What is bilingual education like?
The City of Helsinki offers bilingual basic education in English, Swedish, Spanish, Chinese, Northern Sámi, 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. Each school determines in its curriculum how much teaching is given in another language. Bilingual basic education is offered at certain Finnish-language schools.
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 basic education in general, bilingual basic education develops the pupil’s skills in all subjects based on their age level.
Applying to bilingual education
Application period in January
The application period for bilingual education in grade 1 has ended. The application period was 7–26 January 2025.
Admission decisions for pupils starting 1st grade in August 2025 will be sent to homes via the Asti online service and by post on 7 March 2025.
If there are free places left in the bilingual groups in Grade 1, an additional supplementary admission round will open in May-June. You can apply for the free places in Grade 1 if you have moved to Helsinki after January 2025. Details about the free places will be posted here closer to the application period.
Application period in December–January
The application period for bilingual education starting in the 7th grade has ended. The application period was 16 December 2024–16 January 2025.
Admission decisions for pupils starting 7th grade in August 2025 will be posted to applicants on 26 March 2025.
If you have moved to Helsinki after January 2025, and want to apply for potential free places, an additional supplementary admission round will open in May-June. Details about the free places will be posted here closer to the application period.
If a pupil moves to Helsinki in the middle of basic 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 basic education. 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.
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 basic education(Link leads to external service)
If you have problems with filling in 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 oppilaaksiotto@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 to agree on a language test and place. Please note that the schools do not hold the testing events during summer holidays 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?
Grades 1–6
- Aleksis Kivi Comprehensive School. New! Bilingual education begins in 2025. In the school year 2025–2026 it will be available for grade 1.
- Kulosaari Primary School
- Töölö Primary School
- Malmi Comprehensive School
- Vesala Comprehensive School
- Laajasalo Comprehensive School
Grades 7–9
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–7
- Pasila Comprehensive School. Bilingual education began in 2018. In the school year 2024–2025, it is available for grades 1–7.
Grades 1–9
Grades 1–9
Grade 1 as of the academic year 2024–2025
- Pohjoismainen yhtenäiskoulu Comprehensive school (Nordiska skolan)