Koulutus Helsingissä

Education in Helsinki

The Info Bank Education System page provides information about the Finnish education system.

The Info Bank Helsinki Metropolitan Area Education page contains information on children’s day care, temporary child care, basic and upper secondary education, and applying for education in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

Day care (Päivähoito)

The Info Bank Children and Young People page contains information about the Finnish day care system.

Helsinki provides both municipal and private day care. In addition to Finnish- and Swedish-language day care centres the city has several day care centres for other languages. The Social Services Department page contains information on day care in Helsinki in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Applications for municipal day care may be submitted in Finnish , Swedish or English . The application should preferably be submitted to the day care centre or family day care director from whom the care place is primarily being sought. Applications for private day care centre places must be made directly to the day care centre.

Alphabetical listing of City of Helsinki municipal day care centres in Finnish .

Helsinki private day care centres in Finnish and English .

Language-focused private day care centres in Finnish .

Swedish-language day care centres in Swedish . 

Basic education (Peruskoulutus)

Pre-school education (Esiopetus)

The Info Bank Basic Education page contains general information about pre-school education in Finland.

Finnish-language pre-school education in Helsinki is provided in the day care centres and at Aurinkolahti Comprehensive School. Swedish-language pre-school education is provided in both schools and day care centres. Free pre-school education is also provided in English, Spanish and Russian in certain language-based day care centres. Language-focused private day care centres in Finnish .

Information concerning pre-school education provided through social services is available from the Social Services Department website in Finnish , Swedish and English . Application form for pre-school education in Finnish and English .

Pre-school education is also provided in various foreign-language schools. Enquiries about foreign-language pre-school education can be made directly with the schools listed under Upper Secondary Education (Lukio).

Basic Education (Perusopetus)

Principal information concerning basic education in Finland can be found on the Info Bank Education page under Basic Education . 

The City of Helsinki Education Department website contains information on basic education in Helsinki in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Preparatory instruction, Finnish as a second language and teaching of mother tongue

Information concerning preparatory instruction, the teaching of Finnish as a second language and the teaching of mother tongue can be found on the Education Department website in Finnish , Swedish  and English . Enquiries concerning the teaching of own mother tongue may be directed to the principal of the school your child is presently attending. Registration for preparatory instruction is generally combined with school registration or on transferring to upper level comprehensive education.

Foreign-language basic education in Helsinki

Information in foreign-language basic education in Helsinki is available on the Info Bank website under Foreign-language education in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area .

Pupils' afternoon club activities in Helsinki (Koululaisten iltapäivätoiminta Helsingissä)

The City of Helsinki organises afternoon club activities for first- and second-year pupils and for pupils in need of special support. The afternoon clubs are organised by schools, various organisations, the parishes and private operators, and are mainly held in Finnish and Swedish. Some foreign-language schools also arrange afternoon club activities in their respective languages.

The City of Helsinki Education Department webpages contain further information on pupils' afternoon club activities in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Application forms for the coming year's activities can be obtained from schools and at the premises where afternoon club activities are held. The forms are also available from the start of the application period in electronic format on the Education Department webpages. The application period starts in February together with school registration and runs until the end of April. Application forms on the Education Department webpages may be printed out in Finnish , Swedish and English . The forms should be returned to the same afternoon club premises that are being applied for.

Adult basic education students

Adults have the opportunity of completing basic education in an upper secondary school for adults. 

Eira High School for Adults in Finnish and English .

More information on upper secondary schools for adults can be obtained from the Education Department website in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Further education in the “tenth year”

The Education Department website contains information on studies in the tenth year and on the tenth year class designed for immigrants in Finnish , Swedish and English . 

Upper secondary education (Toisen asteen koulutus)

Upper secondary school (Lukio)

Upper secondary schools in Helsinki comprise city and state schools as well as private.Private upper secondary schools charge a fee based on the school term or year.More information on upper secondary education can be obtained from the Education Department website in Finnish , Swedish and English . 

The International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma may be completed in Helsinki through the International School of Helsinki ’s IB line, at the Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu  and at Ressu Upper Secondary School (Ressun lukio). The International School of Helsinki charges a fee per school term. 

More information on foreign-language education can be obtained from the Education Department website in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Information is also available on school websites.

The English School

Deutsche Schule Helsinki (The German School of Helsinki)

The International School of Helsinki

Lycée franco-finlandais d'Helsinki (French School of Helsinki)

The Finnish-Russian School

School search

The Education Department page has a search service for accessing the contact details of all schools and educational institutions in Helsinki in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Adult upper secondary school students

Adults may complete an upper secondary qualification at an upper secondary school for adults. More information on upper secondary schools for adults can be obtained from the Education Department website in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Upper secondary level vocational education (Toisen asteen ammatillinen koulutus)

The Education Department website contains information on vocational education in Helsinki in Finnish , Swedish and English .

City-run colleges in Helsinki are the Helsinki City College of Culinary Art, Fashion and Beauty (Helsingin palvelualojen oppilaitos), the Helsinki City College of Social and Health Care (Helsingin sosiaali- ja terveysalan oppilaitos) and the Helsinki City College of Technology (Helsingin tekniikan alan oppilaitos). The city also hosts vocational colleges, run privately or by foundations, in the following fields: business and administration; cultural studies; tourism, catering and economics; social and health care; technology and transport. A list of vocational colleges can be found on the Education Department webpages in Finnish , Swedish and English .

Sovinto is a school specialising in alternative professional and apprentice training, and it offers the opportunity to gain vocational education through practical learning. This school is especially well-suited to those who learn best through practical training. Studying is free of charge. Applicants must be unemployed job seekers. Ask for more information on this education from your local Employment and Economic Development Office (työ- ja elinkeinotoimisto) .

Read more about this education on the website of Sovinto in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Preparatory instruction in vocational basic education for immigrants

Preparatory instruction for immigrant vocational education is organised at the Helsinki vocational educational institutions of Helsinki City College of Social and Health Care (Hesote), Helsinki City College of Culinary Art, Fashion and Beauty (Helpa), Helsinki City College of Technology (Heltech) and Helsinki Diakonia College (Helsingin Diakoniaopisto). The training lasts for one year and is by separate application.

Further information is available on the Education Department website in Finnish and English