Information about the joint application system

In Espoo, the options after basic education include vocational schools, general upper secondary schools and preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA).

• General upper secondary education in Espoo
• Vocational education at Omnia(external link)
• Preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA)
• Live Vocational College (vocational special education institution)(external link)
• On the studyinfo.fi website(external link), you can find all study options available through the joint application system as well as most options that have separate application processes.

• Thu 18 January 2024 from 13:30 onwards and  
• Tue 23 January 2024 from 13:30 onwards.

• 16 January 2024 Mattlidens gymnasium

• 22 January 2024 Etelä-Tapiola General Upper Secondary School

• 23 January.2024 Tapiola General Upper Secondary School, music specialisation

• 23 January 2024 Mattlidens gymnasium, IB programme

• 24 January 2024 Etelä-Tapiola General Upper Secondary School, IB programme

• 24 January 2024 Otaniemi General Upper Secondary School, specialisation in mathematics and natural sciences (MaLu)

• 24 January 2024 Espoonlahti General Upper Secondary School

• 25 January 2024 Otaniemi General Upper Secondary School, theatre and media track (TeMe)

• 25 January 2024 Espoon yhteislyseo (EYL)

• 25 January 2024 Kuninkaantie General Upper Secondary School

• 29 January 2024 Viherlaakso General Upper Secondary School

• 30 January 2024 Haukilahti General Upper Secondary School

• 31 January 2024  Matinkylä General Upper Secondary School, visual arts programme

• 31 January 2024 Leppävaara General Upper Secondary School

• 1 February 2024 Matinkylän lukio General Upper Secondary School

On the Apply for general upper secondary education in the joint application system page you will find information about the offerings of Espoo’s general upper secondary schools and how to apply to them.'

Vocational schools and the TUVA education provider hold information sessions before the joint application period. Check the dates on the institutions’ websites.

The joint application system covers general upper secondary schools, vocational schools, vocational education organised based on intensive special support, preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA), preparatory education for work and independent living (TELMA), and folk high schools’ liberal adult education programmes intended for students required to attend compulsory education.

• Joint application period  February 20–March 19, 2024.
• Possible entrance and aptitude tests in April–May 2024 
• Results will be announced earliest by June 13
• Accepting the study place must be confirmed latest by June 27 
• Available study places will be offered to applicants on waiting lists until 16 August 2024.
• Additional application rounds for remaining study places will start after the results of the joint application process have been published.

Otaniemen lukio / mathematics and natural sciences: more information (in Finnish)

Tapiolan lukio / music: more information (in Finnish)

Viherlaakson lukio / visual arts: more information (in Finnish)

Matinkylän lukio / visual arts: more information (in Finnish)

During the joint application period, you need to fill in an online application form in which you can enter up to seven preferred options.

You can fill in the application form at www.opintopolku.fi(external link) (in Finnish), www.studieinfo.fi(external link) (in Swedish) or www.studyinfo.fi(external link) (in English).

You can use the same website to practise filling in the form before the actual application period. You can only fill in the online form once during the application period. If you cannot fill in the form online, you can ask the guidance counsellor for help.

Schools’ own application forms

When applying to the following specialised schools or programmes, you will need to fill in the online form on the Opintopolku/Studyinfo website as well as a separate application that you can find on the school’s website.

• Etelä-Tapiolan lukio, IB World School
• Mattlidens gymnasium,  IB World School
• Otaniemen lukio(external link), theatre and media (website in Finnish)

• Espoo upper secondary schools hold a joint test of Finnish language proficiency, which applicants must take in person, on Friday, 21 April 2023.

• The language proficiency testing is carried out at Leppävaaran lukio upper secondary school in room 3017 on Friday, 19 April 2024 at 14.00. Address: Karaportti 2, 02610 Espoo. In matters related to getting to the test location, please contact Riikka Vähätalo, Senior Secretary of Leppävaaran lukio upper secondary school (tel. +358 40 5537930) or Ismo-Olav Kjäldman, Head of the school (tel. +358 50 5699337). In other matters, please contact the upper secondary school you are applying for.

• The test is to determine the language proficiency of applicants whose mother tongue is not Finnish. Heads of the school may, at their discretion, also accept applicants without the test if sufficient Finnish language proficiency can be reliably demonstrated.

• As a rule, upper secondary school studies require language proficiency at level B1 or higher of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The language proficiency test of Espoo upper secondary schools does not aim to determine the applicant’s precise language proficiency level but seeks to determine whether the applicant’s language skills are sufficient for studying in upper secondary school in Finnish. Applicants who do not meet the requirements for discretionary admission will not be tested for language proficiency. 

• Those applying for the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme will not undergo Finnish language proficiency testing – their preconditions for completing upper secondary school studies will be considered through other means.  

The results of the joint application process and other spring application processes are published in accordance with a nationwide schedule from 13 June onwards.

