Grading, Language of Instruction and Academic Year in Finland
The grading system of the schools and universities in Finland vary.
Comprehensive School
The
Comprehensive schools in Finland use 10-point grading scale where 4 is considered as "Fail". The grades below 4 are discarded.
| Scale | Grade Description (In Finnish) | Grade Description (In English) | US Grade |
| 10.00 | Erinomainen | Excellent | A |
| 9.00-9.99 | Kiitettava | Very Good | A |
| 8.00-8.99 | Hyva | Good | B |
| 7.00-7.99 | Tyydyttava | Acceptable,Satisfactory | B |
| 6.00-6.99 | Kohtalainen | Fair | C |
| 5.00-5.99 | Valttava Just | Adequate, Sufficient-Passable | D |
| 4.00-4.99 | Heikko, Hylatty | Weak, Fail | F |
Upper Secondary School
The Upper Secondary Schools in Finland use the same grading mechanism as the comprehensive schools, but the matriculation examination grades are in Latin. The grading system uses bell curve grading.
Matriculation Examination Grades
| Grade | Scale | Grade Description | Grade Description (In English) | Translation | US Grade |
| L | 7.00 | Laudatar | Outstanding | Praiseworthy | A+ |
| E | 6.00-6.99 | Eximia cum laude approbatur | Excellent | Approved with Exceptional Honors | A |
| M | 5.00-5.99 | Magna cum laude approbatur | Very Good | Approved with Great Honors | B+ |
| C | 4.00-4.99 | Cum laude approbatur | Good | Approved with Honors | B |
| B | 3.00-3.99 | Lubenter approbatur | Satisfactory | Approved with Satisfaction | C |
| A | 2.00-2.99 | Approbatur | Pass | Approved | D |
| I | 1.00-1.99 | Improbatur | Fail | Not Approved | F |
Higher Education Grading Scale
The
Higher Education uses grading scale 0-5.Passing an examination requires obtaining 50 % of the maximum points in the examination.
| Grade | Scale | Grade Description (In Finnish) | Grade Description (In English) | US Grade |
| ET | 5.00 | Erinomainen Tiedot | Excellent | A |
| KT | 4.00-4.99 | Kiitettava | Very Good | B+ |
| HT | 3.00-3.99 | Hyva | Good | B |
| TT | 2.00-2.99 | Tyydyttava | Satisfactory | C |
| VT | 1.00-1.99 | Valttava | Sufficient | D |
Master's theses are typically graded with either the above scale from 0 to 5 or by the Latin system used in high school matriculation exams. PhD theses are usually evaluated by pass or fail, although some universities use the Latin system or the scale from 0 to 5.
Language of Instruction
Finland is a bi-lingual country. It has two official languages:
Most of the educational institutions language of instruction is Finnish. Swedish is used mainly along the coast and Abo Akademi. At some higher education institutions, studies are either in Swedish or in Finnish. Higher Education programs are also delivered in English.
Academic Year
The academic year is split into two semesters:
Autumn Semester: Commences in late August or early September and ends in mid- December before Christmas.
Spring Semester: Starts from early January and continues until May.
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