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Application Period & Entrance Test Dates

Enrolment to the European School of Helsinki happens in two categories; Category I (children whose parent(s) are employed by European Chemicals Agency or some other EU Institutions) and Category II. 

Parents of Category I applicants (parent(s) employed by the European Chemicals Agency) can generate a certificate of employment at ECHA from their system and attach it directly to the application form.

The document for enrolment rules, procedures and policies has been approved by the Administrative Board of the school and can be downloaded here.

The application period for the school year 2026-2027 is from the 7 to 31 of January 2026. 

Entrance Tests (by invitation only) will be organised during the first week of March 2026.

The exact dates will be announced shortly.

• Nursery:

• Primary:

• Secondary:

Enrolment Guidelines & Instructions

Age and class: The primary cycle at the European School of Helsinki starts at the age of six and, as a rule, the following class levels follow chronologically. Sometimes it is advisable to apply to a different class level, for example one year lower. There is an indicative table of equivalences  in use in the European Schools. 

Language 2: The first foreign language (L2) starts in the first year of the primary cycle (P1). When applying to higher classes, the knowledge of L2 should be on the respective level. If a pupil's L1 (dominant language) is other than the language of the section (English, French or Finnish) then the language of the section must be chosen as L2.

When applying for P1-P4, Finnish will be offered as an option for Language 2 alongside French, German and English.

Language 3: The second foreign language (L3) starts in the first year of the secondary cycle (S1) and it is mandatory until the fifth year (S5).

If an applicant is accepted, for duly justified reasons, to a language section different from his/her mother tongue while such a section exists in the school, mother tongue tuition cannot be provided.

The students of ESH have direct access from the lower secondary to the upper secondary school leading to the European Baccalaureate. There is no need to go through a separate application procedure, completion of the S4 class will be sufficient.

Fees

The Ministry of Education has decided on the tuition fees for category II pupils of the European School of Helsinki as follows: 

Nursery 1234 € / term (2468 € /school year)

Primary 1696 € / term (3392 € / school year)

Secondary 2313 € /term (4626 € / school year)

According to the decision of the Ministry reductions for siblings cannot be granted. 

School meals, text books, learning materials and after-school activities are subject to a fee for all pupils (category I and II).

Example of current fees:

• Morning snack 0,50 €

  Lunch 2,35 €

  Afternoon snack 0,70 €

• School supplies (stationery/e-materials etc.) 130 € / year

• Books (e-books, e-licences) as specified by class teachers

• School trips

• After-school activities 6,50 € / 60 min activity

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