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Finland
Finnish higher education in brief
| 1) Organization Higher education is offered by universities and polytechnics, which are professionally oriented higher education institutions. Both sectors have their own profiles; universities emphasise scientific research and instruction, whereas polytechnics adopt a more practical approach. 2) Access The Finnish matriculation examination provides general eligibility for higher education. In addition, those with a Finnish polytechnic degree, a post-secondary level vocational qualification or at least a three-year vocational qualification also have general eligibility for university education. Universities may also admit applicants who have completed open university studies required by the relevant university or who are otherwise considered by the university to have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the studies. The Nordic countries have specific agreements on access to higher education and transfer of upper secondary examinations. There is restricted entry, ‘numerus clausus’, to all fields of study. As applicant volumes far outweigh the number of places available, universities use different kinds of student selection criteria. The general requirement for admission to polytechnics is completion of general upper secondary education or vocational education and training. In other words, the following applicants qualify for polytechnic studies: those who have taken the matriculation examination or completed upper secondary school, or have a vocational qualification (or a post-secondary qualification), or a corresponding international or foreign qualification. Student selection to polytechnics is mainly based on school achievement and work experience and, in many cases, entrance examinations. 3) Qualifications According to the degree system at universities, it is possible to take either a lower or a higher academic degree. The lower or Bachelor`s degree (120 credits) and the higher or Master`s degree (160-180 credits) can be completed in 3 years and 5-6 years respectively. In addition, universities offer scientific postgraduate degrees that are Licentiates and Doctorates. Studies leading to a polytechnic degree take 3½ -4 years or 140-160 credits, depending on the field of study, at which point the polytechnics grant the student a degree certificate. Some polytechnics offer post-graduate degree studies on a trial basis as from 1st August 2002.
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