Bilingual education (Finnish-English)
Bilingual education is meant for Finnish-speaking pupils living in Espoo. It is possible to apply to the education from all Espoo areas. On this page, you can find instructions for applying to bilingual education.
If places become available during the school year, a pupil who has recently moved to Espoo can be admitted based on an entrance examination.
Please fill in the application form 'Kaksikieliseen opetukseen (suomi-englanti) vuosiluokille 1-9 hakeminen' and submit it to the school offering bilingual education to which Your child primarily applies.
Application form
Entrance examination
- Entrance examination will be held after the pupil has moved to Espoo. The principal will determine the date. Please contact the school in question.
APPLICATION PERIOD HAS ENDED!
Enrolling in the 1st grade and applying for Bilingual education (Finnish-English) takes place through the electronic Wilma(extrernal link) service between 10th and 21st January 2022 by filling in the form 'Application for 1st grade of Comprehensive School'. If You are unable to use the Wilma service, You can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted by 21 January 2022 at the latest to the following address:
The Finnish Education Unit
Secretary of Pupil Administration Sara Raitala
P.O. Box 31
FIN-02070 City of Espoo.
All applicants must participate in an entrance examination. Applicants will receive a personal invitation. When applying simultaneously for English-language education, see section Frequently asked questions (FAQ).
Application period
- 10-21 January, 2022
Application form
- Application for 1st grade of comprehensive school (not available)
Entrance examinations
- 3-4 February, 2022. Applicants will receive a personal invitation.
- Changes are possible due to COVID-19.
If an applicant has fallen ill and is unable to participate in the entrance examination, contact the bilingual 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.
Please contact the school for additional information on entrance examinations.
Number of study places
- Jalavapuisto school, 25
- Kilonpuisto school, 25
- Kuitinmäki school, 25
- Niittykumpu school, 25
Briefings for the guardians
- Jalavapuisto school: 11 January, 2022 at 6 pm
- Kilonpuisto school: 10 January, 2022 at 6 pm
- Kuitinmäki school: 13 January, 2022 at 6 pm
- Niittykumpu school: 17 January, 2022 at 6 pm, Uusikumpu school building
Please contact the school for more details.
Downloadable files
APPLICATION PERIOD HAS ENDED!
Enrolling in the 7th grade and applying for Bilingual education (Finnish-English) takes place through the electronic Wilma(extrernal link)(extrernal link) service between 10th and 18th January 2022 by filling in the form 'Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School'. If You are unable to use the Wilma service, You can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted to your child's current school in Espoo by 18 January 2022 at the latest.
Do not fill in the form, if your child currently studies in the 6th grade in Kilonpuisto or Kuitinmäki joint comprehensive school and is continueing studying in Bilingual education in the 7th grade. Your child does not need to participate in the entrance examination.
Application period
- 10-18 January, 2022
Application form
- Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School (not available)
Entrance examination
- 26 January, 2022 at 9 am. Applicants must arrive at 8:45 am at the latest. No separate invitation.
- Changes are possible due to COVID-19.
- UPDATE 11 Jan, 2022: The applicant must participate to the entrance examination at the school (offering bilingual education) which is indicated on the form as the primary choice.
- Pupils studying in bilingual education in the 6th grade do not participate in the entrance examination.
If an applicant has fallen ill and is unable to participate in the entrance examination, contact the school principal 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.
Please contact the school for additional information on entrance examinations.
Number of study places
- Haukilahti middle school, 24
- Nöykkiö middle school, 24
- Kilonpuisto joint comprehensive school, 24 (including pupils continueing from 6th grade to 7th grade)
- Kuitinmäki joint comprehensiveschool, 24 (including pupils continueing from 6th grade to 7th grade)
Means of delivery of the decision
You have chosen the means of delivery for the decision when filling in the form 'Application for 7th grade of comprehensive school'.
- If you have chosen the decision to be published in Wilma, the decision is available in Wilma on 6 April 2022. The decision will not be delivered by post.
- If you have chosen the decision to be mailed, the decision is mailed on 6 April 2022 to arrive during week 15. The decision will not be published in Wilma.
It is not possible to change the means of delivery after application period has ended.
Briefings for the guardians
- Nöykkiön school, 11 January 2022
- Kuitinmäki school, 12 January 2022
- Haukilahti school, 13 January 2022
- Kilonpuisto school, no briefings
For additional information, contact the school in question.
Downloadable files
Pupils are admitted for school year 2022-2023 if places become available during the school year 2021-2022 and they have not been filled by applicants moving to Espoo in the middle of the school year.
Fill in the application form 'Kaksikieliseen opetukseen (suomi-englanti) vuosiluokille 1-9 hakeminen' (available only in Finnish) and submit it to the school offering bilingual education to which Your child primarily applies.
