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Admissions criteria - Professional Guidance Counsellor Education


Eligibility criteria

1 Eligibility for professional guidance counsellor education

 You can apply to professional guidance counsellor education if you have the qualification of a teacher of vocational subjects or a teacher of general subjects in vocational education (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, sections 15, 13, 13a, 13b, 14, 27, 29)

  • teacher’s pedagogical studies (60 ECTS/35 credit units)
  • degree required for eligibility
  • work experience required for eligibility.

The eligibility criteria must be met by the end of the application period. Applicants need to attach the relevant certificates to their application to verify their education and work experience.

The applicants may have completed their teacher’s pedagogical studies (60 ECTS/35 credit units) either as part of professional teacher education at a professional teacher education institution or as university studies.

The degree and work experience required for eligibility are verified in accordance with the qualification requirements for teachers of vocational subjects or teachers of general subjects. What is required will depend on the major subject or orientation of your degree and whether you have completed your teacher’s pedagogical studies at a university or in professional teacher education programme at a university of applied sciences.

If you have completed professional teacher education, you are generally eligible for professional guidance counsellor education in terms of your higher education degree and work experience. These eligibility criteria have been examined in connection with your selection to professional teacher education. If you do not have a higher education degree, your eligibility is verified in accordance with section 2.3.

If you have completed your teacher’s pedagogical studies at a university, you are generally eligible in terms of a higher education degree. Your eligibility in terms of work experience is determined according to whether you are an applicant with qualifications of a teacher of vocational subjects or a teacher of general subjects. Teachers of vocational subjects must have at least three to five years of work experience within the field. For example, those with a master’s degree in education (including class teachers) are considered eligible if they have at least three years of work experience in the education sector. Teachers of general subjects are not required to have work experience.

In the student selection process, the fields of education follow the national classification of education 2016 by Statistics Finland.

You will not receive admission points for eligibility (teacher education, degree and work experience) unless otherwise stated in the point scoring system guidelines.

2 Degree and work experience required for eligibility

2.1 Teacher of vocational subjects

Degree

According to regulations, the applicant must have a relevant higher education degree from a university or university of applied sciences. Teachers in the field of social services and health must have either a master’s degree completed in a university or a university of applied sciences, or a bachelor’s degree completed in a university of applied sciences. Teachers in the field of dance or circus may enter a higher education degree or three years of relevant studies as the degree on which the application is based. (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, sections 13, 13a, 13 b.)

Work experience

Teachers of vocational subjects are required to have a minimum of three years’ work experience corresponding to the content of their degree. (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, sections 13, 13a, 13 b)

Please note: teachers in the field of social services and health who have completed a bachelor’s degree in a university of applied sciences are required to have a minimum of five years’ professional work experience in tasks corresponding to the content of their degree.  Teachers in the field of social services and health who have completed a master’s degree in a university or a Master’s degree in a university of applied sciences are required to have a minimum of three years’ professional work experience in a field corresponding to their degree.

Teachers in the field of dance or circus are required to have artistic or other professional experience from the field. When applying to professional guidance counsellor education, a minimum of three years of professional work experience in the field is considered to correspond to this requirement.

The professional work experience required for eligibility must correspond to the content of the degree on which the application for professional guidance counsellor education is based.  The work experience must have been acquired by 22 January 2025. Work as an entrepreneur in the field corresponding to the degree on which the eligibility is based can also be counted as work experience in the field.

Teaching experience in the field will not be taken into account (with the exception of those who have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in education). Furthermore, practical training included in teacher education or the degree on which the application is based will not be considered as work experience.

Maternity, paternity or parental leave during an employment relationship can be considered as work experience, but childcare leave will not be considered.

The duration of the required work experience is calculated on the basis of full-time employment and the duration of the employment relationship. Full-time employment is defined as 150 working hours per month. Short-term and part-time employment periods are converted into full-time work so that 150 working hours equal one month. If the working hours in the work certificate for short-term/part-time employment are indicated by days instead of hours, then 21 full workdays equal one month.

