Basic education admissions 2025 – 2026 in a nutshell:
INFO EVENINGS
1st graders info evening on Tuesday 19.11.2024 at 5.30 pm will be held in Turku International School (Kraatarinkatu 4).
7th graders info evening on Monday 2.12.2024 at 6 pm will be held in Turun Normaalikoulu (Annikanpolku 9).
IB diploma programme info evening on Thursday the 9th of January 2025 at 18.30 will be held in Turun Normaalikoulu (Annikanpolku 9).
ONLINE APPLICATIONS
Please fill the online application for 1st grade by 13th of December 2024
Link: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/9306FCF241B259E8
More information on admissions can be found HERE https://sites.utu.fi/tis/basic-education/ in the “Admissions” section.
Please note, that all guardians who are living in Turku and their children are applying to Turku International school, must also fill in a form on Wilma separately stating that they are applying to Turku International School.
Please fill in the online application for 7th grade by 9th of January 2025.
Link: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/9306FCF241B259E8
More information on admissions can be found HERE https://sites.utu.fi/tis/basic-education/ in the “Admissions” section.
Applicants for other grades of Basic Education are requested to fill out the application form and contact the principal, Mirjam Rasmus, at mirjam.rasmus@utu.fi . Admission tests for other grades will only be organized if there is space available in the grade for which the applicant is applying.
Application to Primary and lower secondary school, grades 1-9: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/9306FCF241B259E8
Please fill in the online application to the IB diploma programme by the 18th of March 2025 at the latest.
Link: Online application for the pre-IB Diploma programme
More information on admissions can be found HERE https://sites.utu.fi/tis/ib-diploma-programme/ in the “Admissions” section.
Families that are planning to move to Turku during the current academic school year 2024-25 are advised to contact the principal Mirjam Rasmus via email mirjam.rasmus@utu.fi well in advance in order to inquire the student situation of the grade in question.
ADMISSION TESTS
The admission test for 1st graders will take place on 29th to 30th of January 2025 in Turun normaalikoulu. Personal invitations will be sent via email based on the submitted online applications. Guardians will be informed of the decision by 10th of March 2025.
The 7th graders admission test will take place on the 29th of January 2025 in Turun normaalikoulu. Personal invitations will be sent via email based on the submitted online applications.
Applicants for other grades are requested to fill out the application form and contact the principal, Mirjam Rasmus, at mirjam.rasmus@utu.fi Please note that admission tests for other grades will only be organized if there is space available in the grade for which the applicant is applying.
Admission test for students arriving to Finland during the summer 2025
Admission test for grades 1-9 will be held on the 4th and 5th of August 2025. Invitations will be sent via email based on the submitted online applications. Please note, that applications need to be submitted by the 11th of July in order to be tested on the 4th or 5th of August 2025.
Please note that the entrance exam will only be held if there is space in the grade the applicant is applying for. Inquiries should be addressed to the principal Mirjam Rasmus by e-mail mirjam.rasmus@utu.fi
Grades by year of birth in primary and lower secondary school 2025-2026
| Grade | Year of Birth |
| 1 | 2018 |
| 2 | 2017 |
| 3 | 2016 |
| 4 | 2015 |
| 5 | 2014 |
| 6 | 2013 |
| 7 | 2012 |
| 8 | 2011 |
| 9 | 2010 |
Please note:
The school system in Finland is different from many other countries. It includes pre-primary (eskari), primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education.
Primary and lower secondary education (= basic education) consists of school years 1-9. Primary school in Finland starts in the year in which children turn seven. All children who reside permanently in Finland must attend compulsory education.
If you move back to your country of origin, the school can provide a letter to help explain the Finnish system. Thus, you do not need to worry about your child being at 1 or 2 years lower grade level than they would be in your country of origin.
Who can apply to Turku International school (TIS)?
The school is intended for international families moving to Finland, working temporarily or permanently in the Turku region and also for Finnish families returning to Finland after years abroad.
