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Tampere University of Applied Sciences · Finland

Early Childhood Education and Care

Early childhood education, social pedagogy and social services for non-native Finnish speakers, taught bilingually, qualifying you as an ECEC social pedagogue in Finland.

Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0

Where
TampereFinland
Degree
Bachelor of Social Services
Length
3.5 years
Taught in
English
Starts
Autumn 2027
Apply by
21 January 2027Rolling admission: by 28 Feb
Admission
SelectiveEntrance exam · 20 places
EU/EEA fee
Free
More facts
Degree
Bachelor of Social Services
Length
3.5 years
Taught in
English
Starts
Autumn 2027

Deadlines

  1. 21 January 2027

    Joint application closes, 15:00 Finnish time
    Hard deadline
    Details

    The national window, on Studyinfo.fi, closing at 15:00 Finnish time on 21 January. Six months before IB results, so you apply on predicted grades. Aalto, the University of Helsinki and LUT are not in it: each runs its own application (Aalto closes on 22 January, Helsinki's IB group on 23 March, LUT's rolling admission on 30 April). Åbo Akademi's bachelor's programmes are in the second joint application, in March.

    One form, maximum six programme choices. Opens 7 January 2027 at 08:00 and closes 21 January 2027 at 15:00 Finnish time (UTC+2). Studyinfo's own record of the joint application ("Joint Application to Higher Education, Spring 2027", run by the Finnish National Agency for Education) gives exactly that, and Tampere, Metropolia, Jamk, Xamk, Study in Finland, Jyväskylä, Turku, Oulu and Arcada agree. Aalto is not part of it: its English-taught bachelor's programmes have their own application on Studyinfo, open 7 January 08:00 to 22 January 2027 15:00. Both dates are right; they are two different applications.

    Source

  2. 28 January 2027

    Proof of English due, 15:00
    Hard deadline
    DetailsSource

  3. 28 February 2027

    Rolling admission closes, 15:00, unless places fill first
    Hard deadline
    DetailsSource
All dates for this programme (8 more)

  1. 7 January 2027

    Joint application opens
    DetailsSource

  2. 10 March to 12 March 2027

    International UAS Exam — pre-identification window
    Hard deadline
    Details

    Published as "from 10 March 2027 at 8:00 Finnish time (UTC/GMT+2) to 12 March 2027 at 15:00 Finnish time (UTC/GMT+2)". You identify yourself in advance in the Candour ID app, using the same passport or biometric EU/EEA ID card whose number you gave on your Studyinfo application — a different document may get your pre-identification rejected. Miss this window and you cannot sit the exam, whatever else you have done.

    Source

  3. 22 March 2027

    International UAS Exam — invitation reaches you
    Details

    Published as "on 22 March 2027 at the latest, you will receive an invitation to the exam to the email address you provided in your Studyinfo application". It is here as a date to check rather than a date to act on: if nothing has arrived by the end of this day, the day before the exam, chase it.

    Source

  4. 23 March 2027

    International UAS Exam, online from 12:00 Finnish time
    Details

    Published as "on 23 March 2027 from 12:00 o'clock noon onwards (Finnish time, UTC/GMT+2)". Taken remotely on your own computer, proctored by SMOWL.

    Source

  5. 1 April 2027

    IB predicted grades due, 15:00 (spring 2027 graduates)
    Hard deadline
    DetailsSource

  6. 14 April 2027

    International UAS Exam — results
    Details

    Published as "The results will be published on 14 April 2027 at the latest" — an outside date, so the result may come sooner.

    Source

  7. 6 July 2027*

    IB results released
    DetailsSource

  8. 13 July 2027

    Admitted: final certificate, or proof you have graduated, due 15:00
    Hard deadline
    DetailsSource

* Last year’s date, not yet confirmed.

Every date in Finland

What it is

You combine theory and practical skills in social services, early childhood education and social pedagogy, with special attention to intercultural communication and language development, and Finnish as a second language studies built into the degree. The programme is bilingual: it starts mainly in English and shifts toward Finnish as it advances, and it is designed for students whose first language is not Finnish. It meets the requirements of Finland's early childhood education law, so you qualify as an early childhood education social pedagogue. Graduates can work in early childhood education, child protection, schools, youth work, private companies and non-profit organisations.

What you need

  • International UAS Exam; English at B2. Aimed at non-native Finnish speakers.
Requirements in full

Every IB applicant at Tampere University of Applied Sciences

In the January joint application TAMK selects by the International UAS Exam, SAT, or a pre-task and interview, not on IB grades. Its engineering rolling admission takes IB with English 5 and HL Maths 5.

Where it says so

Its entry requirements

Check it on tuni.fi

How places are decided

    • Entrance exam
    All 20 places go on the International UAS Exam (23 Mar 2027); IB grades do not count.
Sources (3)
  1. Early Childhood Education and Care at TAMK — checked 2026-09-26
  2. Entry requirements
  3. IB applicants at TAMK

Other degrees at TAMK