The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) sends a separate email to the applicant for each individual application. The email specifies the programme to which the applicant has been chosen and/or if he or she has been placed on a reserve list. If a young person has entered their guardian’s email address on the application form, the guardian will also be notified of the young person’s admission into a school.

You may accept or decline the study place by using links included in the EDUFI email. We recommend accepting or declining the study place electronically. 

Every applicant must inform the relevant educational institution that they accept the proposed study place no later than on 27 June 2024.

The educational institution to which the applicant has been accepted may inform accepted applicants of their decision by regular mail or e-mail. In most cases, their decision letter specifies what additional information the applicant must send to the educational institution in addition to the (electronic) confirmation they have already provided for the study place in question.

The results of the joint application process are also published online, although these results only include applicants who have agreed to this online publication in the relevant application form. Institutions providing vocational special needs education and training usually inform applicants of their results by regular mail only.

If you are offered only one study place, it is important that you accept it. Otherwise, you do not have an upper secondary education place to continue your compulsory education studies. This means you must continue seeking other study places. If you accept a study place, you will not be dropped off another one's reserve list. More details on compulsory education can be found on the Ministry of Education and Culture website(external link). 

If you have applied for more than one study place, you should accept one of the offered study places. You cannot study at multiple institutions at the same time.

If you accept a study place offered to you based on your reserve list position, remember to decline the study place you accepted earlier. Reserve lists remain valid until 16 August 2024.

• Accept one study place in a programme you want to begin.
• Confirm your place electronically using the link provided in the relevant EDUFI email.
• If you have sent multiple applications, decline all the places in which you do not want to study.

• The educational institution will send the admission decision to the accepted applicants either by email or post.
• On the website of each general upper secondary school, you can find operating instructions about accepting a place. You can also see information about what you need to do in addition to online acceptance. 
• You should submit any documents that indicate your potential special support needs to the educational institution by the start of the autumn term.
• The names of those who have been admitted into a school in Espoo will be published on the website of Espoo general upper secondary school, if they have agreed to the publication on the application form. You can find the admission results of general upper secondary schools here.

• The educational institution will send the admission decision to the accepted applicants either by email or post.
• See the school’s website or admission decision for information on what to do in addition to online acceptance. 
• You should submit any documents that indicate your potential special support needs to the educational institution by the start of the autumn term.
• The names of the accepted applicants will be published on the educational institutions’ websites if the applicant has agreed to the publication on the application form.
• You can find information about accepting a place at Omnia on this website (in Finnish).(external link)

• The educational institution will send the admission decision to the selected applicants either by email or post.
• See the school’s website or admission decision for information on what to do in addition to online acceptance. 
• You can find information about accepting a place at Live on this website (in Finnish).(extrernal link)(external link)

• See the school’s website or admission decision for information on what to do in addition to online acceptance. 

• If you have not received a study place for continuing your compulsory education studies, you are required to seek other study places.
  If you did not receive a study place, please get in touch with your study counsellor (opo) or request help from Ohjaamotalo(extrernal link).
• Students who have applied to an educational institution that provides intensive special needs support will also receive assistance and counselling from the education institution they applied to during the joint application period.
• You can apply for a place to study via Studyinfo(extrernal link)(external link). In the continuous application process, you can even apply in the summer.
• You can apply for general upper secondary or vocational studies that lead to a qualification, but, at the minimum, you should apply for preparatory education for upper secondary qualification (TUVA). In Espoo, TUVA education is provided by Omnia(extrernal link)(external link).
• If you feel you need intensive support in your studies, you can apply for TUVA education in an educational institution that provides intensive special needs support. 
  • Educational institutions providing intensive special needs support in Finland(extrernal link)(external link)
  • In Espoo, intensive special needs support and education is provided by Live.(extrernal link)(external link)

• The Outreach Youth Work counsellors will help each student apply for other study places and advise and support them with this and other related issues. 

• For advice and help, please see the Outreach Youth Work web pages.(extrernal link)
  The counsellors can be reached by phone at +358 43 8243453 or via email at etsivanuorisotyo@espoo.fi. 

• If a young person who is required to participate in compulsory education is left without a study place, does not accept any study place, or discontinues ongoing studies without an alternative study place; as required under the 'Compulsory Education Act' (Oppivelvollisuuslaki), the authority of the young person's home municipality will direct the young person into a predetermined study place. The authority will hear the young person and their guardian before determining the study place. The obligation to apply for studies ends when the young person turns 18. In Espoo, the party responsible for guidance and monitoring is The Upper Secondary Education Unit's Education Planning Chief.
• Under certain conditions, it is possible to apply for a temporary suspension of the compulsory education requirement. The decisions to accept such applications are also made by The Upper Secondary Education Unit's Education Planning Chief.
• Read more about the extension of compulsory education