Admission to High School

First year high school students (born 2010 or 2009, studies beginning in August 2026) are selected through the national joint application, “yhteishaku”. The application must be done via www.opintopolku.fi within the application time 17.2. – 17.3.2026.

Please note, that if you are not a citizen of the EU or EEA, you must have a residence permit in Finland that is not based on studies in order to apply.

High School OPEN HOUSES will be held:

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 17.00-19.30 Valimotie 17-19, Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 17.00-18.00 ONLINE (Teams link will be updated here)

Welcome!

1. Admission to the Upper Secondary English and Finnish language and culture program (50 places)

Our high school’s English–Finnish language and culture program strives for balanced bilingualism in English and Finnish, and every student completes the Finnish Matriculation Examination in Finnish.

Admission Criteria

Admission is based solely on the applicant’s weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of their academic subjects on their Basic Education Certificate. The weighted subjects are English and Finnish. (A1 or A2 English is weighted by 2 and Finnish as a mother tongue or Finnish as a second language is weighted by 2.) The lowest acceptable weighted GPA is 7,50.

Please note that a basic command of the Finnish language is needed, and students need to be motivated to improve their Finnish. This is because several study units are studied in Finnish, and the students will take the Finnish Matriculation Examinations as their final examinations.

Discretionary Admission (only valid in bilingual program)

If you are applying with a certificate from overseas, you must have completed your basic education (Grades 1-9) corresponding to the Finnish Basic Education Certificate (completed by 30.5.2026) in order to be considered a valid applicant for special consideration, discretionary admission (“harkinnanvarainen valinta”). Such applicants must provide us with copies of their studies/report cards by the end of April. Applicants applying for discretionary admission must also take the written exam here at the school (Valimotie 17-19, 00380 Helsinki) on Tuesday, May 5th at 9.30-11.30. The written exam evaluates the applicant’s level in Finnish and English languages. More detailed instructions will be sent to applicants in mid April.

Copies should be delivered to: Valimotie 17-19, Helsinki or english.school@engs.fi.

If applying from a comprehensive school in Finland, copies of report cards or certificates are not needed. We will ask students for their high school study unit choices after they have been accepted in June. 

2. Admission to the General Upper Secondary education in English (20 places)

Students in the English-language upper secondary education at the English School complete their studies according to the Finnish national curriculum and, towards the end of their studies, participate in the Finnish matriculation examinations in English. Students must take at least five examination subjects, one of which is Finnish (Finnish as a Second Language and Literature). It will be possible to take the English-language matriculation examinations starting in autumn 2028.

Studies in the English-language upper secondary education are conducted mainly in English, and part of the instruction may also be organised remotely in cooperation with other institutions offering English-language upper secondary education.

Please note that strong motivation to learn and study the Finnish language is essential in the English-language programme, as Finnish Language is a compulsory subject for all students, and all students are required to take the Finnish language examination in the matriculation examination. Students study two beginner-level Finnish courses (a total of 4 credits) before moving on to the national Finnish as a Second Language and Literature courses. In addition to Finnish as a Second Language studies, we also support Finnish language learning across other subjects. The aim for all students is excellent proficiency in English and at least a good level of proficiency in Finnish.

Admission Criteria

The English-language upper secondary school track is intended for young people who have completed studies referred to in the Basic Education Act for no more than three years and therefore have insufficient language skills to complete upper secondary school in Finnish or Swedish.

If you are applying with a certificate from overseas, you must have completed your basic education (Grades 1-9) corresponding to the Finnish Basic Education Certificate (completed by 30.5.2026) in order to be considered a valid applicant. The certificate of education completed abroad, and, if needed, its official English translation, must be submitted to the school no later than 30 May 2026.

In addition, an applicant admitted to upper secondary education in English who is not a citizen of a European Union member state or a state belonging to the European Economic Area must have been granted a residence permit under the Aliens Act for reasons other than studies. The admission decision is conditional until the selected applicant submits the official documents to the school. The documents must be submitted to the school no later than the start of the school year, 12 August 2026. Attachments containing sensitive information must be submitted either by secure email or by post.

Applications are submitted through the joint application system, and selection is based solely on the entrance examination. In the event of a tie in points, the selection will be determined by lottery.

Entrance Exam

Students in the English-language program are required to have strong English skills, which are tested in an entrance examination (pass/fail). The entrance exam also assesses the applicant’s readiness for upper secondary studies in English (maximum of 100 points).

The national entrance exam for English-language upper secondary education will be held on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, from 10.00 to 12.00. With one entrance exam, applicants may apply to all upper secondary schools offering education in English. The national entrance exam must be taken at the institution that the applicant has ranked highest in their application preferences among schools offering general upper secondary education in English. The entrance exam cannot be taken remotely. The English School will hold the entrance examination at the above-mentioned time at Valimotie 17–19, 00380 Helsinki (the auditorium on the second floor).

Results

Announcement of results and admittance begins on Thursday, June 11th. You will receive a letter that tells you the results and gives you more detailed instructions on how to secure your place and how to sign up for the first year study units.

You need to secure your place by June 25th at the latest.

PLEASE NOTE! If you are interested in transferring to our school during the school year or applying to the second or third year of high school, please contact the High School Principal Seija Nyholm (seija.nyholm@engs.fi).

For more information, please contact:

Principal Seija Nyholm (seija.nyholm@engs.fi) or Assistant principal Seija Kiiskinen (seija.kiiskinen@engs.fi).