2.2 Teacher of general subjects

Degree

Generally, teachers of general subjects in vocational education must have either a master’s degree completed in a university or in a university of applied sciences (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, section 14). In the student selection process, applicants who have studied one of the following subjects as the major subject in their master’s programme can be considered teachers of general subjects: 

  • languages
  • philosophy, psychology, theology
  • literature
  • cultural research
  • statistics, mathematics, physics, chemistry
  • political science, law
  • health education.

In some cases, a relevant higher education degree other than a master’s degree may grant eligibility to apply to professional guidance counsellor education (for example, a bachelor’s degree in computer science, completed either in a university or a university of applied sciences).

If you have been employed in vocational education in Finland as a teacher of general subjects in the common core modules of civic skills, working life competence or studies that support capabilities for further studies or vocational development, the higher education degree which you have completed can be considered as an applicable degree, which grants eligibility to apply to professional student counsellor education. To determine your eligibility, you need to present a work certificate or a copy of the employment contract, in which the teaching assignment in question is described, and a valid working hours plan. In this application process, the applicant’s eligibility based on the aforementioned common core modules will not be evaluated without the documentation verifying the teaching assignment.

Work experience

Professional work experience is not required of teachers of general subjects.

In this application process, biology and geography are classified as vocational subjects as these fields are taught as vocational subjects in Finland's vocational education system. Applicants in these fields are required to have relevant work experience within the field. Teaching experience is not accepted for eligibility.

2.3 Requirements for applicants applying with qualifications other than a higher education degree

Degree

In some cases, qualifications other than a relevant higher education degree may grant eligibility to the study programme if the applicant is already working as a teacher of vocational subjects in vocational education during the application period to professional student counsellor education.  An education provider (an institution with government authorisation to provide vocational qualifications and vocational education in Finland) may derogate from the requirement for teachers to have a higher education degree and employ a person as a teacher of vocational subjects on the grounds of very extensive or specialised practical competence (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, section 13, subsection 2). The required qualification is a specialist vocational qualification or other applicable qualification, or education determined by the education provider.

The requirement for an applicable Master’s level university degree or applicable degree from a University of Applied Sciences cannot be disregarded in cases where the applicant is applying with a degree or qualification from the field of Social services and health.

To evaluate the eligibility of a person acting as a teacher of vocational subjects with qualifications other than a higher education degree, the applicant needs to submit, in addition to the relevant certificates, a further clarification by the educational institution on a separate form (Further clarification by the educational institution in Word format).

Work experience

An applicant who has been employed as a teacher of vocational subjects without a higher education degree is required to have five years of professional work experience corresponding to the content of their degree on which the application is based. The work experience is verified in accordance with the requirements concerning the work experience of a teacher of vocational subjects.  (Under Eligibility criteria, see section 2.1. Teacher of vocational subjects)

2.4 Teacher of preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification

A teacher of preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification must meet the eligibility requirements set for either teachers of vocational subjects or teachers of general subjects. (More information is available in Finnish in Decree 986/1998, section 17a)

2.5 Applying with a higher education degree completed outside Finland

A decision by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) or the Finnish Ministry of Education on the recognition of the level of the degree or qualification as equivalent to a higher education degree completed in Finland must be attached to the application if the degree on which the application is based has been completed outside Finland. (More information about recognition of qualifications is available on the Finnish National Agency for Education website.)

You do not need a decision on the recognition of the degree you have completed outside Finland if the higher education degree was in a Nordic country (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Iceland) and the degree you have completed is at least three years in scope and you are a citizen of one of the Nordic countries. However, if the degree you have completed belongs to the field of social services and health, or if – based on the degree you have completed – you are a teacher of general subjects, a decision on the recognition of your degree is required even if the degree was completed in one of the Nordic countries. (More information is available in Finnish in the Act on the Nordic Labour Market between the Nordic Countries for persons who have completed a higher education degree programme at least three years in scope 651/1998)

The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) is responsible for decisions regarding the eligibility conferred by foreign qualifications for positions which in Finland require specific education or a higher education degree of a certain level (More information in the  Act on Eligibility for Public Posts Provided by Higher Education Studies Completed Abroad 1385/2015). A certain level of education is required, for example, for teaching positions.

The authenticity of the decision on the recognition of the degree is verified with the Finnish National Agency for Education during the selection process. Without the decision on recognition, the application will not be considered. If you have applied or will apply for recognition, you can contact the education provider to find out if it is possible to extend the deadline for submitting the decision.


