Higher education leads the way

Higher education has a significant role in Finnish society and the national innovation system: higher education makes a crucial contribution towards a world-class knowledge society.

Finnish higher education comprises of a dualistic model:

• universities promoting research and scientific and artistic learning
• polytechnics (known also as universities of applied sciences) promoting professional higher education and applied R&D.

All 16 universities operating under the Ministry of Education confer Bachelor's, Master's, licentiate and doctoral degrees (3 + 2 + 4 years).

Polytechnics confer Bachelor’s (from 3.5 up to 4 years) and Master’s (1 – 1.5 years) degrees. A student is eligible for Master’s level studies after accomplishing a Bachelor’s degree, and having at least three years of relevant work experience after that.

All studies are quantified as credits (ECTS, European Credit Transfer System). One year of full-time study corresponds to 60 credits.

Click here to find out more about the ECTS credit system.

Finnish universities select their national and international students independently. Entrance examinations are an important part of the admissions process. In the polytechnic sector, Finnish students apply through a national application system.