Varia's Admission Criteria

Varia's vocational qualifications and TUVA (Preparatory Education for Programmes Leading to an Upper Secondary Qualification) are primarily intended for applicants residing in Finland. Applicants applying from outside the EU or Schengen area must have a job in Finland. Admissions decisions are based on the information provided in the application and programme-specific consideration.

Applicants must also have sufficient language skills to complete their studies successfully. In some fields, health and functional capacity requirements defined by legislation must also be met.

General Admission Criteria at Varia

For applications to vocational qualifications, Varia applies a priority order in student selection. Varia's general admission criteria apply to applicants applying through continuous admission.

Applicants for vocational qualifications and partial qualifications are selected according to their training needs in the following order:

1. Applicants subject to compulsory education
2. Applicants with no employment or degree
3. Applicants with either no employment or degree
4. Applicants with employment and degree

The applicant will be offered a full degree or partial degree based on an assessment of educational needs.

Selection Methods

Depending on the field of study, one or more of the following selection methods may be used in continuous admission:

• Information provided in the application
• Supporting documents submitted by the applicant
• Interview
• A task completed as part of the interview
• Entrance or aptitude test (Vocational Qualification in Aircraft Maintenance and Vocational Qualification in Logistics)
• Language test or another suitable proof of language proficiency accepted by Varia

The application must be completed in the same language as the language of instruction of the qualification or programme you are applying for. 

Varia's general admission criteria apply to applicants applying through continuous admission.

Priority Order in Continuous Admission

Priority in continuous admission is given to applicants who meet the following selection criteria.

1. The applicant has a need for education or training and meets at least one of the following criteria:
   1. The applicant is of compulsory school age.
   2. The applicant does not have a vocational qualification.
   3. The applicant is making a career change.
   4. The applicant is in need of continuing education and training.
2. The applicant shows dedication to the field, i.e., they have a goal of finding employment or pursuing further studies.
3. The applicant has sufficient prerequisites for completing the qualification or qualification unit they are applying for. The applicant has either:
   1. completed basic education (comprehensive school), or
   2. otherwise demonstrated sufficient capabilities to acquire the required competence and complete the qualification.

If the number of study places is limited and several applicants are equally qualified, the final selection will be made by a random draw.

Interview

The interview date is specified in the admission criteria for the programme.

Interview invitations are sent from noreply@opintopolku.fi. Please check your spam or junk mail folder, as the message may be filtered there.

The interview date and time indicated in the invitation cannot be changed. Interviews are conducted on campus only and cannot be attended remotely. 

If an applicant does not attend the interview, their application will be rejected.

Proof of Identity

Identity must be verified during the language test, interview, entrance examination, and at the start of studies.

Only a valid photo identification document is accepted. Varia accepts the following documents:

• Finnish passport
• Passport issued by an EU or Schengen country
• Passport issued by another country
• Finnish identity card
• Identity card issued by an EU or Schengen country
• Finnish driving licence

Please note

• The original document must be presented. A photograph or copy of the identity document is not sufficient.
• An asylum reception centre customer card is not an official identity document.
• A residence permit card alone is not accepted as proof of identity.
• If the applicant presents a passport issued by a country outside the EU or Schengen area, they must also present a valid Finnish residence permit card.

Language Proficiency Requirements

Students admitted through continuous admission must have sufficient proficiency in the language of instruction. Programme-specific language requirements are provided in the descriptions of each programme.

For qualifications where the required language proficiency level is A1.3 or lower, no language test is arranged.

For English-language programmes, Varia does not use a separate language test. Instead, applicants' language proficiency is assessed during the interview as part of the evaluation of their readiness for studies.

In vocational qualifications, the required language proficiency level is generally B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). For qualifications designed for immigrants, the language proficiency requirement may be lower than B1 and varies depending on the qualification. These programmes often include intensive Finnish language studies alongside vocational studies.

A language test completed at Varia is valid for six (6) months for applications submitted to Varia.

Applicants may also demonstrate their language proficiency by submitting an accepted language certificate specified in the admission criteria for the programme they are applying for.

Varia’s continuous admission criteria are also applied when selecting students for short employment-oriented training programmes. These programmes are primarily intended for unemployed jobseekers living in Vantaa.

Language Proficiency

The language proficiency requirement for each short employment-oriented training programme is specified in the programme description. The description also states whether a language test is included in the admission process.

For some programmes, applicants are required to take a language test.

If the programme is a short training course that is smaller in scope than a qualification unit, no language test is arranged. In such cases, applicants are invited directly to an interview.

For short training programmes that include the completion of an entire qualification unit, applicants may demonstrate their language proficiency either by taking a language test organised by Varia or by submitting an accepted certificate of language proficiency required for the programme.