Access to education in Estonia

Preschool Education

Ukrainian children aged 1.5 to 7 years can attend kindergartens and nurseries, but it is not mandatory. To enrol a child in a kindergarten or nursery, a request for a place in a kindergarten or nursery should be submitted to the local self-government authorities. This request needs to be signed with a digital signature and sent to the email address of the local self-government authority or submitted in person to that authority.

School Education

Education in Estonia is compulsory for children of school age from 7 to 17 years, including both Estonian citizens and foreign nationals. To enrol a child in school, parents should contact the local self-government authority, where the staff will assist in finding a place for the child in school.

Secondary Education

After completing primary education, person could continue studies to obtain general secondary education in the higher grades of a gymnasium or pursue vocational-technical education. Obtaining secondary education is not mandatory in Estonia.

Usually, the duration of secondary education is three years. Education in the higher grades of a gymnasium is primarily aimed at preparing for obtaining of higher education.

A list of vocational-technical educational institutions and gymnasiums could be found through the respective links.

Higher Education

The general requirement for admission to higher education institutions in Estonia is the possession of secondary education. Higher education institutions may set additional admission requirements (such as entrance exams, results of state exams, or interviews).

Admission to higher education institutions usually takes place annually from April to July, with each higher education institution determining its specific period. For this purpose, a person should fill out an online application on the DreamApply portal, attach scanned copies of the required documents, and include a motivational letter (the list of required documents and the necessity of a motivational letter depend on the chosen university).

There is a mutual recognition agreement for education documents between Estonia and Ukraine. It means that Ukrainian students do not need to validate their certificates and diplomas – a translation into Estonian or English is sufficient.