Higher educational system in Finland

The Finnish higher educational system comprises universities and polytechnics / universities of applied sciences, in which the admission requirement is a general or vocational upper secondary certificate. Currently there are 20 universities and 28 universities of applied sciences in Finland. Higher education in Finland is by law funded by the State through the Ministry of Education, and therefore students enrolled in regular degree programmes pay no tuition fees.

Universities (comprising multidisciplinary universities, specialised scientific universities and art academies) focus on academic research and education based on research. They confer lower and higher academic degrees, Bachelor’s and Master’s, and scientific postgraduate degrees, Licentiate and Doctorate.

Polytechnics / universities of applied sciences offer work-related education in response to labour market needs. They provide Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

The completion of a Bachelor’s degree takes 3.5 - 4.5 years of full-time study. Master’s degree programmes are available for those who have completed a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, plus a minimum of three years of work experience in the field concerned.