Study Vocational Qualifications in Finland with OSAO

Educational Consortium OSAO (VET) offers a wide range of vocational qualifications and further education programs taught in Finnish or English. At the moment, we provide three vocational qualifications in English:

• Tourism Industry
• Business
• Restaurant and Catering Services

The other vocational qualifications are taught in Finnish only. 

OSAO doesn't offer any Finnish language courses. Studying Finnish online, see infofinland.fi.

Application Period and Start Dates

You can find more detailed information about application periods, start dates and selection criteria from the links above.

Applying to OSAO

You have to fill in an online application form. The application form is available during the application period. You can attach the required documents to your application. You can find a link to application form from the links above.

Entrance Requirements

To apply for our vocational qualifications taught in English, you need:

• Basic Finnish language skills (A1.3 level according to the European language framework).
• Good written and oral command of the English language
• Basic education completed in a comprehensive school: Finnish comprehensive school or other basic education (approximately nine years, age 7-16)

A Finnish language test will be arranged before the selection interview. Please note:

• Tests and interviews are held in Oulu.
• Online tests are not available.
• Only applicants who pass the language test will be invited to the interview.

Costs and Financial Information

Finnish Government has decided that vocational schools like OSAO has to have tuition fee for students coming from non-EU countries (except Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland). This applies to studies beginning in August 2026 or later. Here you can find information about tuition fees and amounts: Tuition Fees Confirmed for Non-EU/EEA students at OSAO | OSAO

OSAO does not have scholarships available for international students and can not offer financial assistance to students. More information, see these pages.

More Information

• More information about applying and FAQs
• Studying in Finland – Migri
• Information for foreign students in Oulu
• Considering higher education? Explore University of Oulu or Oulu University of Applied Sciences.
• Do you need a visa? Check Visa to visit Finland.