Finland · Espoo
Mattlidens 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.
Mattlidens gymnasium is a co-educational Swedish-language upper-secondary school operated by the City of Espoo. Its separate IB section teaches in English.
The school is at Matinsyrjä 1, 02230 Espoo in Matinkylä. It is a day school, and its admissions FAQ explicitly says that it has no boarding facilities.
Students must arrange their own housing. The school strongly recommends having a guardian in Espoo, although that wording is advice rather than a stated admissions requirement.
The main gymnasium route follows Finland’s Swedish-language upper-secondary curriculum and leads to the Finnish Matriculation Examination. Applicants seeking that route should not select the IB line by mistake.
The IB route lasts three years. The first year is pre-DP, largely based on the national curriculum but taught in English. Two years of the IB Diploma Programme follow.
Mattlidens says pre-DP includes extra preparation in higher-level mathematics, economics and philosophy. Its programme page lists English, Finnish and Swedish among the mother-tongue teaching available.
Subject availability can change with staffing and cohort demand. Ask for the current DP subject grid before comparing Mattlidens with another IB school.
Mattlidens offers 50 pre-DP places. No more than eight applicants from outside the Finnish comprehensive-school system can be admitted to that intake.
That cap is a school-specific constraint. Completing equivalent Grade 9 education abroad creates eligibility to apply, but it does not remove the eight-place limit.
Applicants use the national Studyinfo/Opintopolku joint application and must select the IB special-mission line. The national Swedish gymnasium choice is a separate application target.
For applicants holding a Finnish comprehensive-school certificate, selection uses the weighted average of academic subjects. English and mathematics count twice.
Applicants educated outside Finland also choose the “education completed abroad” basis. They submit a recent report, a candidate form and a confidential appraisal completed by their current school.
The school’s published forms and dates still concern spring 2026. That application ran from 17 February to 17 March 2026, with supporting documents due by 28 March.
Results were issued on 11 June, and places had to be accepted by 25 June. The cycle is over; do not reuse those dates for 2027.
Direct DP1 applications go to Mattlidens rather than through the joint application. Places exist only if students leave after pre-DP, so availability cannot be assumed.
Late applications may be considered after the normal window or after the year begins. The school requires the same report, candidate form and appraisal, and it may test mathematics and English.
Contact the IB coordinator before assembling a late or DP1 file. Ask whether a vacancy exists and which current forms and deadlines replace the 2026 documents.
For the completed 2026 cycle, the city reported 54 first-choice applicants for 50 IB places. That is a historical intake snapshot, not a prediction for 2027.
Mattlidens suits a pupil seeking an English IB route within a Swedish-language municipal school. It is not an English comprehensive school for Grades 1–9.
Compare Etelä-Tapiolan lukio for a Finnish-language school with English IB. Compare Espoo International School if the child still needs comprehensive education.
Mattlidens’ admissions FAQ says there are no tuition fees for pupils entering pre-DP directly from comprehensive school. That text does not mention Espoo’s newer citywide rule effective 1 August 2026.
Under the current City of Espoo fee page, some third-country nationals who enter or reside on a study permit must pay €10,300 per school year. The three-year total is €30,900.
The city also says matriculation-examination test fees are additional. Payment is required before a person coming from abroad can apply for the study-based residence permit.
Citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are exempt. The page also exempts permanent-residence-permit holders, exchange students and pupils who began Espoo upper-secondary studies before 1 August 2026.
Because Mattlidens’ FAQ omits this rule, families should rely on a written assessment from Espoo for their exact citizenship and permit. Do not assume “municipal” means free for every new international applicant.
The public admissions page does not set out a complete special-needs provision or guarantee support capacity. Share educational and health reports before accepting a place.
Use the Espoo overview and Finland guide to plan housing and alternatives. For a future intake, wait for the school’s 2027 dates and updated forms.
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.
EspooEtelä-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.
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.