After comprehensive school, it is possible to continue studying in Åland. You can choose between upper secondary school, vocational school, folk high school or higher education. You can also take courses or get an education through apprenticeships.
Students who are 17 years or older can apply for Åland student aid from the Åland Labour Market and Student Services (AMS).
To be eligible for student aid from the Government of Åland, you must meet certain conditions. As someone who has moved to Åland, the requirement is, among other things, that you have lived here for at least 185 days—and not studied during that time—in order to be able to receive Åland student aid.
Knowing the Swedish language gives you a remarkable advantage when living, studying or searching for a job in Åland. We recommend you start studying Swedish already before moving here.
Medis organises general courses in Swedish for immigrants. The general courses consist of lessons once or twice a week, often during the evenings, and are run at various levels. Places on these courses are first-come first-served. The courses are not free, students must pay the course fees and purchase the course book.
The SFI courses (Swedish for immigrants) are intensive full-time courses. Classes are held during day time, five days a week. The courses are free of charge and in order to qualify for the course you must live in Åland, have an FPA national health insurance card and be registered as a job seeker with Ams. You must be able to read and write the Latin alphabet. The courses are given at Medis, the Adult Education Centre in Mariehamn. Application forms are available from Medis.
Medis also runs other Swedish courses, e.g. learning Swedish at work and learning Swedish without knowing the Latin alphabet.
Read more about Swedish courses by Medis
The autonomous Åland has its own education legislation with its own comprehensive education law, comprehensive education regulation and curriculum.
The curriculum is compiled with implications from both Finland and Sweden.
On the website Utbildning.ax, the education and culture department of the Government of Åland provides information about what is going on in the school world in Åland, both to the general public and the education sector (only in Swedish).