Apply to bilingual education
These instructions are for Finnish-English instruction only. If you are interested in applying to bilingual education in other languages, see section 'Apply to grades 1–9, Supplementary Admission' below.
If a pupil moves to Helsinki in the middle of comprehensive education and has previously studied in bilingual Finnish–English education elsewhere in Finland, the pupil can apply for bilingual Finnish–English education if the following criteria are met:
Admission criteria for applicants in bilingual education
- The pupil is moving or has recently moved to Helsinki and has not yet completed comprehensiveeducation. The application may be sent before moving to Helsinki, but the pupil’s home address must be registered in Helsinki in order to be invited to the language test. If your address information is not yet available in the national Population Information System, we will ask you for a proof of address (such as a rental contract).
- The pupil has received bilingual (Finnish-English) education provided elsewhere in Finland in accordance with the Basic Education Act during the last 12 months.
Please note: We ask all applicants to provide certificates of previous studies in bilingual education, and if necessary, we contact the school in question to confirm the information. Studying the target language as one of the school subjects does not meet the admission criteria. - Based on the language test, the pupil has sufficient language skills and competence to participate in instruction both in Finnish and in English.
How to apply for bilingual Finnish–English education via continuous admission:
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Fill in the online application form
Fill in the online application form below. Please attach the most recent certificate or statement of the bilingual Finnish–English education to your application form.
No Wilma username and password are needed for filling in the application form, but you need to have a valid email address.
- Start by writing your email address in the address field and click “Send verification”.
- Then, go to your inbox, open the email that you received and click on the link in the message, and you can proceed to fill in the application form.
- After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirming that we have received your application.
Online application form: Continuous admission to bilingual Finnish–English comprehensive education(Link leads to external service)
If you have problems filling out the form, check the following things:
- If you have previously logged in on Wilma using an existing username and password, log out.
- Clear your browsing history.
- Change the language of Wilma to English.
- If none of the above works, try again later.
- If you need to make changes to your application, or you are unable to apply electronically, please contact eduguidance@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).
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Wait for the school to contact you to invite you for the language test.
The school will contact you after you have filled in the application form. During school holidays, such as during June and July, there will be no language testing before August. The school will give you instructions for taking the language test. There is no language test for grade 1.
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Take the child to the language test.
The school will contact you about the date, time and location of the language test. Please note that Helsinki schools do not hold language tests during the summer holiday in June and July.
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Wait for the results and the admission decision.
The decisions on pupil admission are made based on the language test results as soon after the test as possible. If your child is admitted, the school will contact you to tell you when school starts. You must accept the school place at your first convenience. We wish you all success on your school journey!
Which schools offer bilingual education
Learn more about what bilingual education is like and which public schools in Helsinki provide it in the sections below.
Grades 1–6
Grades 1–6
- Aleksis Kivi Comprehensive School. Bilingual education started in this school in 2025. In the school year 2026–2027 it will be available for grades 1 and 2.
- Kulosaari Primary School
- Töölö Primary School
- Malmi Comprehensive School
- Vesala Comprehensive School
- Laajasalo Comprehensive School
Grades 7–9
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–2
- Pohjoismainen yhtenäiskoulu Comprehensive school (Nordiska skolan). Bilingual education started in this school in 2024. In the school year 2026–2027 it will be available for grades 1 to 3.
About the language test and studies
- The City of Helsinki offers bilingual comprehensive education in English, Swedish, Spanish, Chinese, North Sami, Russian and Estonian.
- One of these languages are used as the teaching language in addition to Finnish. About 25–50% of teaching is provided in the target language and the rest in Finnish.
- Bilingual comprehensive education is offered at certain Finnish-language schools. It is not available in the Swedish-speaking municipal schools in Helsinki.
- Each school determines in its curriculum how much teaching is given in another language.
- Bilingual education develops the pupil’s skills of hearing and reading comprehension, writing and oral expression. It also promotes general interest and readiness for language studies. As in comprehensive education in general, bilingual comprehensive education develops the pupil’s skills in all subjects based on their age level.
- There is no test for grade 1 in bilingual education. Should there be more applicants than there are places available at a particular school, the places will be assigned by lottery.
- Each student applying for bilingual education for grades 2 to 9 must take a language test. The language test assesses the student’s readiness to study in both the Finnish language and in the second language of instruction (Chinese, English, Estonian, North-Sami, Russian, Spanish or Swedish). The student does not need to prepare for the test in advance.
- The test includes tasks of reading comprehension, listening comprehension and writing. For grades 2 and 3, there is also a short interview. The level of these tasks corresponds the level of language skills required at that grade level.
- The language test can only be taken at the school. Unfortunately, we cannot organise the tests remotely.
- The test dates and times vary depending on how you apply. Check the different admission routes above.