Description of admissions criteria

1 Admission point scoring system

The first step is checking the eligibility of your application. Matters which affect your eligibility will not be considered under the admission point scoring system. If you are found eligible, your application will be evaluated based on the admission point scoring system. As an applicant, you must verify the matters which affect the admission point scoring with certificates.

Studies or work experience which have been considered under one criterion of the admission point scoring system will not be considered again under any other criterion, unless otherwise stated in the admission criteria. Education affecting the admission point scoring must be completed and work experience acquired by the end of the application period on 22 January 2025.

The criteria which are considered under the admission point scoring system and the maximum admission points for each criterion in 2025 are as follows:

Educational studies on guidance and counselling since 1 January 20155 points
Work experience in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university5 points
Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution5 points
Experience of study guidance and counselling in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university since 1 January 20235 points
Experience of other guidance and counselling work4 points
Maximum points24 points

2 Definitions of the criteria applied under the admission point scoring system and relevant guidelines

2.1 Educational studies on guidance and counselling since 1 January 2015

This criterion of the admission point scoring system will consider educational studies completed since 1 January 2015 if the scope of an individual study module is at least 1 ECTS, 1 competence point or 27 hours.

In this application process, admission points can be awarded for study modules that provide capabilities for guidance work related to education and career choices, guidance of studies and guidance of on-the-job learning, including guidance method study modules, group instructor study modules, study modules related to the organisation of guidance and transition phase guidance, and multicultural guidance, career guidance and supervisor study modules. As regards studies completed at a higher education institution, only the guidance studies described above can be considered, and not, for example, basic, subject or advanced studies in pedagogy, special needs pedagogy or psychology.

This criterion of the admission point scoring system will not consider general pedagogical continuing education, teacher education, special needs teacher education, specialist in competence-based qualification education, supervisory and management training, certificate in educational administration, consultancy training, coaching training, or education with content related to social services, health and sports.

Studies completed before 1 January 2015 but marked as recognised after 1 January 2015 will not be considered under the admission point scoring system.

Studies included in the degree on which the application is based will not be considered under the admission point scoring system.

In addition to the certificate or diploma of the study module, by request you must also submit a transcript of records.

You can convert the studies or education defined in days or hours by calculating that 27 hours would equal one ECTS. In this application process, one competence point is considered equivalent to one ECTS. Guidance education is scored according to the sum of ECTS from all completed studies. We use the general rule for rounding.

Sum of completed ECTS and admission points:  

Less than 1 ECTS0 points
1 to 3 ECTS1 point
4 to 7 ECTS1.5 points
8 to 11 ECTS2 points
12 to 15 ECTS2.5 points
16 to 19 ECTS3 points
20 to 23 ECTS3.5 points
24 to 27 ECTS4 points
28 to 31 ECTS4.5 points
32 ECTS or more5 points

2.2 Work experience from a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university

Admission points can be granted for teaching experience acquired at a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university. In addition, experience acquired from working in a specialist position in the planning of teaching or studies or administration (e.g. as head of degree programme, education coordinator, or head of student services) in any of the aforementioned educational institutions will be considered. Acting as a student welfare officer, school psychologist, vocational instructor or inspector of apprenticeship training will also be taken into account. Admission points for work experience from an educational institution can be granted for work carried out in an employment or public-service employment relationship with an educational institution. The student welfare officers or school psychologists who work in any of the aforementioned educational institution may also have an employment or public service relationship with the wellbeing services county.

Admission points can also be granted for teaching or expert work carried out, for example in a folk high school or other educational organisation that organises education as its main task if the assignment has been carried out in a study programme organised under the government authorisation to provide vocational degrees and vocational education (basic, vocational and specialist qualifications). The applicant must have been in an employment or public service relationship with the educational institution/organisation.

In addition, work experience from an educational institution may have been acquired from an educational institution providing vocational training under the Finnish central government or in integration training organised by an educational institution or educational organisation in accordance with the Finnish National Agency for Education’s curriculum.

Work experience acquired by 22 January 2025 will be taken into consideration.  The duration of work experience is calculated on the basis of full-time teaching work; part-time experience can be converted into full-time experience using the formulae below. 

