Finland’s study voucher off to a strong start
The new study voucher introduced in August got off to a strong start, with more than 13% of those entitled to it activating their voucher in the first few weeks. At the same time, the Opin.fi service, which brings together open higher education studies and enables the use of the study voucher, broke its visitor record, with more than 158,000 visits in August.
The study voucher is a new payment method worth 30 credits (ECTS) that a young person can use to complete open higher education studies in Finnish and Swedish, free of charge. The aim of the three-year pilot scheme of the Ministry of Education and Culture is to provide young people with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with higher education studies, develop their skills and find their study path even when a place for degree studies has not yet been found. In August, the number of young people entitled to a study voucher was approximately 19,900.
“The results of the first month are very encouraging. The record number of visitors to the Opin.fi service and the fact that more than 13 per cent of young people entitled to a study voucher have already activated their benefit indicate a strong interest. We want to ensure that information about this opportunity reaches all young people who are entitled to it,” says Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie.
The pilot continues – open studies also available to those participating in the autumn joint application process
The study voucher pilot scheme will continue and last until the end of July 2028. The study voucher is also intended for young people who are not offered a study place in the joint application process this autumn or who decide not to accept the study place offered to them. The aim is to offer an alternative that allows young people to continue learning immediately after upper secondary education and to accumulate higher education studies.
A young person can receive a study voucher if:
- they have completed their first upper secondary qualification between 1 December 2025 and 31 July 2028
- they were under 29 years old at the time of graduation
- they applied in the joint application process for higher education institutions
- they have not received or accepted a study place for degree studies at a higher education institution.
The study voucher allows for a total of 30 credits of open higher education studies free of charge. The voucher is valid for two years, so studies can be completed flexibly at one’s own pace.
Opin.fi brings together open higher education studies in one place
The study voucher is used in the Opin.fi service, which is a joint service of 37 Finnish higher education institutions. The service brings together open higher education studies from universities and universities of applied sciences, offering the opportunity to find and compare thousands of courses from various fields. The higher education institutions’ joint Digivisio 2030 programme is responsible for creating and developing the service, while it is operated by HigherEd Hub Finland Oy.
“The study voucher lowers the barrier to explore higher education studies and find your own path. The results of the first month show that young people have found the service and the study voucher well. Opin.fi makes open higher education studies more accessible and helps build a bridge towards degree studies,” says Jonna Piiroinen, Digivisio 2030 programme director.
Finland is committed to increasing the share of young adults with a higher education degree to 60% by 2040. Achieving this goal requires that higher education studies are genuinely accessible to all those who are willing to study. The Digivisio 2030 programme, the Opin.fi service and the study voucher are contributing to this national goal.
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Jonna Piiroinen
Jonna Piiroinen leads the implementation of the Digivisio 2030 project and the work of the project office.
