Finland · Espoo
Etelä-Tapiolan lukio, or Etis, is a Finnish-language City of Espoo upper-secondary school with a three-year English IB route. The 2026 intake is complete. External applicants face local-living conditions, and some study-permit holders now pay €10,300 per year.
Etelä-Tapiolan lukio, usually called Etis, is a co-educational Finnish-language upper-secondary school operated by the City of Espoo. Its separate IB section teaches in English.
The school is at Ahertajantie 5, 02100 Espoo in Tapiola. It is a day school and does not advertise boarding.
International applicants under 18 are considered only if they will live locally with family or a legally appointed guardian. The school gives priority to pupils living with their parents.
Etis’ main route follows Finland’s national upper-secondary curriculum in Finnish. It leads to the Finnish Matriculation Examination and has a school-wide emphasis on economics and social sciences.
The IB route lasts three years and teaches in English. A national-curriculum pre-DP year prepares pupils for the two-year IB Diploma Programme.
The school’s current page lists the DP subjects, including two mathematics routes and sciences. It warns through the normal selection process that pupils build a six-subject Diploma combination rather than taking every listed course.
Etis offered 50 IB places in the completed 2026 joint application. Its Finnish national line separately offered 140 places.
Applicants must use Studyinfo/Opintopolku and select the correct programme. Choosing the national line does not constitute an IB application.
Applicants from within Finland are ranked by their lower-school grade average. Mathematics and English receive double weight for IB selection.
Applicants educated outside Finland use the discretionary, or harkinnanvaraisuus, route. They provide a candidate form, a current-school appraisal and a recent report.
Etis gives priority among external applicants to families moving because of work and families returning to Finland. It also applies the under-18 local family or legal-guardian condition.
The published 2026 joint application ran from 17 February at 08:00 to 17 March at 15:00. It is now closed, and the school has not yet replaced it with 2027 dates.
For the 2026 cycle, Etis reported an IB cutoff average of 8.86. The city recorded 83 first-choice applicants for 50 places. Neither figure predicts the next intake.
A pupil who has completed one upper-secondary year may apply directly to DP1. This application goes to the school, not through the joint-application system.
Etis says only one or two DP1 places are typically available, and sometimes none. It gives priority to applicants who do not already hold a study place in Finland.
Late pre-DP applications may be considered, but the school warns that a decision can take until August or later. Existing waiting lists and full classes take priority.
Most pupils do not pay tuition at this municipal school. A statutory exception now applies to some entrants whose Finnish residence is based on studies.
The current City of Espoo charge is €10,300 per school year, or €30,900 for three years, for liable third-country nationals starting or changing programme on or after 1 August 2026.
The city also says matriculation-examination test fees are additional. People coming from abroad must pay the annual tuition before applying for the study-based residence permit.
Citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are exempt. The city also exempts permanent-residence-permit holders, exchange students and pupils who began Espoo upper-secondary education before 1 August 2026.
Etis’ older IB paragraph still says the exact fee was undecided and “likely” €10,300. Its newer applicant page and the citywide fee page now state €10,300 as the operative annual amount.
Ask for written confirmation of liability, payment timing and the services included. Do not budget from the obsolete “undecided” wording.
Etis lists special-needs teachers, guidance counsellors, a nurse, psychologist and social worker. This demonstrates a support structure but not guaranteed capacity for every pupil.
Share educational and health reports during the application. Ask which adjustments, language support and counselling can be provided in English during pre-DP and the Diploma years.
Also confirm laptop requirements, school meals, examination charges and local transport. These costs matter even where tuition is not payable.
Etis suits a pupil seeking an English IB route inside a Finnish-language municipal upper-secondary school. The pupil must be ready for selective entry, local living and a three-year pre-DP-to-Diploma sequence.
Compare Mattlidens gymnasium for a Swedish-language school with English IB. Its separate eight-place limit for applicants outside Finland’s comprehensive system can materially affect the choice.
Use the Espoo overview and Finland guide for wider planning. Wait for the school’s 2027 application dates before preparing a future joint-application calendar.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
Espoo International School is a municipal, English-medium comprehensive school for Grades 1–9. It follows the Finnish curriculum and adds the IB Middle Years Programme in Grades 7–9. Residence and admission criteria matter more than ability to pay.
EspooMattlidens is a Swedish-language City of Espoo upper-secondary school with a three-year English IB route. Its 50-place pre-DP accepts at most eight pupils from outside Finland’s comprehensive system. The 2026 application cycle is closed, and a new citywide study-permit fee now applies to some entrants.
TurkuCygnaeus is a municipal Swedish-language school for Grades 1–6 at Maariankatu 7 in central Turku. It is worth considering for a family seeking primary education in Swedish, rather than an English-medium international programme.
HelsinkiDeutsche Schule Helsinki combines Finnish schooling with the German international-school system. Its German and Finnish routes converge before the Deutsches Internationales Abitur. The decisive questions are which language route fits your child and whether they meet its entry standard.
Espoo International School ends at Grade 9. Mattlidens and Etelä-Tapiolan offer separate English-language IB routes at upper secondary, with their own admissions and residence conditions.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.