Finland School Route Passport
The main route from early childhood education through upper secondary choices and higher education.
Early Childhood
Selected stamp: Early Childhood. Choose another stamp to update the route card.
Finland’s education system links national curriculum requirements with substantial local responsibility for provision. Compulsory education covers ages 6–18: pre-primary education at age 6, nine years of basic education, and continued study in an upper secondary route until age 18 or earlier completion of an upper secondary qualification. After grade 9, students can move into general upper secondary education, vocational education and training, or preparatory education before a qualification route. Higher education is divided between universities and universities of applied sciences. [EDUFI]
Governance and the Education Route
The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for national education legislation and central steering. The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) prepares national core curricula, qualification requirements and related education services. Municipalities carry much of the practical responsibility for early childhood education, pre-primary and basic education, while authorized providers operate general upper secondary and vocational education. This division gives schools and providers room to organize teaching locally while working within national requirements. [EDUFI]
Current System Markers
The school and pupil figures come from current national statistics. [Statistics Finland]
The higher education count covers Finland’s civilian two-sector system: 13 universities and 22 universities of applied sciences. [Study in Finland]
Compulsory education does not end automatically with grade 9. A learner who has completed basic education normally continues in general upper secondary education or vocational education and training. Preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) provides another transition option and can last up to one year. The compulsory-education obligation ends when the learner turns 18 or completes an upper secondary qualification earlier. [Ministry of Education]
Adult learning runs alongside the age-based route. Adults can study through vocational qualifications, higher education, liberal adult education and continuing education, with options ranging from qualification-oriented study to non-degree learning. This means the national system does not end at an initial school or university credential; the same institutional network also serves later study and reskilling. [EDUFI]
School Network and Basic Education Enrollment
Statistics Finland recorded 3,045 educational institutions across all institution types in 2025, including 1,922 schools in the primary and lower secondary school category. The corresponding school count has moved down each year in the 2020–2025 series, from 2,130 to 1,922. The change equals 208 fewer schools, or about 9.8% over five years. [Statistics Finland]
Primary and Lower Secondary School Network, 2020–2025
Number of schools in Statistics Finland’s registered primary and lower secondary school category.
Data: Statistics Finland, 2020–2025. [Statistics Finland]
| 2020 | 2,130 |
| 2021 | 2,085 |
| 2022 | 2,039 |
| 2023 | 2,014 |
| 2024 | 1,975 |
| 2025 | 1,922 |
The series uses the same Statistics Finland institution category across the displayed years.
The latest pupil count shows 537,000 students in primary and lower secondary education in 2025, down 2% from 2024. Of these, 342,000 were in grades 1–6 and 194,000 in grades 7–9. Another 47,600 pupils were in pre-primary education. Around 50,100 pupils started grade 1, and almost 63,000 completed grade 9 in the spring. [Statistics Finland]
The academic calendar is set within national rules but varies by municipality. In the 2026–2027 school year, most primary and lower secondary schools started on 12 or 13 August 2026 and finish on 5 June 2027. The year contains 189 working days; the statutory base is 190 days, with adjustments when specified public holidays fall on weekdays. [EDUFI]
Early Childhood and Pre-Primary Participation
Early childhood education and care is available before compulsory schooling, while pre-primary education at age 6 is compulsory. OECD 2026 reports that in 2024, 92% of children from age 3 to the starting age of primary education (age 7 in Finland) were enrolled in ECEC, compared with an OECD average of 90%. [OECD]
ECEC Enrollment, 2024
Share of children from age 3 to the starting age of primary education enrolled in ECEC.
Data: OECD 2026 Finland education indicators. Finland’s primary-school starting age is 7. [OECD]
| Area | 2024 ECEC Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Finland | 92% |
| OECD average | 90% |
The indicator covers children from age 3 to the starting age of primary education.
Because primary education normally begins at age 7 in Finland, the 2024 OECD measure covers children aged 3–6. It uses a different age range from older OECD series limited to ages 3–5, so those percentages should not be treated as the same indicator.