  • If your experience is from full-time (at least 16 hours a week) teaching work, the experience is calculated according to the duration of the employment relationship.
  • If your experience is from part-time teaching work, the experience is calculated so that 64 hours of part-time teaching is equivalent to one month of full-time teaching. The exception are teachers whose work is defined in annual or total working hours who have a part-time employment contract (e.g. 50% of working hours). Their work experience will be calculated as full-time employment by that percentage.
  • If your experience is from other than teaching work, the experience is calculated based on the duration of the employment relationship and full-time employment. Full-time employment is defined as 150 working hours per month. Short-term and part-time employment periods are converted into full-time work so that 150 working hours equal one month. If the working hours in the work certificate for short-term/part-time employment are indicated by days instead of hours, then 21 full workdays equal one month.

The experience you have indicated under this criterion of the admission point scoring system may also be considered under other criteria.

Duration of experience and admission points:

Less than 3 months0 points
3 to 6 months0.5 points
Over 6 to 12 months1 point
Over 12 to 18 months2 points
Over 18 to 24 months3 points
Over 24 to 30 months4 points
Over 30 months5 points

2.3 Experience of study guidance and counselling at an educational institution

In the admission point scoring system to professional guidance counsellor education, study guidance and counselling refers to broad-based work that requires expertise related to the education programmes, studies, professions and career choices of students. This work is carried out by a guidance counsellor who bears responsibility for study guidance and counselling in the unit or study programme assigned to him or her. Guidance counselling does not refer to the guidance and counselling work done as part of teacher’s duties.

Study guidance and counselling experience can also be considered if the applicant has worked under some other title than guidance counsellor in an employment or public-service employment relationship and the study guidance and counselling hours have been specified in the working hours plan. Admission points can be granted for experience from study guidance and counselling carried out in an employment or public-service employment relationship with a vocational educational institution, university of applied sciences, university, primary school, general upper secondary school, folk high school or adult education centre. The educational institution must have had government authorisation to provide education or training, or vocational education or vocational qualifications, or vocational further education and training during the teaching assignment.

The experience of study guidance and counselling from another educational organisation that organises education as its main task is also considered if the organisation has had the government authorisation to provide vocational qualifications and vocational education when the experience of study guidance and counselling has been acquired. In this case, study guidance and counselling must have been targeted for education organised under the government authorisation to provide vocational qualifications and vocational education. In addition, experience may have been acquired from an educational institution providing vocational education under the Finnish central government.

This criterion of the admission point scoring system also considers experience gained when acting as a teacher in charge of guidance in preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) or preparatory education for vocational education and training (VALMA) or working as a career counsellor or under a similar title in an educational institution.

Such work experience as working as a group instructor, teacher in charge, tutor or tutor teacher, or carrying out personalisation or guidance work included in the teacher’s duties, or supervising training, a work placement or thesis work are not considered as experience under this criterion of the admission point scoring system.

The duration of work experience is calculated on the basis of full-time teaching work; part-time experience can be converted into full-time experience using the formulae below.

  • If your experience is from full-time (at least 16 hours a week) study guidance and counselling work, the experience is calculated according to the duration of the employment relationship. The work experience of a teacher acting in charge of guidance in TUVA or VALMA preparatory education is considered, as well as the experience gained when working under the title of career counsellor.
  • If your experience is from part-time study guidance and counselling work, the experience is calculated so that 64 hours of part-time work is equivalent to one month of full-time work.

Duration of experience and admission points:

Less than 3 months0 points
3 to 6 months0.5 points
Over 6 to 12 months1 point
Over 12 to 18 months2 points
Over 18 to 24 months3 points
Over 24 to 30 months4 points
Over 30 months5 points

2.4 Experience of study guidance and counselling in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university since 1 January 2023

If at least 5 months of the full-time study guidance and counselling experience or such experience converted into full-time experience under the previous criterion has been acquired from a vocational institution (or other organisation that had authorisation to provide vocational qualifications and vocational education), university of applied sciences and/or university since 1 January 2023, the applicant receives 5 points. In addition, experience may have been acquired from an educational institution providing vocational education under the Finnish central government.

