In Finland, most qualification‑oriented adult education is free of charge, such as adult basic education, upper‑secondary studies, and vocational qualifications (see Chapter 7). However, many supplementary, continuing‑education and short courses are fee‑based, and adults generally pay these costs themselves.

Main funding principles

The public sector in Finland makes significant investments in adult learning as part of the wider education and labour policy. Most of the financing comes from the state budget, but also from the EU’s funding programmes and employers’ investments in training. 

Vocational adult education, continuing education at the level of higher education, labour market training and liberal adult education are all funded from the state budget. It is difficult to estimate the exact total sum because the financing of adult learning is divided between several different budget headings. In practice, the funding model in adult learning is the same as in education for children and young people of compulsory education age.  

A significant change in recent years is that the adult education allowance has been abolished, as its granting and payment ended on 31 December 2025. This affects students’ personal financial support options but does not change the basic funding structure of education.

New funding system for vocational education and training

A single coherent funding system was established in the revised Act on the Financing of the Provision of Education and Culture (532/2017) for all vocational education and training. The act includes one uniform funding system for the provision of vocational education and training covering vocational upper secondary education and training, vocational further education and training, apprenticeship training and labour market training leading to qualification.

The funding is divided into calculated student-year based funding, performance-based funding, effectiveness-based funding and feedback. Student-year-based funding covers 50 per cent and performance-based funding, based on the number of completed qualifications and units, covers 30 per cent of the total funding. Effectiveness-based funding covers 18 per cent of the total funding and depends on students’ access to employment and further studies after graduation. Feedback from students and employers covers 2 per cent of total funding. The new funding system is fully operational in 2026 onwards.

The core funding will guarantee that vocational education and training will continue to be provided in all fields and for all students in future. The funding system will consider the differences in the costs for providing education, such as cost differences between qualifications or sectors, costs for arranging special support, labour policy education, and training for prisoners. The central government funding for vocational education and training is determined annually in the budget instead of the previous system where the funding was based on the actual costs. 

Central and local governments participate in funding of adult education

Finland finances adult education through a strongly centralised yet multi‑level public system in which the central government is the main funder and strategic authority, allocating resources through the state budget to vocational adult education, higher education continuing studies, liberal adult education and labour‑market training. Municipalities play a complementary role, co‑funding adult general and vocational upper‑secondary education and acting as key financiers of liberal adult education institutions. For learners, the split between state and municipal funding is invisible—adult education appears as publicly funded and widely accessible. 

National agencies such as the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment (SECLE) and the Finnish National Agency for Education administer additional state grants and development funding to adult learning providers. Higher education institutions also receive central government funding to organise continuous learning provision for adults. Public employment services further finance training that supports employability, targeting both unemployed people and those at risk of unemployment. 

Overall, Finland’s model combines strong national steering with local co‑responsibility, ensuring broad access, alignment with labour‑market needs, and coherence across the adult learning system.

The state supports liberal adult education

The Finnish state is a major financier of liberal adult education, providing substantial annual funding to institutions such as adult education centres, folk high schools, study centres, sports institutes and summer universities. The state support keeps participation fees low and ensures broad accessibility. The state also finances voucher subsidies that reduce or remove fees for disadvantaged groups, further promoting equal access to non‑formal adult learning. 

Study vouchers are used to prevent marginalization

Study vouchers in Finland are discretionary state grants used in liberal adult education to reduce or fully cover student fees for groups at risk of marginalisation. The vouchers specifically target unemployed adults, people without upper secondary education, immigrants, pensioners and people with learning difficulties, enabling them to participate in learning opportunities they might otherwise not afford. By lowering financial barriers and supporting under‑represented groups, the voucher scheme promotes equality, inclusion and prevents social marginalisation in adult learning.

Fees paid by learners

In Finland, adult learners may pay moderate course fees, but only in specific types of education. Liberal adult education institutions (adult education centres, folk high schools, study centres, sports centres and summer universities) typically charge affordable participation fees, which are partly covered by substantial state funding. In addition, many liberal adult education participants benefit from state-funded study vouchers, which reduce or fully waive fees for disadvantaged groups. 

In vocational adult education, most provision is publicly funded, but learners may be charged reasonable fees especially in further and specialist vocational qualifications. Higher education continuing education and open university/open UAS studies also involve course-based fees, although the institutions themselves are publicly funded.

Financial support for adult learners

Adult learners in Finland can receive targeted financial support, although the forms and levels of support vary by situation. The key remaining instrument is the voucher subsidy in liberal adult education, which enables institutions to reduce or fully waive course fees for disadvantaged groups such as unemployed adults, immigrants, pensioners and people with low educational backgrounds. Other support options include student financial aid, unemployment‑related benefits used for training, and employer‑funded training, which is usually tax‑free for the learner. At the same time, several individual support schemes (e.g., the adult education allowance) were abolished in 2024–2025, reducing direct income‑related support for adult learners

Subsidies for private providers

In Finland, private education providers cannot receive state subsidies for regulated education through the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment (SECLE), unless they are licensed education providers. Under Finnish legislation (Act 682/2021), SECLE may award state grants only to organisations that hold the required statutory licences, such as: authorised providers of vocational education and training, recognised providers within liberal adult education or universities and universities of applied sciences.

Private training companies without such licences are not eligible for state subsidies for regulated education. However, private providers can participate in SECLE’s activities through procurement. SECLE is allowed to purchase non‑regulated training and other competence services from private companies under public procurement procedures. This enables private actors to contribute to adult learning provision, but through competitive procurement, not through grants.