Academic affairs

Since this week, half of the semester has passed

On 9 November, the autumn semester reaches its halfway point. This means that the current semester will count as a studied semester even if a student takes academic leave or withdraws from the university at their own request. This is important because progress towards completing the curriculum is assessed on the basis of studied semesters.

Taking academic leave

Students taking academic leave in the second half of the semester should be aware that the interrupted semester will count as a studied semester when assessing their progress towards completing the curriculum. The standard workload for each studied semester is 30 ECTS credits.

Withdrawal at the student’s own request

Students admitted from the 2024/25 academic year onwards to full-time Estonian-taught programmes without tuition fees or to tuition-waiver places in English-taught programmes must pay tuition fees for courses they have registered for but have not successfully completed if they withdraw from the university at their own request in the second half of the semester. Tuition fees are calculated based on course registrations and the price per credit point (PDF).

This rule will also apply to students admitted before the 2024/25 academic year starting from the 2027/28 academic year.

9 November marks halfway through the semester

After half the semester has passed, the current autumn semester will count as a studied semester. This is important for example in the following aspects:

Going on academic leave in the second half of the semester

Students going on academic leave on or after 9 November 2026 should note that the current semester will be taken into account when assessing curriculum completion. This means they must have earned the required number of ECTS credits for this semester to meet study requirements.
Students’ progress towards the completion of the curriculum is measured on the basis of completed (studied) semesters, the standard volume for each completed semester is 30 ECTS credits.

Interrupting studies at student’s request

Students interrupting their studies at their own request on or after 9 November 2026 must pay the tuition fee for courses to which they have registered but have not completed. The tuition fee is based on the credit point price (PDF). This applies to the students admitted as of 2024/2025, of both Estonian and English-taught curricula in tuition-waiver student places. From the 2027/2028 academic year, all students in tuition-free studies, regardless of their year of matriculation, must pay tuition fees for courses not passed in the second half of the semester when interrupting their studies at their own request.

Adaptations for students with special needs

A student with special educational needs has the right to request study adaptations within a reasonable time from the beginning of the semester. It is recommended to contact an advisor within 70 calendar days from the start of the semester. This autumn semester, 70 days from the start of the semester falls on 9 November.

Crisis exercise to take place at the university on 29 October

On Thursday, 29 October, the University of Tartu will conduct a crisis exercise simulating a cyber incident. As part of the exercise, there will be interruptions to MS Teams and Outlook services during the working day. The exact timing of the interruptions will not be announced in advance.

On the morning of the exercise, all students will receive an email with more detailed information. All communications related to the exercise will be marked “ÕPPUS-ÕPPUS-ÕPPUS” (“EXERCISE-EXERCISE-EXERCISE”).

During the interruptions, check the university website for the latest information on teaching and study arrangements.

➔ Read more about the crisis exercise.

How to use AI applications in your studies?

The university encourages the use of AI, including text-based AI tools, to enhance teaching and learning, supporting both education and the development of students’ academic and professional skills. When using AI applications, it is crucial to emphasise purposefulness, ethics, transparency, and a critical mindset. Please refer to the guidelines for using AI in academic work.

How to use AI when writing your thesis

University of Tartu honorary doctor and visiting professor Jussi S. Jauhiainen has published a free English-language guide on using AI in research and thesis work. The book includes practical examples, sample prompts and checklists covering everything from formulating a research question to defending a thesis. It also addresses the risks of using AI and the importance of academic integrity.
➔ Explore the guide Generative AI for Research and Thesis Work.

The tuition payment deadline is 20 October

The students of the second study year and onwards, the deadline for paying the tuition fee is 20 October as described on the page of tuition fee.

Check your contact data in SIS

Please check, add or update, if needed, your contact data in Study Information System (SIS). Your SIS profile must include a valid and active email address, an Estonian mobile phone number, a home phone number, and your address in Estonia. It is for your benefit to ensure that in the case of need, the university can contact you immediately. Please also insert your bank account number in order to receive the stipends/allowances. It is student’s responsibility to guarantee that personal contact data is always updated throughout studies at the University of Tartu.