Instruction Time, Class Size, and Teachers
OECD 2025 data report 660 compulsory instruction hours per year in primary education and 817 hours in lower secondary education. The corresponding OECD averages were 804 and 909 hours. Finland therefore scheduled 144 fewer annual hours at primary level and 92 fewer at lower secondary level on this measure. [OECD]
Average primary class size was 18.7 pupils in 2023, slightly below its 2013 level and below the OECD average of 20.6. Class size is not the same as a student-teacher ratio: it counts pupils in a teaching group, while staffing ratios use a different denominator and can include teachers working across several groups. [OECD]
Staffing ratios differ by level. OECD data for 2023 report 9.2 students per teaching staff member in lower secondary education and 17.4 in upper secondary education; within upper secondary, the ratio was 14.8 in general programmes and 19.1 in vocational programmes. These ratios describe staffing across institutions and should not be read as class-size measures. [OECD]
OECD 2026 data add a workforce qualification measure. In public primary, lower secondary and general upper secondary education, 12.9% of teachers were not fully qualified under the national qualification definition in 2023/24. The OECD average for primary and secondary teachers in public institutions was 9.1% in 2024/25. Finland’s figure excludes upper secondary vocational education, so it should not be extended to the entire teacher workforce. [OECD]
Teacher qualification rules depend on the post. A Finnish class teacher qualification normally requires a master’s degree in education together with the prescribed multidisciplinary and pedagogical studies. Subject-teacher eligibility likewise combines a relevant master’s degree, sufficient studies in the teaching subject and pedagogical studies. [EDUFI]
Assessment during basic education is primarily school-based. Descriptive assessment is used in the lower grades, and numerical assessment must begin by grade 4 at the latest. The standard numerical scale runs from 4 to 10, with 10 the highest grade and 4 a failing grade. Finland does not use a routine national high-stakes examination to select pupils during the nine-year basic stage. [EDUFI]
Education Financing and Public Funding
OECD 2026 reports two 2023 government education expenditure measures for Finland with different funding bases. Government expenditure on primary through tertiary education based on initial funds, on educational institutions, equalled 5.2% of GDP; private expenditure on the same basis was 0.1%. On the final-funds measure covering expenditure inside and outside educational institutions, government expenditure equalled 5.5% of GDP, down from 6.0% in 2015. [OECD]
Government Education Expenditure, 2023
OECD government expenditure measures for primary through tertiary education as a share of GDP.
Data: OECD 2026 Finland education indicators. Initial funds cover educational institutions; final funds cover expenditure inside and outside educational institutions. [OECD]
| OECD Measure | 2023 Share of GDP |
|---|---|
| Government expenditure, initial funds, on educational institutions | 5.2% |
| Government expenditure, final funds, inside and outside educational institutions | 5.5% |
The two percentages use different funding bases and should not be treated as interchangeable.
OECD 2026 also places Finland’s 2023 expenditure per student at USD 15,533 from primary through tertiary education, above the OECD average of USD 13,601 on the same measure.
General Upper Secondary and Vocational Routes
General upper secondary education follows basic education and normally takes about three years. Students complete at least 150 credits and usually sit the national matriculation examination near the end of their studies. The route is not tied to a single fixed three-year schedule; students can complete it more quickly or use additional time within the permitted study period. [EDUFI]
Upper Secondary Counts in 2025
Statistics Finland recorded 114,700 students in general upper secondary education and 31,800 completed matriculation examinations in 2025. [Statistics Finland]
Vocational education and training is competence-based. Students can complete an initial vocational qualification, a further vocational qualification or a specialist vocational qualification, and competence is demonstrated in practical work tasks. All 160 Finnish vocational qualifications provide eligibility for higher education studies. Learning can include workplace-based arrangements alongside education provided by a VET institution. [EDUFI]
In 2025, VET enrollment totaled 324,200 students: 252,600 in initial vocational education, 51,100 in further vocational education and 20,600 in specialist vocational education. A total of 72,800 vocational qualifications were completed. Compared with 2024, total VET enrollment was 28,900 lower, an 8% decrease reported by Statistics Finland. [Statistics Finland]
Completion Within the Target Time
Statistics Finland reports completion within the target time separately by sector, so these percentages should not be read as if every programme has the same target period. For the 2024 reference year, 78% completed general upper secondary education within the target time, 57% completed VET, 54% completed a UAS degree and 38% completed a university master’s degree. [Statistics Finland]
Higher Education Enrollment and International Students
Finland’s civilian higher education system consists of 13 universities and 22 universities of applied sciences (UAS). Universities provide research-based bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral education. UAS institutions concentrate on professionally oriented bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The official Study in Finland service lists more than 600 English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes across the two sectors. [Study in Finland]
Degree enrollment rose in both sectors between 2023 and 2025. University enrollment increased from 168,000 to 177,500, an increase of 9,500 students or about 5.7%. UAS enrollment moved from 170,800 to 183,200, up 12,400 or about 7.3%. The UAS sector therefore added more students over this two-year interval. [Statistics Finland]
Degree Students in Finland’s Two Higher Education Sectors
Students in degree-leading university and UAS education, 2023–2025.
