User accounts

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User accounts

This guide includes the most important instructions related to user accounts. You can find more help from this instructions site by using, for example, the search. If you cannot solve the problem with the instructions, don’t hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk.

In their work or studies, University staff and students require a username and related password to access the University of Helsinki IT systems. The primary account is the “AD account”, with which you log in to the University computers and the most common network services, such as email and Flamma.

Logging in to university services

  • You can log in to nearly all university services using the standard format: username (for example, rkeskiva)
  • eduroam credentials: username@helsinki.fi (for example, rkeskiva@helsinki.fi
  • Microsoft 365 credentials: username@ad.helsinki.fi (for example, rkeskiva@ad.helsinki.fi)

NB! Your email will be in the format firstname.surname@helsinki.fi (for example raimo.keski-vaanto@helsinki.fi)

How do I get a user account?

All the University employees or students registered as attending are granted a personal username. The username provides access to the University IT systems as well as an @helsinki.fi email address.

Please note that your username will remain the same throughout your studies at the University, even if your name changes.

Students

Students (including non-degree students) obtain a username automatically without applying for it separately.

New students: Activate your user account according to these instructions.


University staff and students

All other members of the University community excluding students complete a user account application. 

Additional rights to systems

By default, the user account includes the right to use the University’s workstations and most common IT systems. Some IT systems may require separate access rights.

Different types of user accounts

In addition to personal user accounts, various other accounts are used for different situations at the University. 

These include, for example, course and conference accounts, guest accounts and paid user accounts. 

More detailed instructions on the various accounts are available from IT Helpdesk (the contact details can be found at the end of each help page).

Non-personal user accounts do not continue automatically. Please contact IT Helpdesk if you need an extension for your account.

Limited user accounts

You can use the limited user account for the University’s services that require identification, such as Flamma, Wiki, Moodle or Sisu. Some of the services require that the user account information includes the user’s personal identity code or email address. Limited user accounts cannot be used to log in to University workstations.

An employee can order a limited user account (and other special accounts) using the e-form without separate approval. A student must discuss any special accounts with the student adviser.

Conference accounts

Conference accounts are suitable for persons making shorter visits, e.g. for conference guests. Conference accounts allow access to shared workstations and classroom computers. Systems such as Moodle, Sisu or email cannot be accessed with a conference account.

NB! If the visitor is employed by the University and uses Sole to record their working hours, a personal user account must be applied for instead (for further instructions, see How do I get a user account?).

Roaming accounts

Visitors from other universities can also access the eduroam wireless guest network with their home university user account if their home university is part of the eduroam network.

Members of the Finnish Haka identity federation can use their home university user account to log in to services such as Wiki.

Visitors can also use the HelsinkiUni Guest Network. Read more about the guest network in the separate instructions.

Course account for teaching

A regular account can also be granted for external students for short-term use. The student must apply for it themselves according to these instructions.

The course teacher can apply for course accounts for their group. Course accounts are suitable for students from outside the University who do not have a personal user account. Course accounts allow access to the University’s shared computers and the classroom computers, but they cannot be used to access systems such as Moodle or Sisu.

Jointly used group user accounts

A group account is used by several people. Group accounts are suitable for the use of a specific computer or for a task whose coordinator changes frequently. The group account cannot have an email inbox.

A coordinator, whose name is used to create the account, must be indicated for the group account. Group accounts are of the format departmentabbreviation_groupID.

Administrator and main user accounts

Please note that no automated messages are sent out on the expiry of administrator and main user accounts. To receive them in your inbox, add your email address in the format firstname.lastname@adm.helsinki.fi on the form for user account details. The mail will be directed to your Microsoft 365 inbox.

  • Please log in to the form with the account you wish to change.
  • You can add an email address by clicking on External email address can be changed.

External accounts

University accounts are also used by third parties, such as consultants and developers. Such accounts are applied for in the same way as for University staff, but a separate confidentiality agreement is required for third parties*. More detailed instructions on applying for accounts for external parties are available in these instructions.

For information security reasons, it is important to delete unnecessary user accounts. Notify IT Helpdesk if the user account of an external party is no longer needed and can be deleted.

*) A confidentiality agreement is required, for example, from employees of companies outside the University of Helsinki Group or from people who will be processing non-public or confidential information. 

Validity of user account

User accounts are valid for a set period. Validity periods are usually extended automatically, but in some cases users are required to regularly extend them. User accounts expire at the end of employment or studies. A temporary absence from work or studies also leads to the loss of the user account.

A message about the username and password expiring is automatically sent to the @helsinki.fi inbox linked to the user account. If no University email address is linked to the user account, the expiration message can be sent to an external email address.

You can add an external email address to your user account details in the My profile service (requires you to log in).

Students

Students’ user accounts are valid for a single term or the full academic year, depending on attendance.

  • For those registered for attendance for the whole academic year or for the spring term, user accounts are valid until 30 September.
  • For those registered for attendance for the autumn term, user accounts are valid until 31 January.

Graduating in the middle of the term does not end the validity of the user account. For example, if you graduate in October, your user account will remain valid until the end of January.

Non-attendance registration for students, doctoral students and others (further instructions in the My Studies service)

Staff

Staff user accounts are valid for a maximum of eighteen months at a time. For temporary staff members, the validity of accounts is linked to the duration of the employment relationship. The period of validity expires 28 days after the end of the employment relationship. However, the maximum period of validity of user accounts is eighteen months at a time.

Further information about the period of validity and extension of user accounts is available in these instructions.

What happens when the user account expires?

After your user account expires, you can no longer log in to the University’s online services (e.g. workstations in computer facilities, email, Sisu).

When one's employment or studies at the University finishes, Office goes to a so called "reduced functionality" state in which documents can be either viewed or printed. Documents can not be edited and new documents can not be created.

Why is my account not working?

Reasons for your user account not working include an incorrect password, an expired account or an uncompleted IT security test.

Make sure you entered the password correctly and the username in the correct format.

If the reason is none of these, and you cannot get your account to work, please contact IT Helpdesk.

How can I change my password?

You can change your password online. You must have a valid user account or have applied for one. The method of changing the password depends on whether you remember your password.

More instructions concerning passwords are available on a separate page

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