Apply to general upper secondary school

On this page

Photo: Maija Astikainen

How to apply to the city's general upper secondary school

You can apply to a general upper secondary school during joint application periods through the Studyinfo (Link leads to external service)online service. For this, you will need a basic education certificate or a similar certificate. 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 or on the website of the general upper secondary school that you are interested in.

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. 

Apply through the continuous admission if places are available

If, during the school year, there are open places in the city's general upper secondary schools, they are made available for application through the continuous admission process. This admission process uses the same admission criteria as the joint application system.

The continuous admission process is for those who

  • move to Helsinki in the middle of the school year
  • have received their basic education certificate after the joint application period has ended
  • 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 continuous admission process is held four times a year: autumn, winter, spring and summer. The open places in general upper secondary school programmes that require passing an entrance test are made available through the continuous admission process in the spring unless the school organises additional entrance tests during other application times. 

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

Places in education that were not filled through the joint application system are made available for application in the continuous admission process organised in summer.

Application dates

  • Autumn: week 40 (2–8 October 2023)
    • 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 (11–17 December 2023)
    • 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 (8–14 April 2024)
    • 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 (10 June–4 July 2024)
    • In the five-period system, the starting time is the 1st period
    • In the four-period system, the starting time is the 1st period

The continuous admission process also uses the Studyinfo service(Link leads to external service). The general upper secondary schools of the City of Helsinki have a joint 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 o'clock in the morning of the first day of the application period.

Go to the application form: Continuous admission, City of Helsinki’s general upper secondary schools(Link leads to external service)

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.  

General upper secondary school and programme  Minimum average grade or points 2023 Minimum average grade or points 2022 Minimum average grade or points 2021
Alppila Upper Secondary School 8,42 Avg. 8,33 Avg. 8.54 Avg.
Brändö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, General programme 8,17 Avg. 7,83 Avg. 7.69 Avg.
Brändö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, PE (physical education) emphasis 15,69/20 pt 15,45 / 20 pt 15.88 / 20 pt
Etu-Töölö Upper Secondary School 8,46 Avg. 8,42 Avg. 8.42 Avg.
Gymnasiet Lärkan Upper Secondary School 8,15 Avg. 7,75 Avg. 7.69 Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Languages, General programme 7,62 Avg. 7,38 Avg. 7.27 Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Languages, Languages and internationality emphasis 8,00 Avg. 8,00 Avg. 8.08 Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Languages, Bilingual Finnish-English emphasis 7,79 wgt. Avg. 9,1 / 15 pt 10.51  / 15 pt
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Visual Arts, Visual arts emphasis 14,42/20 pt 15,12 / 20 pt 15.33 / 20 pt
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences, General programme 8,58 Avg. 8,46 Avg. 8.25 Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences, Natural sciences emphasis 9,03 wgt. Avg. 9,50 wgt. Avg. 9.31 wgt. Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Media Arts, General programme 7,25 Avg. 7,25 Avg. 7.33 Avg.
Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Media Arts, Media and society emphasis 7,11/12 pt 7,59 / 12 pt 7.45 / 12 pt
Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts, Performing arts emphasis 14,9/20 pt 15,08 / 20 pt 14.65 / 20 pt
Mäkelänrinne Upper Secondary School, General programme 9,00  Avg. 8,85 Avg. 7.75 Avg.
Mäkelänrinne Upper Secondary School, Sports emphasis 16,15/20 pt 15,91 / 20 pt 16.20 / 20 pt
Ressun lukio Upper Secondary School / Ressun lukio IB World School, General programme 9,69 Avg. 9,67 Avg. 9.50 Avg.
Ressun lukio Upper Secondary School / Ressun lukio IB World School, IB-programme 9,42 Avg. 9,17 Avg. 8.92 Avg.
Sibelius-lukio Upper Secondary School, General programme 9,25 Avg. 9,23 Avg. 9.21 Avg.
Sibelius-lukio Upper Secondary School, Music emphasis 16,15/20 pt 16,08 / 20 pt 16.19 / 20 pt
Sibelius-lukio Upper Secondary School, Dance emphasis 17,58/20 pt 16,85 / 20 pt 17.73 / 20 pt
Tölö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, General programme 7,17 Avg. 7,92 Avg. 7.67 Avg.
Tölö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, Visual arts emphasis 17,5/20 pt 16,17 / 20 pt 16.62 / 20 pt
Tölö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, Music emphasis 16,92/20 pt 17,00 / 20 pt 17.00 / 20 pt
Tölö Gymnasium Upper Secondary School, Human ecology emphasis 16,25/20 pt 16,17 / 20 pt 15.38 / 20 pt
Vuosaari Upper Secondary School,  General programme 7,67 Avg. 7,70  Avg. 7.50 Avg.
Vuosaari Upper Secondary School, Music emphasis 11,5/20 pt 9,92 / 20 pt  
Vuosaari Upper Secondary School, Technology emphasis 13,5/20 pt 12,50 / 20 pt  
Average grades and mininum points for admission 2021 - 2023

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