Applying to upper secondary school and vocational education and training in Finland

Information on upper secondary school and vocational education and training in Finland can be found in the article Upper secondary school and vocational education and training in Finland.

Applications to upper secondary school and vocational education and training for young people are made through the joint application on the Studyinfo website, which also gives more information on available education and training courses and the application process.

You can apply for upper secondary schools and vocational education and training for young people starting in the autumn through the spring joint application process. Some vocational education and training also starts in January. Applications are usually made in the autumn through the Studyinfo.fi service, but application periods vary between study programmes.

Anybody can apply, even if you live abroad. You do not need a Finnish personal identity code to apply.

If you have completed basic education abroad, you must submit a copy of your diploma to the educational institutions that you are applying to by the end of the application period. Persons who have completed basic education abroad are selected at the discretion of the educational institution, because diplomas are not comparable.

If you already have a vocational qualification or higher education degree, you cannot take part in the joint application process for vocational education and training for young people. However, you can apply directly to the educational institution either for adult vocational education and training or education based on a previous vocational qualification.

Adult vocational education and training is applied for directly to the educational institution, not through the joint application. You can apply for adult vocational education and training at any time of the year. Application periods vary between education and training programmes. You can get more information on applying to adult vocational education and training on the Studyinfo.fi service.