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Responsible for the service City of Helsinki, Education Division

Finnish as a second language instruction at general upper secondary school

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  • Helsinki
  • Public service

At general upper secondary school, you can study Finnish and literature (äidinkieli ja kirjallisuus) based on the Finnish as a second language and literature (suomi toisena kielenä ja kirjallisuus) syllabus if your native language is not Finnish, Swedish or Sami.

You can study Finnish as a second language (S2), if you find one or more of the following things difficult to do in Finnish:

- speak ...

Do the following

To whom and on what terms

The teacher will evaluate whether you should take part in S2 instruction. The teacher will discuss and decide with you the syllabus you will study.

Background information

General upper secondary education provides you with the necessary skills for studying at a university or university of applied sciences. At the end of your general upper secondary education, you will complete a matriculation examination that will make you eligible for a place of study at a higher education institution.

You can apply for a study place at the educational institution of your choice. The provider of the education decides whom it will admit to its institution.

The target completion time for a general upper secondary school syllabus is three years. Every syllabus and the studies included in them are measured in credits. The general upper secondary school syllabus for young students consists of 150 credits. The studies included in the syllabus for young students have been designed with full-time study in mind. A separate syllabus is also available to adults who wish to participate in general upper secondary education.

The service is provided by

City of Helsinki

Responsible for the service

City of Helsinki, Education Division
Text edited by: City of Helsinki, Education Division
Updated: 27/3/2024