Vocational upper secondary education

Vocational upper secondary diploma/higher vocational diploma or a vocational qualification in adult education

A vocational college  or higher vocational diploma gives you general eligibility to apply. 3 years vociational education completed in vocational upper secondary education and training, in combinded educations programmes, or in adult education also gives you general eligibility. If you have taken the Matriculation examination and have a vocational college diploma as well, you can choose which certificate you use for applying.

Eligibility for applying for a corresponding field of study is given by:

• a vocational qualification of less than three years in duration, completed in vocational upper secondary education and training, referred to in the Vocational Education and Training Act (630/98), or a corresponding earlier qualification.
• combined education programmes of less than three years in duration, referred to in the Act on Youth-level Education and the Polytechnic experiment (391/91)
• vocational qualifications or further vocational qualifications in adult education of less than three years duration, referred to in the Vocational Adult Education Act (631/98)
• a non-Finnish vocational degree or studies equivalent to the qualifications mentioned above.

Eligibility for polytechnic/UAS studies in a corresponding field of study on the basis specified above may be broadened into general eligibility for polytechnic/UAS studies by:

1) additionally completing a) general or vocational studies that extend the post-basic education studies to three years of duration, or b) a further vocational qualification or c) a specialist vocational qualification or

2) gaining at least three years of work experience in a corresponding field, after completing the qualification.

The corresponding field of study is defined according to the following fields of vocational education and training: humanities and education; culture; natural sciences; natural resources and the environment; tourism, catering and domestic services; social services, health and sports; technology, communications and transport; social sciences, business and administration.

A polytechnic/UAS can also take into consideration a vocational qualification or school-level vocational education that does not fall into the fields of education and training specified above as studies in a corresponding field, if its content is close to the study programme specialisation.

Applicants graduating from a Finnish vocational institution in 2010

You can apply to polytechnics/UAS in the spring of your graduation. Please note that admittance is conditional until you have graduated.