Is it possible to apply to TIS in advance?
It is possible to start the application process while living abroad. We recommend filling in the online application well in advance, if you are planning on moving to Finland. Guardians are advised to contact the TIS principal Mirjam Rasmus to inquire the student situation of the grade in question.
Please note, that in order to finalize the application process and confirm a student’s school place you need to have a residence permit and an address in Turku/Turku region. To get a residence permit to Finland, you have to contact the Finnish immigration authorities.
Can my child go to TIS even though we don’t live in Turku?
You need to live in Turku or its surrounding areas. Please contact the principal Mirjam Rasmus in order to find out from which municipalities in the Turku area students can attend TIS.
What is the TIS admission test like?
All applicants must take the admission test to TIS. The admission test is to ensure that the applicant knows English well enough to study in TIS. The applicant does not need to practice for the admission test. The admission test will take about 1-2 hours depending on the grade.
The admission test includes:
Gr 1: interview and activities to help see the level of the applicant’s pre-reading skills
Gr 2-3: interview and simple reading comprehension and spelling tasks
Gr 4-6: interview, reading comprehension and writing tasks
Gr 7-9: interview, grammar, reading comprehension and writing tasks
For gr 2-9 the applicant is also required to take a short mathematics test. This does not have an effect on the admission decision making process but it will give the school diagnostic information in advance. If needed the applicant’s level of Finnish can also be tested in some cases to determine the best Finnish group.
Is it possible to start studying in TIS without knowing any Finnish?
No prior knowledge of Finnish is required. However, all students must take Finnish lessons at their own level. In Basic education (grades 1-9) the Finnish National Core Curriculum is implemented and Finnish language is a compulsory subject.
Is it possible to start school at the age of 6?
By law, gr 1 students should turn seven during the year of starting school and therefore it is possible to apply to 1st grade at TIS during the calendar year the child reaches the age of seven.
If guardians would like their child to be admitted earlier, the child must take a psychological test. Children who are one year younger can be admitted providing that the guardian presents an assessment of school readiness made by a Finnish psychologist before the child’s participation in the aptitude test.
Why are students placed lower in TIS than in some other countries?
Educational systems are not comparable in terms of curricula and class levels. TIS follows the Finnish school laws whereby children start school at the age of 7. Students coming from abroad are placed with their own age group. Regardless of the class level, the knowledge and skills of students of the same age are more or less the same in Finland as abroad. In Finland the mandatory preschool (“grade 0″) covers many aspects of first grade in other countries where children already start school at the age of six.
Can the applicant be tested again, if she/he did not pass the language proficiency test.
Applicants can be tested again in 12 months.
How much are the school/tuition and application fees?
Basic education in Finland is free of charge. TIS is a public school and therefore there are no school fees. The school materials and daily school lunch are free of charge as well.
However, that also means that we only serve families living in the Turku area, so you need to have a residence permit and an address in Turku before we can admit your child to TIS.
Does the school have boarding facilities?
Turku International School is a day school and the school does not provide any boarding facilities. Therefore, all our students live with their families and they must have a guardian in Finland. In addition, the school can´t arrange accommodation or visas.
Note for applicants outside of Finland
Turku International school welcomes applications from outside of Finland, with a priority going to families relocating due to job opportunities or families returning to their homeland. We will only consider for admission students under the age of 18 who will reside locally with family members or a legally appointed guardian.
general studies, career choices, further education and work life. The guidance is given in lessons as well as at personal and group meetings. The work is carried out in co-operation with other teachers and the student welfare team. The guidance also includes visits to work places.
Our school curator, Ms Jatta Auremaa, works for all levels of students in the school. Her office is on the 1st floor in A-wing.
times when the students’ ability to work is decreased abruptly, temporarily or extensively. The situation may be caused by a physical or mental illness or particularly difficult curcumstances in life.