Changing place of study after comprehensive school
If you are not accepted to the study place you wanted in upper secondary education or your plans change, it is possible to change your study place.
If you already started general upper secondary school in the autumn but you would now like to transfer to vocational basic education and training, you can apply for a study place in vocational institutions in the continuous application process and in the joint application process in the following spring. Contact the guidance counsellor of your general upper secondary school and the vocational institution and draw up a plan for changing schools with them. Continue with general upper secondary education until you can start in a vocational institution. If you want to transfer to a different general upper secondary school in the middle of the school year, you must contact the general upper secondary school that you would like to attend.
The new educational institution will decide how it will give credits for the studies you have already completed in your previous study place.
If the school year is at its start and there are vacant study places in general upper secondary education, you can apply for them in the continuous application process. You will find the details of the vacant study places in Studyinfo.fiOpens in a new window. or by contacting the educational institution of your choice.
If there are no vacant study places or the school year is already well under way, you can apply for general upper secondary education in the joint application process of the following spring. Your current educational institution will help you in the application process.
You should contact the guidance counsellor if you want to change from one field to another in your vocational institution. If there are vacant places in the field in which you want to study, you may be able to make the transfer in the middle of the school year.
You must usually apply separately for the study fields that have more applicants than study places. However, it is possible that on the basis of your study performance you can switch to another field without making a new application.
You should notify your guidance counsellor if you or your family move to another municipality in the middle of your studies. You may well be able to continue your studies in a vocational institution in your new home municipality.
You can interrupt your studies in a general upper secondary school or vocational institution in the middle of the school year if you have good reasons for the interruption. You should discuss the matter with your guidance counsellor so that you can decide when and how you can continue your studies.
However, if you are in the ninth year of basic education in spring 2021, you can only leave school
- when you are 18 years old or
- after you have taken an upper secondary qualification (matriculation examination or vocational qualification) or a corresponding qualification outside Finland.
If you are planning to interrupt your studies, you should review the situation with your guardians and educational institution. You should jointly decide whether you should apply for another study field or whether you need support for school attendance.
You must first get a new study place before your educational or vocational institution can accept your application to interrupt your studies.