Adult education in Finland
Education is available for adults at all levels of education. Adults can study at work, alongside employment or in their own time. For certain studies, financial support is available.
What can I study?
Training for adults includes, for example, education leading to a basic, vocational or specialised vocational qualification or university of applied sciences degree, university education, primary education, upper secondary education, further and continuing education, liberal adult education, apprenticeship training and staff training at the workplace.
Qualifications obtained in adult education give you the same post-graduate qualifications as those obtained in youth education. Read more about adult education on the Studyinfo website and education and training at different levels on the Info Norden website.
In liberal adult education, education is not degree-oriented. Liberal education institutions include adult education centres, folk high schools, summer universities, sports training centres and study centres. Schools offer civic and social studies, general education and hobbies to improve knowledge and skills. Find out more on the websites of the individual institutions.
You can find more information on language studies in Finland on the page Language courses in Finland.
What financial support can I get?
Both the content of your studies and your own situation will affect the kind of support you can get for adult learning. Possible forms of support include adult education allowance, financial aid for students, job alternation compensation, apprenticeship benefits, unemployment benefit, rehabilitation allowance and various grants and scholarships.
The Employment Fund pays adult education allowance to working adults. Adult education allowance is only available for qualifications or training at a Finnish educational institution and is applied for from the Employment Fund. Read more about the adult education allowance and the detailed conditions on the Employment Fund website.
As a recipient of an adult education grant, you may also be entitled to a state guarantee for a student loan. Read more about state guarantees for student loans on the Kela website.
If you are not eligible for adult education allowance, you can apply to Kela for general student financial aid. You can find more information on financial aid for students in Finland on the page Financial aid for students in Finland.
You can also finance your studies with Kela’s job alternation compensation, unemployment benefit paid by Kela or your unemployment fund Kelan, Kela’s vocational rehabilitation supporting integration into work, benefits for apprenticeship students and various grants and scholarships. Read more in the links below.
What should I know about studying in Finland?
If you come to Finland to study, it is also good to know about student housing, work placements, healthcare and social security, and student discounts. We have collected information on these on the page Guide: studying in Finland.
Alternatively, you can finance your studies with Kela’s job alternation compensation. If you are unemployed, you can apply for unemployment benefit for self-motivated studies. Also take a look at Kela’s vocational rehabilitation supporting integration into work.
More information
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NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
