English-language education

Pupils moving to Espoo during the school year 2024-2025 can be admitted to grades 1–9 based on an entrance examination. The entrance examination will be held once they have moved to Espoo. The school principal will set the examination date. If there are several applicants, the examination will be held on the same day for everyone.

Please fill in the application form Application for education in English (grades 1-9) and submit it to the school offering English-language education to which your child primarily applies. Contact information can be found down below.

NOTE! If your child is temporarily living in Espoo, see separate instructions and admission criteria in section Applying for a temporary study place. 

Form Application for education in English (grades 1-9) can be found on this page.

The entrance examination will be held once the pupil has moved to Espoo. 

Enrolling in the 1st grade and applying for English-language Education takes place through the electronic Wilma service between 8th and 20th January 2025 by filling in the form Application for 1st Grade of Comprehensive School. If you are unable to use Wilma, you can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted to the Finnish Basic Education Unit by 20 January 2025 at the latest. The return address is informed in the form.

8-20 January 2025

The form Application for 1st grade of comprehensive school can be found during application period on this page.

29-30 January 2025. Applicants will receive a separate invitation.

If your child has fallen ill and is unable to participate in the entrance examination, contact the school organizing the entrance examination before the examination starts and present a statement on the illness. The principal has the authority whether of not a new entrance examination is held.

• Espoo International School: 7 January 2025, 17:30
• Kivimies International School: 7 January 2025, 17:30

Please contact the school in question for detailed information and familiarize yourself with the briefing material beforehand. The briefing material can be found at the end of this section.

You can choose the means of delivery for the decision when filling in the application form. There are two options:

1. The decision will be published in Wilma on 25 April 2025. The decision will not be delivered by post.
2. The decision will be mailed on 25 April 2025. The decision will not be published in Wilma.

It is possible to choose only one. The choice is binding!

Enrolling in the 7th grade and applying for English-language education takes place through the electronic Wilma service between 8th and 15th January 2025 by filling in the form Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School. If you are unable to use Wilma, you can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted to your child's current school in Espoo by 15 January 2025 at the latest. In case your child is attending a school in another municipality or a private school, submit the paper form to the Finnish Basic Education Unit. The return address is informed in the form.

Note! Pupils studying at the Espoo International School in the 6th grade are not required to apply for English-language education in 7th grade or participate in the entrance examination, if they are continuing studying in English-language education.

8-15 January 2025

The form Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School is available during application period on this page.

22 January, 2025 at 9 am at Espoo International School. All applicants must arrive by 8:45 am. No separate invitation!

If your child has fallen ill and is unable to participate in the entrance examination, contact the school before the entrance  examination starts and present a statement on the illness. The principal has the authority whether of not a new entrance examination is held.

Briefing for the guardians will be on January 9, 2025 as a TEAMS meeting, registration for the event on January 8. from the link(external link, opens in a new window).

Please contact the school for detailed information and familiarize yourself with the briefing material beforehand. The briefing material can be found at the end of this section.

You can choose the means of delivery for the decision when filling in the application form. There are two options:

1. The decision will be published in Wilma on 9 April, 2025. The decision will not be delivered by post.
2. The decision will be mailed on 9 April, 2025. The decision will not be published in Wilma.

It is possible to choose only one. The choice is binding!

Please fill in the form Application for English-language education (grades 1-9). Submit the form to the school offering English-language education to which your child primarily applies. Contact information can be found down below.

Note! Your child cannot apply for English-language education in 1st grade or in 7th grade if he/she has been a Espoo resident during the application period (grade 1: 8-20 January, grade 7: 8-15 January) and has not applied for English-language education during that time.

1 March, 2025 - 6 June, 2025

The form Application for English-language education (grades 1-9) can be found on this page.

30 July, 2025. Applicants will receive a separate invitation.

Temporary study places are intended for pupils who have moved from abroad and are temporarily living in Espoo, and must meet the following criteria:

1. The pupil has attended English-language education for at least one school year immediately before applying, or in the case of those applying to 1st grade, for the duration of the school year during which they apply. Guardians must submit proof of these studies as part of the application.
2. The pupil does not have the ability or need to study in Finnish due to their temporary residence in Espoo.

Pupils can only be admitted to temporary study places once during basic education. Pupils are admitted for a maximum of three school years. 

Please fill in the form Application for English-language education (grades 1-9). The form can be found on this page.

Submit the form and a report of your child's previous studies in English-language education to the school offering English-language education to which your child primarily applies. Contact information can be found down below.

No separate application period.

A pupil must take part in an entrance examination only if 

• the report of previous studies in English-language education is not attached to the application form 
• the report is not approved by the principal of the school offering English-language education in Espoo.

See section "Admission criteria for English-language education.

