General upper secondary education
General upper secondary education takes place at Finnish upper secondary school. The aim of this programme is for the students to become healthy, balanced and civilised. In general upper secondary school, students are given the tools they need in order to assimilate, combine and use knowledge and skills. They are also taught to apply the things they have learned in a variety of ways. General upper secondary school students can develop their skills for further studies, working life, entrepreneurship and internationality. In general upper secondary school studies, the individual needs of the student are taken into account in order to support learning, well-being and the building of a sustainable future. General upper secondary school studies consist of study units, the results of which are given in credits. General upper secondary school studies must include a minimum of 150 credits. Upon graduation from general upper secondary school, the student receives a general upper secondary education certificate and a matriculation examination certificate. Lappeenranta has two general upper secondary schools maintained by the city: Lappeenrannan Lyseo Upper Secondary School and Kimpinen Upper Secondary School. In addition, South Karelia IB World School and the Finnish-Russian School of Eastern Finland operate in Lappeenranta, and at Saimaa Vocational College Sampo, you can complete a double degree, i.e. both a vocational degree and the matriculation examination. General upper secondary schools cooperate with other upper secondary and higher education institutions.
Instructions
The requirement for admission to a general upper secondary school is the completed basic education syllabus. Applications for general upper secondary education are made in spring in the joint application procedure of vocational education and training and general upper secondary education at Studyinfo (www.opintopolku.fi). The applicant will be selected for their preferred study programme if their average grade in theoretical subjects is sufficient. The lowest acceptable average grade for general upper secondary schools in Lappeenranta is 7.0.
The number of starting places in general upper secondary education is decided annually. Applicants for general upper secondary school also state their wishes regarding the subject choices at the upper secondary school. You can get more information on the joint application procedure from your guidance counsellor or Studyinfo. You will be notified of your general upper secondary school place when the results of the joint application procedure are available in mid-June.
Payment information
The service is free of charge.
The necessary study tools are also free of charge for students whose compulsory education includes secondary education. A student’s compulsory education includes secondary education if the student completed grade 9 of comprehensive school in spring 2021 or later.
Service background and legislation
General upper secondary education provides you with the necessary skills for studying at a university or university of applied sciences. At the end of your general upper secondary education, you will complete a matriculation examination that will make you eligible for a place of study at a higher education institution.
You can apply for a study place at the educational institution of your choice. The provider of the education decides whom it will admit to its institution.
The target completion time for a general upper secondary school syllabus is three years. Every syllabus and the studies included in them are measured in credits. The general upper secondary school syllabus for young students consists of 150 credits. The studies included in the syllabus for young students have been designed with full-time study in mind. A separate syllabus is also available to adults who wish to participate in general upper secondary education.