Finland education includes nine years of compulsory education. At the age of seven, the student enters school and then continues to high school-vocational or ordinary secondary schools. Institutions of higher education such as universities and tertiary institutions will run for three years. Under normal circumstances, the student will graduate from high school or obtain the Vocational Certificate of Education at the age of 19.

Higher Education

Annually, in Finland, there are about 225, 000 students who enter 32 polytechnic schools (20 permanent and 12 provisional institutions) and 10 universities for bachelor's, master's a practicing certificate, and for doctoral degree. Bachelor of Engineering are provided and also master's degrees. Finland 's university education is developed and 65% of young people have received higher education.

When Finland introduced the universal free education, universities and College of Engineering give free accommodation in addition to free tuition. The government of Finland gives annual subsidy of 35,000 markkaa to college students. Students in exchange program also enjoy the same treatment of not paying tuition. There is also free tuition to m ost foreign students of tertiary institutions and they only pay student union fees (including insurance costs), and affordable cost of living.

Finland institutions depend on the State, the funding provided by the Ministry of Education. However, the majority of universities and engineering colleges with professional research project receive partial funding from the Academy of Finland.

As Finland and other European countries implement universal free education, Finland's schools open for the world but only a small portion enters Finnish education through international and national inter-university exchange plan. It is almost impossible for other non-EU countries students to directly enter the Finnish schools. Foreign students applying for a visa need proof of financial resources and also the exchange students. Finland offers government loans but there is an age restriction. Most receive a master’s degree for three to six years and a doctorate degree for four years wherein they are also required to submit papers. Although Finland students enjoy free tuition, many students work part time . Finnish universities implement the “internationalization” and have already begun using English medium of instruction in universities.

Non-integrated university higher education :
Polytechnic
Polytechnic institutions provide a practically oriented education for a professional direction.
Admission requirements include passing the entrance examination or vocational upper secondary qualification.  
The courses last for three to four and a half years.
Students are eligible to receive the equivalent of the first degree for their vocational training experience but not equivalent to the certification for a Magister university degree.
Students who obtained Polytechnic degree can not enter the university as a post-graduate.
If polytechnic graduates want to enter universities, they also need additional credits originally made by the university to be eligible for recognition.

University
Universities provide Kandidat degrees and Magister degrees (Master) in many disciplines.
Degree not including engineering, medicine, and law.
Degree in most disciplines is considered only moderate degree; a master's degree is the basic university degree.
In the first degree of Medicine, you obtain "medical certificate", "professional certificate of veterinary science" and "dental professional certificates."
To obtain a degree, you need at least three years. To have a master's degree, you need five to six years.
Learning content generally include major subjects and one or more minor subjects.
Bachelor's and Master's degree require papers.
Learning progress is measured by the credits. A credit represents about 40 hours of study. To obtain a degree, a student will need at least 120 credits. To obtain a master's degree, the student needs at least 160 to 180 credits.

Postgraduate Education

Vocational courses
These courses are for professional learning for some time, including the internship, and thus gain vocational qualifications. This learning approach or training is very common in the teaching profession and the legal profession.
There is no special training in medical study.
Every university has a career development courses and other job-oriented courses, known collectively as the "development learning center."

Academic courses
These courses are for professional certificate wherein students are engaged in research work. This program lasts two to three years and most students are under guidance during their research work. In the final stages of their courses, they must provide a paper.

Doctorate
After obtaining a master's degree and after four years of full-time study, you can obtain a doctorate.
Some may directly enter the PhD study after obtaining their first degree, particularly in the natural sciences.
The doctoral phase of study is based on self-learning research.
Papers must be made by students to participate in the open thesis.
It is the obligation of Doctoral students to participate in seminars that sometimes are relevant to support scientific research or published papers.

Entry qualifications and requirements
Applicants for Postgraduate courses should go through an independent academic Association.
Applicants are normally required to hold a master's degree.
Due to the large number of graduate students, the teaching facilities and personal counseling services provided are relatively limited.

Language requirement
Students curriculum guide, in general, use Finnish and Swedish language. Majority of Finland universities use Finnish as the MOI. If students want to enter the master's level of study, generally, they are required to master some Finnish or Swedish. In an international-oriented curriculum, a better standard of English is essential. At the postgraduate level of study, the Finnish or Swedish proficiency is not a requirement because at this stage of study, the conversation is usually English language.

Costs
In lieu of the Finland ’s higher education tuition is the student union membership fees. All students who are studying to have a foundation degree are required to pay a membership fee. The post-graduate students, according to their interest, are free to decide whether to pay membership fees. However, in order to integrate public health programs, graduate students should pay. The membership fees of about 400-600 markkaa per year are mainly for the students medical insurance services. A student's living expenses is about 3500 markkaa (FIM) monthly.

Accommodation
Most universities have student hostels and the charges are reasonable. Students usually help other students in their accommodation arrangements. Every city and every institution have different prices.