Admissions
Children who live in one of the municipalities in the Tampere city region (Tampere, Kangasala, Orivesi, Ylöjärvi, Lempäälä, Pirkkala, Nokia, Vesilahti) and speak English as their mother tongue or otherwise have sufficient knowledge of English can be admitted as students into the Finnish International School of Tampere. Priority is given to students who live in Tampere.
See also: Frequently asked questions
FISTA open application
Before filling in the application, please read this page carefully.
For the preschool application, see the "Preschool" section below.
Grade level by birth year in the Finnish school system
| Grade level | Child's year of birth, school year 2024-2025 |
|---|---|
| Preschool ("grade 0") | 2018 |
| 1 | 2017 |
| 2 | 2016 |
| 3 | 2015 |
| 4 | 2014 |
| 5 | 2013 |
| 6 | 2012 |
| 7 | 2011 |
| 8 | 2010 |
| 9 | 2009 |
Preschool
Starting from August 2021, English language preschool education in Tampere is organized by and at the Finnish International School of Tampere (FISTA).
When assigning places, priority is given to children who speak English at home or have attended English language early childhood education. There are no aptitude tests for preschool. If there are more applicants than available places, priority is given to applicants living in Tampere. If necessary, the places are assigned by lottery among the applicants who live in Tampere.
Children attending English language preschool education do not automatically transfer to first grade at the Finnish International School of Tampere. First grade students are selected based on the aptitude test in the spring of the preschool year. It is also possible to apply to first grade at FISTA without attending preschool at FISTA.
In addition to preschool hours (4h/day, 9-13 in the school year 2024-2025) the child can be signed up for morning and/or afternoon activities. There is a fee for the morning and afternoon activities. Read more about the morning and afternoon activities available for preschool students here.
School year 2024-2025 (children born in 2018): Preschool application school year 2024-2025 Applications open 23.1.-11.2.2024. Families who are moving to Tampere after the preschool enrollment period closes can keep applying after the deadline. However, at the moment the FISTA preschool groups are full.
School year 2025-2026 (children born in 2019): Preschool application school year 2025-2026 Applications open 10.-29.1.2025. Families who are moving to Tampere after the preschool enrollment period closes can keep applying after the deadline.
NB: Do not try to change the site the language, just click the green button to proceed. The application form is available in both Finnish and English!
1st grade
It is possible to apply to 1st grade at the Finnish International School of Tampere during the calendar year the child reaches the age of seven. Also a child who is one year younger during the same calendar year can be selected providing that the guardian presents an assessment of school readiness made by a Finnish psychologist before the child's participation in the aptitude test. The child's language proficiency will be tested in February of the year of application. If there are more applicants than available places, priority is given to applicants living in Tampere.
Applications are open 2.-20.1.2025.
Furthermore, it is possible for a student to apply to 1st grade after the application period is over if the child moves to the Tampere region and
- The child's home language is English or
- The child has studied in English, abroad or in Finland, for at least one school year
If you have moved or are moving to Finland after the first grade enrollment period closes, please fill in the open application on top of this page, and contact the FISTA coordinator to arrange a language test date.
1st grade aptitude test arrangements
An aptitude test is organized for the applicants during week 6 (4.-5.2.2025). The date of the aptitude test is communicated to the child's guardians by email as soon as possible after the application period ends, during week 5 at the latest. During week 7 an extra test day will be arranged for students who missed their original test date due to illness (medical certificate required).
The aptitude test tests the child's functional English skills with an individual interview and various group exercises that involve listening comprehension. The child must score points in each section of the aptitude test. There are no reading or writing tasks in the tests. The aptitude test takes approx. one hour, and the child does not need to study or prepare for the test in any way.
The students are selected on the basis of their scores in the aptitude test. The child must score a minimum of 60% of the total points. The child must score points in each section of the aptitude test. Guardians will be informed about the test results by email, by 17.2.2025 at the latest.
Only children achieving the minimum confirmed score can be admitted into programmes with a special emphasis in the curriculum. The students who were not admitted in February but who obtained the minimum confirmed score in the aptitude test will be recorded on a reserve list in ranking order. Should places become available students are selected following the ranking on the reserve list until the beginning of the school year in August.
There are a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 88 places available in the 1st grade classes at the Finnish International School of Tampere every year. The maximum size of the groups is determined in the service contract.
It is possible to participate in the first grade aptitude test once only.
7th grade
It is possible to apply to 7th grade at the Finnish International School of Tampere during the city-wide application period for schools with a special emphasis in the curriculum (25.11.-9.12.2024). A language test will be arranged in January or February (15.1.2025). If there are more applicants than available places, priority is given to applicants living in Tampere.
A student can apply to 7th grade after the application period closes if the child moves to the Tampere region and
- the child's home language is English or
- the child has studied in English, abroad or in Finland, for at least one school year
If you have moved or are moving to Finland after the seventh grade enrollment period closes, please fill in the open application on top of this page, and contact the FISTA coordinator to arrange a language test date.
7th grade aptitude test arrangements
The aptitude test aims at testing the student's knowledge of the English language, including listening and reading comprehension, writing, grammar and oral expression.
The students are selected on the basis of the total scores obtained in the aptitude test. Moreover, the student must score points in each section of the test. Only the children achieving the minimum confirmed score (60%) can be admitted into the programmes with a special emphasis in the curriculum. It is possible to participate in the 7th grade aptitude test once only.
The number of student places available in the 7th grade of the Finnish International School of Tampere is readjusted every year. It is possible to admit new students into the school only within the limitations of the maximum functional number. The maximum number can vary according to the number of the first-placed students. 6th grade students of the Finnish International School of Tampere may continue to 7th grade if they want to. They do not have to participate in the aptitude test.
Other grades
Students can apply to all grade levels if the child moves to the Tampere region and
- The child has studied in an English medium school, abroad or in Finland, for at least one school year, or
- The child's home language is English
All applicants will be asked to take an English language test to ensure their knowledge of the English language is sufficient for studying in English (including reading, writing, and speaking). The child's year of birth determines their grade level in the Finnish school system (see table on top of this page).
Please fill in the open application on top of this page, and contact the FISTA coordinator to arrange a language test date.
Transition class
The transition class is a special small class for children who are living in Tampere temporarily, but don't know enough English to study in our regular classes.
It is possible to admit into the transition class of the Finnish International School of Tampere a child
- Who is temporarily living in a municipality of the Tampere region
- Who is not a Finnish citizen
- Who was not born in Finland
- Whose knowledge of the English language is not sufficient to be admitted to the grades of the Finnish International School
- Who has no aptitude to study in Finnish
All the above mentioned five requirements have to be met to make it possible for a child to be admitted to the transition class. The transition class is for gr 1-9 students, not preschoolers. The maximum number of students in the class is 10. A student place can be obtained for a maximum of three school years.
Instruction focuses on studying the English language and mathematics. In some subjects, students can be integrated into a class of the Finnish International School corresponding to their age group.
Students in the transition class do not have the possibility to transfer to other classes of the Finnish International School of Tampere.
Because of their limited English and Finnish language skills, the students in the transition class follow a modified curriculum. That means they cannot graduate Finnish basic education and get the final certificate of Finnish basic education (perusopetuksen päättötodistus in Finnish) at the end of grade 9, which would qualify them for secondary education in Finland. Therefore the transition class is not a good option for students towards the end of basic education studies, unless they are staying in Finland for a very short time only and will definitely not be applying to secondary education here.
If you have any questions about the Transition class, please contact the FISTA coordinator.