Academic recognition refers to
• admitting someone to studies based on a foreign education, and
• crediting of studies completed abroad towards a Finnish qualification.
People sitting around a table in a meeting
Photo: Satu Haavisto

In Finland, education providers and higher education institutions are responsible for academic recognition. They decide on the admission of applicants who have completed their studies abroad and on the crediting of studies and other learning towards a Finnish qualification.
Upon request, the Finnish National Agency for Education provides information to education providers and higher education institutions to support academic recognition. 

The Lisbon Recognition Convention, a convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications in the European region, is in force in Finland. The Lisbon Convention is in force in nearly all European countries. It aims at facilitating academic recognition of qualifications by improving the recognition procedures and increasing transparency.

In Finland, the universities and universities of applied sciences, the National Defence University, and the Åland University of Applied Sciences come within the scope of the Lisbon Convention.

Recommendations on among others the use of qualifications frameworks as tools in recognition, the criteria and procedures for the assessment on foreign qualifications, transnational education, joint degrees, and recognition of qualifications held by refugees have been accepted as appendices to the Lisbon Convention.

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The Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education UNESCO's Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education came into force on March 5, 2023, when the minimum number of countries required by the agreement ratified it. Finland was among the first countries to accept the agreement, and the Global Convention came into effect for Finland in January 2024. The central aim of the convention is to promote international cooperation and information exchange related to higher education as well as facilitate global mobility for individuals with higher education degrees.

In Finland, the scope of the Global Agreement includes universities and universities of applied sciences, the National Defence University, and the Aland University of Applied Sciences.

In different regions, there are also regional conventions on the recognition of higher education qualifications, such as The Lisbon Convention in the European Region. Within these agreements, regional networks and entities promote the recognition of qualifications and publish information regarding higher education. These regional conventions also complement the Global Convention.

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ENIC (European Network of Information Centres) - and NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) -networks share information on higher education systems, higher education degrees, recognition procedures and good practices in recognition of qualifications. The Finnish National Agency for Education represents Finland in the networks. 

The Nordic ENIC- and NARIC-offices form a Nordic National Recognition Information Centres (NORRIC) -network.

The websites of the networks provide information on education systems and recognition of qualifications in different countries as well as jointly developed material to support recognition of qualifications. 

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The Finnish National Agency for Education has published diagrams on foreign systems education. They are meant for guidance and counselling purposes as well as for student admission professionals.

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Email: recognition [at] oph.fi

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