Guide: Studying in Åland

The education system in Åland consists of pre-school, pre-primary, comprehensive, upper secondary, higher education (vocational education and courses) and folk high school education. You can find all the schools in Åland and information on them on the page The education system in Åland.

The Nordic agreement on admission to higher education guarantees all Nordic residents the opportunity to apply for public higher education in another Nordic country on the same or equivalent conditions as the country’s own inhabitants.

In Åland, Swedish at B1 level is required, but Nordic students are exempted from this requirement.
In the joint Åland student admission you can apply to study at Åland Folk High School, Åland Upper Secondary School and Åland Vocational High School. You can read about how to apply and the admission requirements on the Åland Upper Secondary School website.

You can read about how to apply and the admission requirements for Åland University of Applied Sciences and apply using the link below.

In order e.g. to prepare for further studies in a Swedish-language school, the Citizens’ Institute (Medis) offers language courses for persons with a mother tongue other than Swedish. Swedish is the language of instruction at all schools in Åland.

Here you can find information on the grade scales used in Åland. You can read about the Grade scale for comprehensive schools in Åland, education at upper secondary school level in Åland, Åland Vocational High School , Åland University of Applied Sciences, and about the equivalence of Nordic diplomas in Åland. If you apply for education in Åland with a Nordic diploma, you do not need to recalculate your Nordic diplomas for Åland yourself.

Here you can read about student housing in Åland and about housing supplement in Åland and the criteria for receiving it. Remember to make your notification of move in good time. You can make your notification of move one month in advance or at the latest one week after the date of your move.

Here you can read about how to finance your studies if you come to Åland to study. You can read about financial aid for students, which can consist of study grant, adult study grant, housing supplement, provider supplement etc. Åland has its own student financial aid legislation, which is similar to the Finnish system. In Åland, student financial aid is managed by AMS. You need to meet certain criteria to be entitled to student financial aid from Åland.

If you work alongside your studies, your social security can be moved to the country where you work. Read more on the page Which country's social security system are you covered by?

If you come to Åland from another Nordic country to study, your stay in Åland is generally considered to be temporary. You are covered by social security in your country of departure. Students from all Nordic countries are entitled to public healthcare services in Åland.

Here you can read about how to get your foreign degree recognised in Åland. You can also read about validation in Åland.

Åland University of Applied Sciences has a student union