2.5 Experience of other guidance and counselling work

This criterion takes into account guidance and counselling work related to education and career paths carried out outside educational institutions, which is aimed at those over the age of compulsory education. Career guidance, vocational guidance and career planning or working in youth workshops can be considered as guidance work that awards admission points. Admission points for experience of other guidance work can only be granted for work carried out in an employment or public-service employment relationship.

Admission points cannot be granted for experience from work carried out in the field of social services and health, consultation or workplace guidance.

The duration of work experience is calculated on the basis of full-time employment and the duration of the employment relationship. Full-time employment is defined as 150 working hours per month. Short-term and part-time employment periods are converted into full-time work so that 150 working hours equals one month. If the working hours in the work certificate for short-term/part-time employment are indicated by days instead of hours, then 21 full workdays equal one month.

Duration of experience and admission points:

Less than 6 months0 points
6 to 12 months1 point
Over 12 to 18 months2 points
Over 18 to 24 months3 points
Over 24 months4 points

Admissions procedure

Admission based on admission points

Threshold criteria

1 Admissions procedure

Student admissions to professional guidance counsellor education are based on a national point scoring system. The same system is used in all professional teacher education institutions participating in the joint application process. No entrance exam is used in the student selection. The professional teacher education institutions involved are Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Häme University of Applied Sciences, JAMK University of Applied Sciences and Oulu University of Applied Sciences.

Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) is not included in the joint application process for professional guidance counsellor education. The application process to TAMK is organised at the same time as the joint application process, but instead of a point scoring system, the institution uses an admissions course as a means of selecting students.

Students are selected for study places allocated for the study programme in the order of their admission points within a specific admission group. HAMK’s separate selection group for education in English forms its own admissions group.

The study places allocated to each educational institution are as follows:

  • HH (Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences): 30
  • HAMK (Häme University of Applied Sciences): 43
  • HAMK (separate admission group, in English): 12
  • JAMK (Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences): 50
  • OAMK (Oulu University of Applied Sciences): 20
  • The total number of study places is 155.

2 Application process

Your application will be processed by the higher education institution that you have entered as your first preference on your application. If you fill in more than one application, only the last application will be considered (concerns applicants who do not have a Finnish personal identity code).

The first step is checking the eligibility of your application. Matters which affect your eligibility will not be considered under the admission point scoring system. If you are found eligible, your application will be evaluated based on the admission point scoring system. Points are awarded in every professional teacher education institution according to the jointly agreed admissions criteria for 2025.

3 Admission point scoring system

The criteria considered under the admission point scoring system to professional guidance counsellor education and the maximum admission points for each criterion in 2025 are as follows:

Educational studies on guidance and counselling since 1 January 20155 points
Work experience in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university5 points
Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution5 points
Experience of study guidance and counselling in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university since 1 January 20235 points
Experience of other guidance and counselling work4 points
Maximum total points24 points

Detailed information about the admission point scoring system is available under section Description of admissions criteria. 

4 Criteria for applicants with the same score

If two or more applicants have the same score, the applicants are placed in the order of admission according to the following criteria jointly agreed by the professional teacher education institutions:

  1. First preference for admission
  2. Experience of study guidance and counselling in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university after 1 January 2023, yes
  3. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, over 30 months
  4. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, over 24 to 30 months
  5. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, over 18 to 24 months
  6. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, over 12 to 18 months
  7. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, over 6 to 12 months
  8. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution, 3 to 6 months
  9. Experience of other guidance and counselling work, over 24 months
  10. Experience of other guidance and counselling work, over 18 to 24 months
  11. Experience of other guidance and counselling work, over 12 to 18 months
  12. Educational studies on guidance and counselling, 32 ECTS or more
  13. Educational studies on guidance and counselling, 28 to 31 ECTS
  14. Educational studies on guidance and counselling, 24 to 27 ECTS
  15. Educational studies on guidance and counselling, 20 to 23 ECTS
  16. Educational studies on guidance and counselling, 16 to 19 ECTS

If the student selection cannot be finalized based on the aforementioned criteria, a random computer-generated selection will be employed.

5 Study option and mode of study

With one application form, you can apply to two professional teacher education institutions, which you will enter in the order of preference on the application form. The options you select must be two different professional teacher education institutions. The order of preference is binding and cannot be changed after the application period has ended.

