Apply to general upper secondary school

Apply to general upper secondary school during joint application period

Apply to a general upper secondary school during joint application period through the Studyinfo (Link leads to external service)online service. For this, you will need a comprehensive education certificate or similar. The joint application period for studies starting in the autumn takes place in the spring. Some of our general upper secondary schools may emphasise one or more subjects when it comes to the criteria for selecting students. Schools may also have entrance or aptitude tests and take into account the applicant’s other education, hobbies or other demonstrations of their skills. Find more information on the selection criteria on the Studyinfo website(Link leads to external service) or on the website of the general upper secondary school that you are interested in.

If you have completed comprehensive education or similar abroad, you may be eligible to apply via the discretionary admission. Learn more about the discretionary admission in Finnish on the Studyinfo website(Link leads to external service). If you don't know any Finnish or Swedish, you may be eligible to apply to the fully English study track in the Helsinki Upper Secondary School for Languages starting in August 2026. Learn more on the school website. 

If you are interested in studying at Konepaja Upper Secondary School for Adults, please see the school’s website for enrolment instructions.   

If you are moving to Helsinki without a study place and the school year has already begun, please contact Ohjaamo Helsinki(Link leads to external service). There you will receive advice and guidance on finding a study place. 

Average grades and points for admission to our general upper secondary schools

The City of Helsinki’s general upper secondary schools select students based on their average grades and points. Some of our general upper secondary schools may take the grades for the subjects they emphasise into account in calculating the average grades. 

Our general upper secondary schools may require applicants to take entrance or aptitude tests. They may also take into account the applicant’s other education, hobbies or other demonstrations of their skills. The selection criteria and maximum score may vary from year to year.  More detailed information on the selection criteria can be found on each general upper secondary school’s website.  

Source: Education Statistics Finland Vipunen by the Finnish National Agency for Education(Link leads to external service)

Apply through the rolling admission if places are available

If study places become available during the school year in the city's general upper secondary schools, they can be applied for through the rolling admission process. This admission process uses the same admission criteria as the joint application system.

The rolling admission process is for those who

• move to Helsinki in the middle of the school year
• have received their basic education certificate in the middle of the school year
• are in preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) and want to apply to general upper secondary schools in the middle of the school year

The rolling admission process is held four times a year: autumn, winter, spring and summer. 

Important information for the rolling admission rounds in the spring and summer

The available places in general upper secondary school programmes that require passing an entrance test can be applied through the rolling admission process in the spring unless the school organises additional entrance tests during other application rounds.

The spring application period is primarily meant for applicants who have already taken some general upper secondary school courses. Those who receive their comprehensive education certificates in June cannot participate in the rolling admission process in the spring.

Places that were not filled through the joint application round can be applied for in the rolling admission round in summer.

Application dates

• Autumn: week 38, Mon−Fri
  • In the five-period system, the starting time is the 3rd period
  • In the four-period system, the starting time is the 2nd period
     
• Winter:  week 50, Mon−Fri
  • In the five-period system, the starting time is the 4th period
  • In the four-period system, the starting time is the 3rd period
     
• Spring: week 15, Mon−Fri
  • In the five-period system, the starting time is the 1st period
  • In the four-period system, the starting time is the 1st period
     
• Summer: weeks 24–31, Mon−Fri
  • In the five-period system, the starting time is the 1st period
  • In the four-period system, the starting time is the 1st period

How to apply through the rolling admissions?

The rolling admission process uses the Studyinfo service(Link leads to external service). The general upper secondary schools of the City of Helsinki use the same application form. This means that you can use the same form to apply to all of the city’s general upper secondary schools that interest you. Please note, that the form is open only during application periods. The form opens at 8.00 am on the first day of the application period. For the summer admission round, general upper secondary schools will open any free places for applications when the places not filled in the joint application are confirmed.

The admission criteria for schools participating in the rolling admissions process − including information on any entrance exams or additional proof of competence − can be found on each school’s page on Opintopolku.

In the rolling applications process for general upper secondary schools, the admission average or score is determined by the average or score of the last applicant accepted.

Go to the application form(Link leads to external service)

Tuition fees for third country students introduced in upper secondary education 

Tuition fees will be introduced in upper secondary education for students who arrive to Finland from countries other than the EU member countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. 

Tuition fees apply to students who start their studies on 1 August 2026 or after who arrive to Finland or have been granted a residence permit for studies.

The amount of tuition fees in the City of Helsinki schools will be approximately equal to the costs of providing education. The amount of tuition fees will be specified on this page during spring 2026.

Tuition fees will not apply to students in the following cases:

• The student is a citizen of a third country but permanently living in the European Economic Area.
• The student is an exchange student through an established exchange programme and will not be completing a qualification or the general upper secondary education syllabus in Finland.
• The student is receiving temporary protection.
• The student arrives to Finland for vocational education’s apprenticeship training and has a residence permit for an employed person.  

For more information on the residence permits for students, see The Finnish Immigration Service, Migri(Link leads to external service)

Frequently asked questions (in Finnish) on the Ministry of Education and Culture’s website(Link leads to external service)  

Need a copy of your certificate?

Find instructions on page Requesting copies of certificates.

Important links

Studyinfo(Link leads to external service)

Ohjaamo Helsinki(Link leads to external service)

Order copies of certificates from comprehensive school and upper secondary school