The tuition payment deadline is 20 October

The students of the second study year and onwards, the deadline for paying the tuition fee is 20 October as described on the page of tuition fee.

Check your contact data in SIS

Please check, add or update, if needed, your contact data in Study Information System (SIS). Your SIS profile must include a valid and active email address, an Estonian mobile phone number, a home phone number, and your address in Estonia. It is for your benefit to ensure that in the case of need, the university can contact you immediately. Please also insert your bank account number in order to receive the stipends/allowances. It is student’s responsibility to guarantee that personal contact data is always updated throughout studies at the University of Tartu.

Proof of enrolment

If you need proof of enrolment at UT (for example for the employer), it can be requested from the respective dean’s office, institute, or college.
➔ Contact details

Use your university email address for all study-related communication

The University of Tartu expects all study-related communication to take place via your official university email address. For this purpose, every student has a University of Tartu email account with the format firstname.lastname[at]ut.ee. This is the official address to which all study-related correspondence is sent. Through this account, the university ensures that all information related to studies reaches every student without interruptions.

How to access your account?

You can access your university email account via email applications (Outlook, Thunderbird) or through the web interface (kiri.ut.ee).
➔ See the email user guide for more details.

Your UT account gives access to digital tools needed for studies

Through the university account, all students can make full use of the university’s information systems and Microsoft 365 web applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. OneDrive for Business is suitable as a personal cloud storage for study-related work, while SharePoint Online is intended for teamwork and file sharing. Microsoft Teams makes it easy to study and hold meetings online. In addition, students can use the AI-based chatbot Copilot Chat for free, now running on OpenAI’s latest model GPT-5. When you log in with a university account, Microsoft guarantees data security, and the data you enter will not be used to train AI models.
➔ See information system instructions.
➔ See Copilot Chat instructions.

Use your university account for university-related activities

Your university account is intended for your studies and other university-related activities. Do not use your university account to register for personal services, and do not use your university mailbox, OneDrive or other university services for personal correspondence or storing personal files. After you complete your studies, you will no longer have access to your university account, mailbox or the data stored there.
➔ See instructions on the validity of user account.

If you notice suspicious activity

If you receive a suspicious email or suspect that someone has gained unauthorised access to your account, notify the university IT helpdesk immediately: phone +372 737 5500, email arvutiabi@ut.ee.

Proof of enrolment

If you need proof of enrolment at UT (for example for the employer), it can be requested from the respective dean’s office, institute, or college. Contact details are HERE.

Use your university email address for all study-related communication

The University of Tartu expects all study-related communication to take place via your official university email address. For this purpose, every student has a University of Tartu email account with the format firstname.lastname[at]ut.ee. This is the official address to which all study-related correspondence is sent. Through this account, the university ensures that all information related to studies reaches every student without interruptions.

How to access your account?

You can access your university email account via email applications (Outlook, Thunderbird) or through the web interface (kiri.ut.ee).

➔ See the email user guide for more details.

Your UT account gives access to digital tools needed for studies

Through the university account, all students can make full use of the university’s information systems and Microsoft 365 web applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. OneDrive for Business is suitable as a personal cloud storage for study-related work, while SharePoint Online is intended for teamwork and file sharing. Microsoft Teams makes it easy to study and hold meetings online. In addition, students can use the AI-based chatbot Copilot Chat for free, now running on OpenAI’s latest model GPT-5. When you log in with a university account, Microsoft guarantees data security, and the data you enter will not be used to train AI models.

Use your university account for university-related activities

Your university account is intended for your studies and other university-related activities. Do not use your university account to register for personal services, and do not use your university mailbox, OneDrive or other university services for personal correspondence or storing personal files. After you complete your studies, you will no longer have access to your university account, mailbox or the data stored there.

