After completing the compulsory nine-year basic education, students are eligible for general upper secondary education and vocational upper secondary education and training. One of the objectives of education policy is to provide the whole of each age group with upper secondary education.
After the extension of compulsory education the first of August 2021 all pupils, who have finished the primary and lower secondary level education have to apply for further studies to upper secondary education. The reform ensures that all those who complete compulsory school education have the knowledge, skills and competence required for upper secondary education. After the reform the compulsory education lasts till a student will be 18 years or has finished upper secondary level education.
The upper secondary education, similarly, as the single-structure primary and lower secondary education, is free of charge and after the extension of the compulsory education almost all teaching materials and learning materials are also unpayable.
After completing the single-structure primary and lower secondary education 15-16 -year-olds have to continue to general or vocational upper secondary education. Both forms give eligibility for higher education and usually take three years.
General upper secondary studies or the syllabus of general upper secondary education can also be studied at the general upper secondary schools for adults, where the teaching takes place mostly in the evenings. The general upper secondary schools for adults follow the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education for adults and the demanded study units are less than in the syllabus for young, which is studied at day schools for general upper secondary education and happen in day-time.
This chapter is divided into three parts:
- General upper secondary education
- Vocational upper secondary education and training (VET)
- Post-secondary non-tertiary education.
In 2022, 50% of the primary and lower secondary education school-leavers begun studying at a general upper secondary school, 38% at the vocational upper secondary education and training, and 1,4% did not immediately continue to secondary level. 0,7% continued to a study not leading to a qualification, for example at folk high schools´ study modules.
Year | General upper secondary | Vocational education and training | Not in secondary level education | Not leading to a qualification |
2022 | 50% | 38% | 1,4% | 0,7% |
Table 6. Direct transition to upper secondary level after the completion of the single-structure primary and lower secondary education 2022 (%)
Source: Statistics Finland 2023