Enter a second study option only if studying in the teacher education institution concerned is a realistic option in your situation. You can be admitted to only one of the study options you have specified. If you are admitted to either one of your study options, your other study option will be automatically cancelled. No admission points are granted based on the order of preference on the application form. However, in cases where two applicants have the same final admission point score, the order of preference may affect the result of the student selection.

On the application form, choose how you would like to carry out your studies by selecting your preferred mode of study. Find out more about the modes of study on the website of each professional teacher education institution:

Haaga-Helia https://www.haaga-helia.fi/fi/aikataulut-ja-kehittymisohjelmat

HAMK https://www.hamk.fi/en/degree/professional-guidance-counsellor-education/

JAMK https://www.jamk.fi/fi/Hae-opiskelemaan/opinto-ohjaajankoulutus/opinto-ohjaaja-on-ohjauksen-ja-vuorovaikutuksen-ammattilainen

OAMK: https://oamk.fi/ammatillinen-opinto-ohjaajankoulutus/

6 Obstacles to student admission

Studies in guidance counsellor education may include work with minors and different client groups, which places ethical requirements and the requirements on client safety at the core.  Students must be capable, in terms of their state of health and functional capacity, to perform the practical tasks and training related to the studies. For this reason, applicants to professional guidance counsellor education are asked about obstacles related to their state of health and functional capacity and prior revocation of study right. (For more information, please see the University of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014, sections 26, 27, 33 and 34, and University of Applied Sciences Decree 1129/2014, section 11 in Finnish). The health requirements are explained in Studyinfo under the description of professional guidance counsellor education (under Health requirements for the applicant).

7 Conditional admission

If the applicant has indicated on the application form that they may have obstacles to student admission, and if they are accepted to the programme, the admission is conditional. The university of applied sciences processes and evaluates the information regarding the applicant’s state of health and functional capacity in terms of the requirements for admission. A restriction related to health or functional capacity does not prevent students from being admitted if the effects of the restriction can be reasonably eliminated, for instance by making special arrangements.

If necessary, the professional teacher education institution may require the applicant to provide the original certificates for inspection, and, in the case of foreign-language documents, official Finnish or Swedish or English translations of them. In such a case, the institution may make a conditional decision on student admission. If the requested original certificates or the official translations are not presented by the deadline set by the institution, the admission may be withdrawn. 


More information about the application process

Timetable for student selection in 2025

  • Submit an online application by 22 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET)
  • Attach documents to online application by 29 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET)
  • Results of the student selection will be published on 19 March 2025 in the My Studyinfo service.
  • Confirm your study place by 2 April 2025 at 15.00 (EET)

1 Applying to education

The application period to professional teacher education institutions runs from 8 January to 22 January 2025. The application must be submitted by the end of the application period on 22 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET). Submitting the application within the application period is the applicant’s responsibility, and late applications will not be considered according to the Administrative Procedure Act. Please reserve sufficient time for filling in the application form to make sure that you are able to submit your application before the application period ends.

Studies and work experience required for eligibility or considered under the admission point scoring system must have been completed by the end of the application period. The applicant must verify their studies and work experience with certificates. The required attachments must be added to the online application by 29 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET). Please read the guidelines on the required documents in Studyinfo under Required attachments. The applicant is responsible for attaching the documents on time and ensuring that they function properly.

On the application form, enter an email address which you use on a regular basis. Electronic communication will be used in the application process. You will receive Studyinfo messages from the address noreply@opintopolku.fi. The university of applied sciences will contact you by email if they have questions about your application or if you need to submit additional documents. Please note that the university of applied sciences is not responsible for any delays or other issues in the electronic mail services. Please ensure that there is enough space for new messages in your inbox and that the messages are not directed to the junk mail folder. 

After you have submitted the application, you will receive a link to My Studyinfo service to your email. Through the link, you can modify your application, such as change the order of preference of your study options, during the application period. You cannot change your name, Finnish personal identity code or native language. You can also attach documents to your application until the deadline.

You can log in to the My Studyinfo using online banking codes, a mobile certificate or an electronic ID card. After you have identified yourself in the service, you can edit the details of your application during the application period, see the student selection when the admission process is completed and confirm the study place.

