Sök

Student financial aid The purpose of student financial aid is to secure the livelihood of full-time students. The ministry develops the student financial aid system on the basis of educational policy objectives and drafts the necessary legislative...

Student financial aid in Finland The purpose of student financial aid is to safeguard a minimum income for students in need of financial support during their studies. The education policy objectives serve as the foundation for the development of t...

A short history of Finnish financial aid for students 2025 From 1 August 2025 onwards, students can get a housing supplement for students. This means that general housing allowance will no longer be paid to students. The change will not apply to s...

The working group will assess the current state of student financial aid in line with the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government and draw up proposals for the Ministry for overhauling student financial aid. The working group has a monitoring group that handles matters prepared by the working group and takes a stand on its proposals.

Policies and development Educational policy objectives are used to further develop student financial aid. The goal is to provide students with sufficient financial aid so that it promotes full-time studies based on the student’s plans and to help ...

General upper secondary education General upper secondary education and the matriculation examination taken at the end of it make it possible to apply for studies in higher education institutions. The unit of the scope of studies is a credit. The ...

The areas of expertise The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the development of education, science, cultural, sport and youth policies, and for international cooperation in these fields. The Ministry’s mandate covers early child...

Ministry of Education and Culture Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Mika Poutala Christian Democrats in Finland Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Poutala is responsible for matters covered by the Department of Youth and S...

Sports organisations Sport and physical activity organisations in Finland have over 1.1 million members. The Ministry of Education and Culture allocates government grants to national organisations that promote sport and physical activity while mun...

Youth sector organisations The Ministry of Education and Culture funds part of the national youth sector organisations’ expenditure by granting them discretionary general transfers annually. Youth sector organisations comprise: youth organisations...

Legislation: sport This page lists key acts and decrees that govern sport and physical activity. The statutes can be found in the Finlex database in Finnish and Swedish. Act on the Promotion of Sports and Physical Activity (390/2015) The purpose o...

Performance sports By providing elite athlete grants and developing the conditions for coaching, the Ministry of Education and Culture promotes performance sports geared toward the achievement of international success. The Ministry does not provid...

Legislation on early childhood education and care Early childhood education and care is part of the education and training services, and therefore it falls within the mandate of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Act on Early Childhood Educati...

Ministry of Education and Culture The Ministry of Education and Culture is one of the twelve ministries that together with the ministers heading them form the Finnish Government. The Ministry of Education and Culture participates in the work of th...

Financing of general education The state and the local education providers share the financial cost for tuition. Pre-primary education, primary and lower secondary education (basic education) and upper secondary education are all free of charge. I...

Organisation of the Ministry of Education and Culture According to the division of duties agreed by the Government, Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz heads the Ministry and is responsible for early childhood education and care, general educ...

Persons other than those employed by a ministry may only report a breach using the reporting channel of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice . We do not cooperate with any third parties on this matter. Whistleblower protection Whistleblower pro...

Construction of sports facilities There are nearly 50,000 registered sports facilities in Finland and approximately 70% of them are owned by municipalities. Privately-run sports facilities, mainly located in cities and towns, complement the supply...

Education policy report The Education Policy Report paves the way for equitable and high-quality education in the 2040s in Finland, where skills requirements are growing and age cohorts are shrinking. The report outlines the target state for educa...

Contact information of the personnel E-mail: [email protected] Address: P.O. Box 29 FIN - 00023 GOVERNMENT FINLAND Leadership: Minister and Permanent Secretary Communications Unit Secretariat for International Relations Department for Early Childh...

Qualifications and studies in vocational education and training The qualifications structure in vocational education and training (VET) has three levels. There are three types of qualifications: vocational upper secondary qualification, further vo...

30.1.2025 | A working group preparing an overhaul of student financial aid has assessed the current situation in student financial aid and key development needs in the student financial aid system. Needs for development that were deemed essential include reinstating indexation and restructuring interest assistance and loan granting practices to improve the security of student loans. The working group's proposals were submitted to Minister Sandra Bergqvist on 30 January.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

Key changes in the Ministry of Education and Culture's administrative branch in the government term Ministry of Education and Culture Publication date 27.1.2023 10.00 | Published in English on 30.1.2023 at 17.04 The term of Prime Minister Sanna Ma...

22.9.2025 | The Ministry of Education and Culture’s proportion of the 2026 budget proposal is EUR 8.9 billion, which is some EUR 4.4 million more than in the 2025 Budget. Despite continued pressure on general government finances, the proposal maintains investment in education, research and competence.

3.3.2026 | AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE AND KARELIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES FOR 2025–2028 1. Common objectives of higher education institutions The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Karelia University of Applied Scie...

12.6.2025 | On 12 June, the Government appointed Kirsti Laine-Hendolin, Master of Arts (Education), to the post of Director General of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 July 2030. The Director General is the head of the Ministry’s Department for Youth and Sport Policy.

3.3.2026 | AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND FOR 2025–2028 1. Common objectives of higher education institutions The Ministry of Education and Culture and the University of Eastern Finland have agre...

Questions and answers related to compulsory education This page provides answers to frequently asked questions on the extension of compulsory education. Questions and answers related to compulsory education Free of charge Guidance and supervision ...

23.9.2024 | The Ministry of Education and Culture’s proportion of the 2025 budget proposal is EUR 8.45 billion, which is some EUR 411 million more than in the 2024 Budget. The proposal implements the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government, which aims to invest, even in a difficult economic situation, in raising the level of education and training and improving the conditions for conducting science, research and development.

24.5.2024 | Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala has granted EUR 3.3 million in discretionary government grants to those operating in the cultural and creative industries. Structural support is part of the Sustainable Growth Programme and is designed to create innovative services and to devise novel production and operating procedures.

9.10.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture’s proportion of the 2024 budget proposal is EUR 8.0 billion, which is EUR 274 million more than in the 2023 Budget. The budget proposal implements the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government by raising the level of education and competence of the entire population. The measures in the budget proposal aim to strengthen the effectiveness of science and improve the conditions for conducting research and development.

19.9.2022 | The budget proposal for 2023 of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government will continue to invest in education and culture. The budget proposal helps implement the key objectives in the Government Programme of raising the level of education and competence, bridging learning gaps and increasing educational equality. Arts and culture will be used to boost conditions and strengthen engagement in creative work.

16.12.2022 | The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland is investing in revitalising culture and the creative industries and in reshaping them in a sustainable way. The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted EUR 13 720 000 million in discretionary government grants to those operating in the cultural and creative sectors to create innovative services and to devise novel production and operating procedures.

1.3.2023 | The reform of continuous learning, launched under the Government Programme, has promoted the opportunities of working-age people to improve their knowledge and skills, and increased the availability of skilled labour. The final report on the reform implementation and on the next steps was submitted on 1 March 2023 to the Members of Parliament who participated in the drafting of the parliamentary policy approaches for continuous learning.