registered students at the Metropolia UAS till the end of their ConREM studies (even during the studies in Berlin in the 3. and 4. semesters). Please note, this type of study place is conditional, until Metropolia has physically checked your school and other relevant certificates, that will happen after your arrival in Helsinki.

On the contrary, ConREM students without two years of work experience, thus only obtaining the HTW Berlin degree will be registered at the Metropolia UAS, as Exchange students. These Exchange students will be registered at the Metropolia UAS only for the 1. and 2. semesters. Consequently your study right at Metropolia will expire in the end of 2nd semester and your student benefits (e.g. student health care, longer residence permit in Finland) are limited in comparison to joint-degree students.

These different student statuses at the Metropolia UAS are really important, as it influences the terms of applying for the Finnish residence permit, accommodation in Helsinki, application for Eramus+ scholarship as well as the type of the received degree.

From the HTW Berlin side, the student status is equal for all ConREM student, independently from the previous working experience. It means that, all ConREM students are registered at the HTW Berlin as ‘normal’ degree students through the whole ConREM study programme (4 semesters).

Taking up the study place in Helsinki

Successful admission, confirmation, payment of semester fee and submission of the hard copies of the required documents leads to automatic enrolment. The start of the ConREM studies takes place in Helsinki at the beginning of September.

However, latest till the end of the 1. Week of October you must be present in Helsinki to take up your study place.  Failure to provide confirmation, payment of semester fee or in-time arrival will result in loss of the place. Therefore, applying for a Finnish residence permit in-time is strongly advised, as it can take up to 6 months and it would be a pity, if you lose your study place due to late arrival to Helsinki.

Registration in the higher semesters

All ConREM students are obliged to pay the semester fee for the HTW Berlin at every semester, thus ensuring their right to study (registration) at the HTW Berlin as well as at the Metropolia UAS simultaneously. If you do not pay the full amount of the semester fee by the stipulated deadline, you will normally be deregistered from the ConREM programme.

Nevertheless, Metropolia UAS Degree students in their higher semesters in Berlin (3. and 4. semesters) are also obliged to enrol themselves at the Metropolia UAS separately, in order to keep their student status, thus being able to receive a double degree. This enrolment process is free of charge, however Metropolia will charge you with 50€, if you miss this enrolment process.

In addition, if it takes more time than expected to complete the ConREM programme, ConREM students must continue to pay the semester fee for the HTW Berlin for each extra semester. Nevertheless, at this case the Metropolia UAS will also charge Metropolia UAS Degree students separately, with an extra 50€ for each semester.