• Applications must be submitted within the application periods defined annually by the City of Espoo. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. 
• The entrance examination dates are determined annually by the City of Espoo. Each applicant may only take the entrance examination once per year.
• Applicants who meet the admission criteria but are not admitted due to the limited number of study places will be put on a waiting list. Those who apply for a temporary study place are put on the waiting list first, in order of the length of their prior studies in English-language education. If applicants have spent the same amount of time in English-language education, their order on the list is determined by a draw. Applicants who passed the entrance examination are placed next on the waiting list in the order of their total score. If study places become available, applicants are admitted from the waiting list in order until the end of August, after which the waiting list expires.
• Applicants who move to Espoo during the school year can be considered for admission after they have moved. If an applicant living in another municipality or country plans to move to Espoo before the start of the next school year, they can be considered similarly to Espoo residents. The admission decision is conditional and will only take effect if the applicant moves to Espoo by the deadline set annually by the City of Espoo and their address is updated in the Population Information System in time.
• Applicants who have attended school abroad are placed in an age-appropriate grade based on their year of birth. Applicants who have attended school in Finland are placed in a grade according to their most recent school certificate.
• Pupils admitted to English-language education are not eligible for school transport benefit (such as school transport or travel card).
• The number of pupils admitted to English-language education is decided annually by the Growth and Learning Committee.
• The school board of a school offering English-language education may decide on additional admission criteria, such as the scoring of the entrance examination.

Pupils are selected based on the entrance examination held in the spring. The examination consists of two parts:

1. English language section (0–30 points)
2. Linguistic competence section (0–45 points), which the applicant completes in either Finnish or English, as chosen by their guardian.

In order to be admitted to English-language education, the applicant must achieve at least the minimum score in each section and the minimum total score. Applicants are selected in order of their total examination score (0–75 points). If applicants have the same total score, their ranking will be decided by a draw. 

Pupils who have completed 6th grade in English-language education in Espoo may continue on to 7th grade without reapplying. If places remain available, new applicants can be admitted based on the entrance examination (0–100 points) arranged in the spring. To be admitted the applicant must achieve at least the minimum total score. Applicants are selected in order of their total examination score (0–100 points). If applicants have the same total score, their ranking will be decided by a draw. 

Applicants are selected for available study places based on an entrance examination held before the start of the next school year. To be admitted, the applicant must achieve at least the minimum total score required for the grade in question. Applicants for each grade are selected based on their total examination score. If applicants have the same total score, their ranking will be decided by a draw. 

Applicants moving to Espoo during the school year can be admitted to grades 1–9 based on an entrance examination. The entrance examination will be held once they have moved to Espoo. The school principal will set the examination date. If there are several applicants, the examination will be held on the same day for everyone.

To be admitted, the applicant must achieve at least the minimum total score required for the grade in question. Applicants are selected based on their total examination score. If applicants have the same total score, their ranking will be decided by a draw. The admitted pupil must start school within a week of receiving the admission decision, or the decision will expire. This does not apply to school holidays.

The principal may exceed the determined number of pupils for their school by 1–2 applicants per group who meet the admission criteria if it is feasible in terms of facilities and the proper organisation of teaching. 

Temporary study places are intended for pupils who have moved to Espoo from abroad and are living here temporarily. A pupil can only be admitted to a temporary study place once during basic education.

Admission is based on prior studies in English-language education. Applicants are admitted to temporary study places for a maximum of three school years. The admission process follows, where applicable, the general principles of the admission criteria for English-language education outlined under ‘General Principles’.

Those applying for a temporary study place in a school offering English-language education must meet the following criteria:

1. The applicant has attended English-language education for at least one school year immediately before applying, or in the case of those applying to 1st grade, for the duration of the school year during which they apply. Guardians must submit proof of these studies as part of the application.
2. The applicant does not have the ability or need to study in Finnish due to their temporary residence in Espoo.

A pupil who has been admitted to a temporary study place cannot automatically be admitted to a permanent place in English-language education if their temporary stay in Espoo later becomes permanent. In such cases, they must reapply. Admission will be based on the entrance examination.

• Espoo International School: Grades 1-9
• Kivimies International School: Grades 1-6 (school year 2024-2025) and grades 1-6 (school year 2025-2026

• Espoo International School: 50
• Kivimies International School: 25

The number of study places are valid through grades 1-6.

Espoo International School: 100 (including Espoo International School's 6th grade pupils who are continueing studying in English-language education). The number of study places is valid through grades 7-9.

You must indicate on the form Application for 1st grade of Comprehensive School that your child is applying for English-language education as well as Bilungual education, and select the schools in order of preference. Your child must take part in the following entrance examitions:

1. The entrance examination for English-language education on 29 January, 2025 at the school which is marked as the first choice for English-language education.
2. The entrance examination for Bilingual (Finnish-English) education on 30 January, 2025 at the school which is marked as the first
   choice for Bilingual education. The entrance examination consists of two sections:

• A test measuring linguistic capabilities
• A test on basic terminology in English and English language skills. 

Your chid will receive a personal invitation to the entrance examinations.

You must indicate on the form Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School that your child is applying for English-language education as well as Bilungual education, and select the schools in order of preference. Your child must take part in the entrance examition as follows:

• If your childs first preference is English-language education your child must participate to the entrance examination at Espoo International School on 22 January, 2025 at 9 am. No separate invitation. All applicants must arrive at 8:45 am at the latest.
• If your child´s first preference is Bilingual education your child must participate to the entrance examination at the school offering Bilingual education on 22 January, 2024 at 9 am. No separate invitation. All applicants must arrive at 8:45 am at the latest.