Upper Secondary Education Tuition Fees
Students coming from third countries will in future be required to pay tuition fees in general upper secondary education and vocational education and training. The fees apply to students who start their studies in August 2026 or later.
Who will be required to pay the tuition fees?
Tuition fees were introduced in Finland on 1 August 2026 for upper secondary students coming from outside the EU and EEA.
A third country national is a person who is not a citizen of an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.
Which programmes are subject to tuition fees?
Tuition fees apply to:
- vocational education and training
- general upper secondary education
Tuition fees apply to both vocational education and general upper secondary education regardless of whether a student completes an entire qualification, parts of a qualification, or individual subjects (subject students). The tuition fee also applies to studies that a student transfers from another educational institution.
Which programmes are not subject to tuition fees?
- Vocational education and training organised as labour market training. Only individuals in Finland who meet the selection criteria set by the employment authority for the training can be admitted.
- Preparatory Education for Programmes Leading to an Upper Secondary Qualification (TUVA). TUVA is not a qualification‑leading programme, and a residence permit based on studies cannot be granted on the basis of this training.
- Basic education studies:
- Basic education-level English language studies and Finnish as a Second Language (S2) studies at Jyväskylä General Upper Secondary School for Adults.
- Adult basic education
Applicants from outside EU and EEA countries who are subject to tuition fees cannot apply to:
- General Upper Secondary Education in English (English‑language upper secondary education).
Who pays the tuition fee?
In vocational education and training
The following persons are required to pay an annual tuition fee:
- whose first residence permit in Finland has been granted on the basis of studies.
- adults (persons aged 18 or over who are not subject to compulsory education) who come to Finland on the basis of family ties if the sponsor’s first residence permit was granted on the basis of studies.
The obligation to pay continues until the student is granted a permanent residence permit.
In general upper secondary education
The following persons are required to pay an annual tuition fee:
- those who arrive in Finland or are in Finland on a student residence permit.
Who does not pay the tuition fee?
The tuition fee is not charged, for example, from:
- compulsory education students: Upper secondary education in Finland is free of charge for young people subject to compulsory education. Those subject to compulsory education are under 18 years of age and have been granted a municipality of residence in Finland when arriving with their guardian or family. The grounds on which the family sponsor’s residence permit was granted do not affect this entitlement.
- holders of a permanent residence permit (the P permit).
- In vocational education and training, fees are not charged to students who have been granted a continuous residence permit if their first residence permit was issued on the basis other than studies.
- In general upper secondary education, fees are not charged to students who have been granted a continuous residence permit if the residence permit was issued on the basis other than studies.
- exchange students (studies in Finland up to 1 year).
- persons staying in the country under temporary protection for the entire duration of the studies, provided that the studies were started while the temporary protection was in force.
Additional information
The content of this page is updated regularly. For further information, please contact Gradia Admissions Services at hakupalvelut@gradia.fi.