The newest versions of the most commonly used browsers are recommended when filling in the application and using the My Studyinfo service (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge). The use of cookies and JavaScript must be enabled.

The information you give on the application will be stored in the student admissions register (Act 884/2017).

2 Timetable for selection

Publishing of the results

 The results of the student selection will be published on 19 March 2025 at My Studyinfo service. Applicants will also be notified of the results by email or by mail. 

Confirmation of a study place

 Each applicant who is offered a study place must confirm their study place by 2 April 2025 at 15.00 (EEST) primarily in My Studyinfo. If you are unable to confirm the study place in the service, you must confirm the study place in writing (for example by email) by the aforementioned deadline. If you do not confirm the offered study place by the given deadline, you will lose it.

Supplementary selection

All eligible applicants who have not been offered a study place in either of the study options which they entered in the application form, will be placed on a waiting list in the order based on the number of admission points awarded to the applicant. If you have selected two options, you can be placed for supplementary selection in both options. An applicant who has been offered a study place in either one of their chosen study options will not be placed on the waiting list for the other study option. Supplementary selections will take place if vacancies arise due to approved candidates rejecting the offer of a study place. If a study place becomes available, the professional teacher education institution will contact the applicant at the top of the waiting list. An applicant selected from the waiting list must confirm the study place or cancel it within the given time.

3 Appeals process and checking of personal data

If you feel that the selection process was not conducted in accordance with the admissions criteria, you should first contact the admission services of your first-choice professional teacher education institution. If you are not satisfied with the explanation given, you have the right to appeal the decision concerning student selection to the university of applied sciences concerned. The appeal must be made in writing within 14 days of the publishing of the results of the student selection.

The applicant can access their admission data via My Studyinfo. As regards other personal data than those accessed via My Studyinfo, the applicant can make a written request to check the data to the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). Please see Register description and cookies.


Attachments

Certificates

REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

The required attachments must be attached to the online application by 29 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET). (NOTE: The application must be submitted by 22 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET).) Attach the documents in PDF or JPG or PNG format. If the same document verifies more than one of the matters specified on the application form, attach the same document to each relevant request for attachments on the online application. The applicant is responsible for attaching the documents on time and ensuring that they function properly.

After submitting the application, you will receive a confirmation email. The message will contain a link to My Studyinfo where you can modify your application during the application period. You can modify your application, such as change the order of preference of your study options, during the application period. You cannot change your name, Finnish personal identity code or native language. You can also add or delete documents until 29 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET).

If you are unable to attach the documents to your online application, submit the attachments (copies of your certificates) to the admission services or student services of your first-choice Professional Teacher Education institution. Number the documents according to the instructions below.

Any document which has not been awarded in Finnish, Swedish or English must be accompanied by an official translation of the document into one of these languages.

Name each file verifying your work experience after the employer in question and attach each work certificate to the application as a separate file. Information given in the documents may be verified from the employer, where necessary.

1. Degree on which the application is based (attachment 1)

Attach to the application:

  1. A copy of the degree certificate and,
  2. If the degree certificate has been awarded in some other language than Finnish, Swedish or English, a copy of the official translation of the degree certificate into one of these languages, and,
  3. If necessary, a copy of the official decision on recognition.
  • The certificate must indicate the title of the degree, major subject or orientation, date of completion, the scope of the degree and the name of the educational institution which awarded it.
  • Attach also a copy of the transcript of study records with the certificate. If you have a Finnish degree, do not submit the diploma supplement pages.

2. Further clarification by the educational institution (attachment 2)

If you have not completed a higher education degree and work as a teacher of vocational subjects, attach the form Further clarification by the educational institution. Open the Word document Further clarification by the educational institution.

3. Decision on recognition (attachment 3)

Attach a decision by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) or the Finnish Ministry of Education on the recognition of qualification or the level of the degree as equivalent to a higher education degree completed in Finland to the application in the following cases:

  1. You have completed the degree, on which your eligibility is based, outside the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland).
  2. You have completed your higher education degree outside Finland in another Nordic country, and:
  • the degree belongs to the field of social services and health, or
  • based on the degree, you are a general subject teacher or seeking to obtain such qualification, or
  • the degree you have completed is less than three years in scope, or
  • you are not a citizen of any of the Nordic countries.

