Åland University of Applied Sciences has adopted Sisu as its Student Information System
Sisu is now being used as the Student Information System at Åland University of Applied Sciences. The implementation went smoothly in cooperation with Funidata, and Sisu now offers stability and better service to both students and staff.
Åland University of Applied Sciences has adopted our Sisu Student Information System as its main system for teaching and learning. This makes them the eighth higher education institution and the second university of applied sciences to use Sisu as its primary system. The implementation was carried out in close cooperation between experts from Åland University of Applied Sciences and Funidata.
Why Sisu was the right solution?
Before Sisu, the university used the Primus system, which did not meet the needs of the higher education institution. Practical challenges included weak support and cumbersome administrative processes, which made it difficult to achieve the desired results. The new system had to be cost-effective, easy to maintain and ready to meet future needs.
"From the perspective of a higher education institution, it was important for us to find a Student Information System that is easy to use, requires little local maintenance and offers predictable costs over the long term. Sisu also stood out for its strong security and the fact that it is developed in partnership with other higher education institutions. In addition, the fact that several Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences use the same system provides us with stability and opportunities for cooperation," says Emmy Karlsson-Hellman, Development Coordinator at Åland University of Applied Sciences.
Smooth deployment through cooperation
The deployment project started in autumn 2023 and progressed in phases until early 2025, when Sisu was officially launched. The first students started making study plans in November 2024 and enrolment for implementations started in December. Students have been officially using Sisu since February 2025.
During the deployment project, our Mäyrä team was responsible for extensive data migration. Among other things, nearly 2,600 study rights and almost 90,000 study attainments were transferred from the previous system to Sisu.
"We received feedback from the client that we have been supportive of the change and encouraged them to take control of their data and processes. The cooperation was smooth, and the client had a clear sense of purpose throughout, even though there were challenges," says Eeva Saari, Funidata's product owner who coordinated the data migration.
Sisu benefits students – and supports teaching and guidance
Sisu is a co-developed system in Finnish higher education, which aims to support students throughout their studies. Students plan their studies, enrol in classes and manage their affairs electronically through Sisu. For teachers, the system provides tools for planning and assessing teaching and for supporting guidance.
"Students now have a much better overview of their studies, can plan them themselves and monitor their progress - something that was not possible with the previous system," says Vice Rector Bettina Brantberg-Ahlfors, summing up the benefits of the implementation.
Continuing the journey together
Sisu is currently used by over 600 people in Åland - students, teachers and other staff, with students being the largest user group. The implementation is still ongoing and every day we are learning new things from both sides.
At Funidata, we are very happy to have been involved in supporting Åland University of Applied Sciences in its digital renewal. A common goal and good cooperation made the implementation a success. This is a great starting point for continuing our development work together!
