High School in Finland

Eligibility Requirements

Participants must be between the ages of  15,8 – 18,8 years old on the day of departure.

The AFS Program

After your host parents greet you with traditional hospitality, it shouldn’t be long before you feel at home in their open, friendly community. By going to a local high school, you’ll be totally immersed in a new language and customs, and what you learn during the day will be reinforced at night when you spend time with your host family. This is your chance to break out of your comfort zone and join in this diverse and ever-evolving culture.

Your high school

The education system in Finland is composed of comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools, vocational and professional education institutions and universities.

Compulsory education consists of a nine-year comprehensive school starting at the age of seven. It is free of charge for the pupil. After completing comprehensive school, students are free to continue their studies in upper secondary school, in vocational institute or in commercial college. Some of the pupils enter working life after completing comprehensive school.

Upper secondary school is academically oriented and about 50% of the age group attends it. Most upper secondary schools are run by the municipality and only a few by the state or privately. A national matriculation examination (a nationwide student exam) taken after the three years of upper secondary school is usually required for entry into a university.

The school year

School work begins in mid-August and ends in the beginning of June at the latest. In addition to a summer vacation (from June till mid-August), students have Christmas, winter sports (a week in February or in March) and Easter vacation (a week in March/April). There is no school on Saturdays.

For more information on fees and scholarships.

Returning Home

“Life-changing” is hard to describe, yet it’s nearly always the first thing that AFSers say when asked about their experience abroad.
“Transformed” is another one. When you return home, if you’re like most AFSers, you’ll bring with you a sense of accomplishment unlike any other. You’ll have gained maturity and independence, discovered new passions, and feel like you can do anything you set your mind to. That transformation isn’t visible only to you, though – others see it as well. AFSers gain critical skills for college and careers, ranging from language fluency to intercultural competence and critical reasoning. “Life-changing” means it’s only the beginning.