Data: Statistics Finland, 2023–2025. [Statistics Finland]
| Year | University Students | UAS Students |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 168,000 | 170,800 |
| 2024 | 173,600 | 176,700 |
| 2025 | 177,500 | 183,200 |
Counts are rounded to the nearest hundred in Statistics Finland’s annual releases.
Degree output also increased in 2025. Universities awarded 39,100 degrees, 8% more than one year earlier. [Statistics Finland]
Universities of applied sciences awarded 36,300 degrees, 7% more than in 2024, while UAS master’s enrollment reached 25,000 students. The university and UAS figures describe separate sectors with different programme structures and admission routes. [Statistics Finland]
Attainment Among Young Adults
Among adults aged 25–34, 39% had completed tertiary education in 2024, compared with 40% in 2021. The OECD average in 2024 was 48%. At master’s or equivalent level, Finland’s attainment rate for this age group was 15%, up from 14% in 2021 and close to the OECD average of 16%. These measures track completed qualifications, not current enrollment. [OECD]
International full-degree enrollment has grown much faster than total higher education enrollment over the longer series published by EDUFI. The number of international full-degree students rose from 20,256 in 2014 to 37,380 in 2024. That is an increase of 17,124 students, or about 84.5%. Their share of all higher education students moved from 6.7% to 10.7%, a rise of 4.0 percentage points. [EDUFI]
International Full-Degree Students, 2014–2024
International degree students enrolled in Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences.
Data: Vipunen / Education Statistics Finland, published by EDUFI. [EDUFI]
| 2014 | 20,256 | 6.7% |
| 2015 | 20,352 | 6.8% |
| 2016 | 21,102 | 7.1% |
| 2017 | 20,361 | 6.9% |
| 2018 | 20,238 | 6.8% |
| 2019 | 19,881 | 6.7% |
| 2020 | 20,868 | 6.8% |
| 2021 | 22,791 | 7.2% |
| 2022 | 26,220 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | 31,656 | 9.3% |
| 2024 | 37,380 | 10.7% |
International full-degree students in universities and UAS institutions; source dataset: Vipunen – Education Statistics Finland.
The series reached its lowest point in 2019 at 19,881 students and its highest point in 2024 at 37,380. Growth accelerated after 2021: the count rose by 14,589 between 2021 and 2024, equivalent to about 64.0%. The accompanying share increased as well, so the movement was not only a reflection of changes in total higher education enrollment.
Learning Outcomes and PISA 2025
PISA 2025 is now the latest released OECD cycle for mathematics, reading and science. Finland scored 469 in mathematics, 474 in reading and 504 in science. All three means were above the OECD averages of 463, 461 and 482. The Finnish sample included 7,668 students in 240 schools and represented about 59,900 15-year-olds. [OECD]
Finland PISA Scores Across the Last Three Core Cycles
Mean scores in mathematics, reading and science for 2018, 2022 and 2025.
Data: OECD PISA, 2018–2025. [OECD]
| Domain | 2018 | 2022 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 507 | 484 | 469 |
| Reading | 520 | 490 | 474 |
| Science | 522 | 511 | 504 |
PISA score points are reported only for actual assessment cycles; intervening years are not estimated.