4. Teacher's pedagogical studies (attachment 4)

Attach a copy of the certificate on teacher education to the application.

  • The certificate must indicate the scope of the studies, the educational institution and the year of completion of the qualification.

5. Work experience required for eligibility (attachment 5)

Depending on where you have completed your pedagogical studies, you may need to verify your work experience in the field.

  1. If you have completed your pedagogical studies at a university and your degree is completed within a vocational subject, you must attach copies of work certificates verifying the work experience required for eligibility.
  2. If you have completed a teacher’s pedagogical studies at a Professional Teacher Education institution in Finland, your work experience has been verified in connection with when you applied to teacher education. Therefore, you do not need to submit attachments on the work experience required for eligibility.

 

  • The certificate must indicate the employer, work tasks performed and duration of the employment.
  • The professional work experience required for eligibility must correspond to the content of the degree on which the application is based. The work experience must be other than teaching experience. The exception are those with a bachelor's or master's degrees in education. Their teaching experience is accepted as professional work experience.
  • If you have worked irregularly for a few hours or one day at a time for a particular employer, you should ask your employer to combine all the relevant information in one document. Attach this document to your online application with the work certificates.
  • If you are acting or have acted as an entrepreneur, you must attach a document verifying that they are or have been insured under YEL or MYEL (pension insurance schemes for entrepreneurs) or, for example, a transcript from the chamber of commerce.  In addition, please include a description of your business activities, which answers the following questions: 1) When have your business activities started (and ended)? 2) Have you employed yourself on a full- or part-time basis? Include a clarification of your working hours for part-time entrepreneurship. 3) What is or was the field of operation of your business? 4) What are or were your main tasks in the business?

Please note: A CV or résumé is not considered sufficient proof of work experience since it is not a document verified by an employer or by authorities. In addition, an employment contract is not a sufficient document for verifying the period of employment.

6. Educational studies on guidance and counselling since 1 January 2015 (attachment 6)

Attach a certificate or transcript of study records of the qualification completed since 1 January 2015 to the application. The scope of one qualification must be at least 1 credit or 1 competence point or 27 hours.

  • The certificate must indicate the studies completed, their content and scope, the year of completion and the educational institution.
  • If the certificate does not mention the scope of the qualification, ask the education provider for a separate assessment of the scope of your studies.

7. Work experience in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university (attachment 7)

Attach to the application copies of work certificates verifying the amount of work experience you have from educational institutions.

  • The work certificate (signed by the employer) must indicate the employer, a description of the tasks performed, duration of the employment, and full- or part-time status of the employment.
  • If you have worked irregularly for a few hours or one day at a time for a particular employer, you should ask your employer to combine all the relevant information in one document. Attach this document to your online application with the work certificates.  

8. Experience of study guidance and counselling in an educational institution (attachment 8)

Attach certificates of employment and working hours plans that verify the amount of experience in study guidance and counselling.

  • The signed certificate must indicate the employer, the tasks performed and the duration of the guidance counselling task.
  • It must be possible to calculate the number of working hours for study guidance and counselling on the basis of the certificates.
  • If you have worked irregularly for a few hours or one day at a time for a particular employer, you should ask your employer to combine all the relevant information in one document. Attach this document to your online application with the work certificates.          

9. Experience of study guidance and counselling in a vocational institution, university of applied sciences and/or university since 1 January 2023 (attachment 9)

Attach to the application certificates of employment and working hours plans that verify at least 5 months of experience from study guidance and counselling at a vocational institution, university of applied sciences or university of applied sciences since 1 January 2023.

  • The signed certificate must indicate the employer, the tasks performed and the duration of the guidance counselling task.
  • It must be possible to calculate the number of working hours for study guidance and counselling on the basis of the certificates.
  • If you have worked irregularly for a few hours or one day at a time for a particular employer, you should ask your employer to combine all the relevant information in one document. Attach this document to your online application with the work certificates.

10. Experience of other guidance and counselling work (attachment 10)

Attach the relevant certificates of employment to the application.

  • The signed certificate must indicate the employer, working hours and tasks performed as well as the duration of the guidance work.
  • It must be possible to calculate the number of working hours for study guidance and counselling on the basis of the certificate.

Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 29, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2