If you notice suspicious activity

If you receive a suspicious email or suspect that someone has gained unauthorised access to your account, notify the university IT helpdesk immediately: phone: +372 737 5500, email: arvutiabi@ut.ee.

Tuition fees in academic year 2026/27

📄 Download the PDF of tuition fees.

Adaptations for students with special needs

A student with special educational needs has the right to request study adaptations within a reasonable time from the beginning of the semester. It is recommended to contact an advisor within 70 calendar days from the start of the semester.

➔ Read more about adaptations.

Tuition fees in academic year 2026/27

📄 Download the PDF of tuiton fees.

Address by the Rector of the University of Tartu

On 31 August, 2,690 first-year bachelor’s students began their studies at the University of Tartu. Altogether, more than 15,500 students are currently studying at the university across all levels of study. In his speech, Rector Toomas Asser wished everyone a smooth start to the academic year and also spoke about the responsibility towards society that comes with a university education.
➔ Speech by Professor Toomas Asser, Rector of the University of Tartu, at the opening ceremony of the 2026/2027 academic year on 31 August 2026

Course registration deadline for the first-year students is 14 September

SIS planner is a helpful tool for drawing up your autumn semester’s timetable, the planner helps to register for all selected courses at once. If needed, you can also contact your Peer Support Student with questions related to registration and using the planner.

➔ Guidelines for using the planner
➔ Guidelines for course registration
➔ Read more: Who is Peer Support Student?

Completion of curriculum

Students are required to complete the curriculum they have registered for and the university checks their progress.

➔ Read more about completing the curriculum

Adaptations for students with special needs

A student with special educational needs has the right to request study adaptations within a reasonable time from the beginning of the semester. It is recommended to contact an advisor within 70 calendar days from the start of the semester.

➔ Read more about adaptations

Course registration deadline for the first-year students is 14 September

Read the guidelines for course registration. Please note that the SIS planner is a helpful tool for drawing up your autumn semester’s timetable; the planner helps to register for all selected courses at once. Read how to use the planner.
If needed, you can also contact your Peer Support Student with questions related to registration and using the planner.

Completion of curriculum

Students are required to complete the curriculum they have registered for and the university checks their progress. Read more about completing the curriculum.

What’s new in the organisation of studies in 2026/2027

Read about main changes in study regulations on UT web page.

Opening ceremony of the 2026/27 academic year

The opening ceremony of the 2026/2027 academic year of the University of Tartu takes place on Monday, 31 August at 10:00 in front of the university’s main building.

For new first-year students

Newly admitted students can log in UT’s Study Information System (SIS) already on 24 August – one week before the official beginning of the 2026/2027 academic year. The academic year begins on 31 August. By today, all of you should have received your login credentials, check emails sent by arvutiabi@ut.ee. The students, who have studied previously at UT and start in a new programme this autumn will not get new login credentials but need to use their former ones. If you have forgotten your password, follow the password recovery instructions.

In the SIS, you can plan and register for courses. The guidelines for course registration are given here. The SIS planner is a helpful tool for drawing up your autumn semester’s timetable: it helps to register for all the selected courses at once. The guidelines for using the planner.

The deadline for course registration for the first-year students is 14 September.

If needed, you can also contact your Peer Support Student with questions related to registration and using the planner. As there will be info sessions for newly admitted students, delivered by the UT academic units, we advise you to wait with registrations and get more detailed instructions in those sessions.

Course registration deadline for the students of the second year and above

The course registration deadline for the autumn semester is 30 August (2nd year students and above). The course registration deadline for first-year students is 14 September.

Extension of studies

The students, whose end of studies is approaching (check SIS for the final date of your studies), need to submit an application for extension before the final date of studies to the respective dean’s office, institute, or college.

What’s new in the organisation of studies in 2026/2027

Read about main changes in study regulations on UT web page.