From 2018 to 2025, the mean fell by 38 score points in mathematics, 46 in reading and 18 in science. Between 2022 and 2025 alone, the changes were −15, −16 and −7 points. OECD treats Finland’s 2025 mathematics and reading results as lower than in 2022, while science was about the same as in 2022 after accounting for statistical uncertainty. Science remains Finland’s highest-scoring core domain in 2025. [OECD]
Proficiency measures add detail to the mean scores. In science, 81% of Finnish students reached at least Level 2 and 11% reached Level 5 or 6; the OECD averages were 74% and 7%. In mathematics, 69% reached Level 2 or higher and 7% reached the top two levels. In reading, the corresponding shares were 74% and 6%. [OECD]
Digital Learning in the PISA School-Day Measure
PISA 2025 also asked students about digital-device use at school. Finnish students reported an average of 2.5 hours per day using digital devices at school for learning activities, compared with an OECD average of 1.7 hours. They also reported 1.3 hours per day of device use at school for leisure, against an OECD average of 1.1 hours. These are student-reported time-use measures, not counts of devices or broadband availability. [OECD]
Language, Student Support, and School Services
Finnish and Swedish are the main languages of instruction. EDUFI reports that roughly 90% of primary and lower secondary schools are Finnish-speaking and about 10% are Swedish-speaking. Sámi languages are used in relevant settings, while bilingual and foreign-language education is available through approved provision. From August 2026, authorized providers can also offer the Finnish general upper secondary syllabus fully in English. [EDUFI]
Tuition is free in pre-primary and basic education. Pupils receive learning materials, a daily school meal and specified welfare services without tuition charges; transport is also provided under statutory conditions. Free school meals continue into upper secondary education for students covered by the relevant education arrangements. These services are part of the ordinary school day rather than optional commercial extras. [EDUFI]
The learning-support model changed in August 2025. Basic education now uses group-based support and student-specific support measures rather than the earlier three-tier terminology. Additional legislative changes connected with support in pre-primary and basic education took effect in 2026, and a corresponding support change in vocational education took effect on 1 August 2026. [EDUFI]
Quality Assurance and Changes Now in Effect
National quality evaluation also covers pre-primary, basic and general upper secondary education. FINEEC conducts learning-outcome, thematic and system evaluations, while education providers use self-evaluation and quality-management procedures locally. National learning-outcome evaluations collect sample-based information on how curriculum objectives are being reached rather than functioning as routine high-stakes examinations for every pupil. [FINEEC]
The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) evaluates universities and universities of applied sciences through institutional audits, thematic evaluations and field-specific evaluations. Higher education institutions are legally required to participate in external evaluation. A successful institutional audit produces a quality label valid for six years. The fourth audit cycle covers 2025–2030, with pilot audits in 2026 and the full cycle beginning in 2027. [FINEEC]
- More time for literacy and mathematics: from 1 August 2025, basic education received two additional weekly-year lesson hours for mother tongue and literature and one additional weekly-year lesson hour for mathematics; local authorities decide the exact grade placement within the specified ranges. [EDUFI]
- Learning support: revised support rules began in pre-primary and basic education in 2025, with further implementation changes in 2026; the VET support change took effect on 1 August 2026. [EDUFI]
- English-language general upper secondary education: authorized providers can offer the Finnish general upper secondary syllabus in English from 1 August 2026. English-language matriculation examination tests are scheduled from autumn 2028. [EDUFI]
- Higher education quality audits: FINEEC’s fourth institutional audit cycle is in its pilot phase, with two HEI audits in 2026 before the full cycle starts in 2027. [FINEEC]
Compare with other countries
- Finland vs New Zealand
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- Finland vs Indonesia
- Finland vs Switzerland
- Finland vs France
- Finland vs Turkey
- Finland vs Germany
- Finland vs Netherlands
- Finland vs Estonia
- Finland vs Singapore
- Finland vs Denmark
- Finland vs South Korea
- Finland vs Canada
- Finland vs US
- Finland vs Sweden
- Finland vs China
- Finland vs United Kingdom
- Finland vs Australia
