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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Finland

Definition of the target group(s)

The Non-discrimination Act 1325/2014 (Yhdenvertaisuuslaki 1325/2014) (last accessed 21.3.2025) states that education providers must make necessary and approriate adjustments for disabled persons to gain access to education. In higher education institutions, these are generally called individual arrangements. 

Academic, career and psychological guidance form a whole that is not always easily separable into these three sections. They are also closely related to support for learning, on which you can read more in other subchapters of chapter 11.  

Legislation on support for learning is currently being amended in Finland. Please note that the information in this chapter considers the situation before these changes.

Planned schedule:

Legislation on support for learning is currently being amended in Finland. Please note that the information in this chapter considers the situation before these changes will come into force. 

Planned schedule:

Legislation on support for learning is currently being amended in Finland. Please note that the information in this chapter considers the situation before these changes.

Planned schedule:

Legislation on support for learning is currently being amended in Finland. Please note that the information in this chapter considers the situation before these changes.

Planned schedule:

  • changes regarding pre-primary education, primary and lower secondary education, and general upper secondary education will come into force in August 2025;

  • changes regarding vocational upper secondary education and training will come into force in August 2026.

 

Adult education and training comprises education and training leading to a degree or certificate, liberal adult education, staff development and other training provided or purchased by employers. It also includes labour market training, which is mainly targeted at unemployed people.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) themselves have the primary responsibility for the quality of education they organise. This is stipulated in the Universities Act and the Universities of Applied Sciences Act. HEIs are responsible for evaluating their education, research and artistic activities. 

The educational legislation, which also steers quality assurance, is based on a principle of decentralisation where the self-evaluation of education providers and the external evaluations of a national external body build the basis. 

In Finland, quality assurance focuses more on guidance and continuous development instead of strict control and inspections. For example, school inspections were abolished in the early 1990s.

Local responsibility in quality assurance