Higher education is divided into two main categories: University education and University of Applied Sciences (UAS) education. The former places greater emphasis on theoretical knowledge and research skills, while the latter is more oriented toward preparing students for the working world. Both grades and entrance exams are utilized in the application process. Higher education in Sweden is for the most part offered in Helsingfors.
Admission to certain critical fields of study, such as medicine, pedagogy, law, sports, etc., reserves quotas for Swedish speakers to ensure the availability of Swedish-language services. This means that having a Swedish educational background may enhance access to higher education in specific fields.
Studying Swedish as a mother tongue or as a second language (S2) can influence the admission process by providing varying levels of additional points to applicants, depending on the university, UAS, or field in question.
Applications to universities are submitted through the studyinfo platform.
The universities where Swedish-language education is available are:
University of Helsinki, University of Helsinki, The Swedish School of Social Sciences
University of the Arts in Helsinki.
Universities of Applied Sciences can also be applied to through StudyInfo. The Swedish-language UAS are the following:
Arcada University of Applied Sciences
As of 2021, Arcada has the status of a SIMHE institution. SIMHE stands for Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education. This means that they are tasked with developing guidance and services that support the integration of immigrants. This includes identifying appropriate educational and career paths as well as language studies, validation and supplementation of competence. Arcada has a special responsibility for developing services for those who want to integrate in Swedish as their first language. The support for integration in Swedish is important not only for Arcada but for the whole of Finnish society
You can find more information about SIMHE here.
Novia University of Applied Sciences is located in Raseborg, 100 km west of Helsinki.