Application period
- 10 February, 2022 - 15 June, 2022
Application form
Entrance examinations
- 5 August, 2022. Your child will receive an invitation.
If your child has fallen ill and is unable to participate in the entrance examination, contact the school principal 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.
Admission to 1st grade
Admission is based on an entrance exam consisting of two sections:
- Exam analysing Finnish language proficiency (0–45 points)
- Exam analysing the basic concepts of and proficiency in English (0–30 points).
In order to be admitted to bilingual education, an applicant must achieve the minimum score for each section and the minimum total score of the entrance examination. Applicants are admitted in the order of their total score in the entrance examination (0–75 points). If applicants have the same total scores, the order is determined based on the sibling criterion (the applicant’s sibling attends the school in question and is not on the highest grade level). If the sibling criterion does not clarify the situation, the order will be determined by drawing lots.
Any applicants who complete the entrance exam in an acceptable manner but are not admitted due to a lack of available seats will be placed on school-specific waiting lists in the order of their respective admission exam score, with Espoo-based applicants taking priority. If places become available, pupils will be admitted in the order of the waiting list until the entrance exam in the autumn, at which point the waiting list expires.
Admission to 7th grade
Applicants are admitted in the following order of priority:
- Applicants who are attending the 6th grade of bilingual education.
- Applicants who have been in English-language education in Finland or abroad.
- Applicants who completed the English-language exam in an acceptable manner.
In the event that two or more applicants are on equal standing, the order is determined by drawing lots.
Any applicants who complete the entrance exam in an acceptable manner but are not admitted due to a lack of available seats will be placed on school-specific waiting lists in the order of their respective admission exam score, with Espoo-based applicants taking priority. If places become available, pupils will be admitted in the order of the waiting list until the entrance exam in the autumn, at which point the waiting list expires.
Admission to other grades
Admission is based on an entrance exam Upon applying for any grade, the applicants must achieve the minimum total score determined jointly by the school boards. Applicants are admitted in the order of their total score in the entrance examination. If two applicants have the same total score, selection will be decided by drawing lots.
Admission to grades 1–9 during a school year
During a school year, any available seats can be filled with pupils who have just moved to Espoo or are about to do so. Pupil admissions are based on a pass grade in the entrance examination. The principal of the school in question will determine the date of the entrance examination.
In order to pass the entrance examination, applicants must achieve the minimum score specified for entrance examination by the school boards. Pupils are selected based on their total score ranking in the entrance examination. If two applicants have the same total score, selection will be decided by drawing lots.
The pupils selected must immediately start school in bilingual-language education.
Applicants living in other municipalities will not be admitted in the middle of the school year.
- Jalavapuiston koulu (grades 1–6)
- Niittykummun koulu (grades 1–6)
- Kilonpuiston koulu (grades 1–9)
- Kuitinmäen koulu (grades 1–9)
- Haukilahden koulu (grades 7–9)
- Nöykkiön koulu (grades 7–9)
How to apply simultaneously for English-language education in 1st grade
Inform in the form Application for 1st grade of Comprehensive School that your child is applying for Bilingual education as a primary form of education. Also select Espoo International schools two locations in order of preference.
Your child must participate in the following entrance examinations:
- The entrance examination for bilingual education between 3-4 February, 2022. Applicants take part in the entrance examination at the bilingual school which is marked by a guardian as the first choice for bilingual education. The entrance examination consists of two sections: A test for measuring linguistic capabilities and a test for measuring basic terminology in English and English language skills.
Please note! The first section measuring linguistic capabilities must be done in Finnish. A guardian is able to choose the section taken in English only if a child is applying solely for English-language education. - The entrance examination for English-language education between 2-3 February, 2022 at the Espoo International School. The applicants will receive a separate invitation for the entrance examinations mentioned above.
How to apply simultaneously for English-language education in the 7th grade?
If your child´s first preference is bilingual education:
The applicant must participate to the entrance examination at the school (offering bilingual education) which is indicated on the form as the primary choice. The entrance examination for bilingual education is 26 January 2022 at 9 am. Applicants must arrive at 8:45 am at the latest. No separate invitation.If your child´s first preference is English-language education:
The applicant must participate to the entrance examination at Espoo International School 26 January 2022 at 9 am. Applicants must arrive at 8:45 am at the latest. No separate invitation.
Weighted-curriculum education in Espoo
Espoo offers versatile options for weighted-curriculum education. All options can be found on this page.
More information
Sara Raitala
Secretary of Pupil Administration040 507 0817sara.raitala@espoo.fiEnrolment in comprehensive school (grades 1-6) and school admission
Noora Järvi
System Planner040 636 9154noora.jarvi@espoo.fiEnrolment in comprehensive school (grades 7-9) and school admission