Starting 1 August 2025, only students entitled to free education can be granted school transport subsidy

Parliament has approved the Government proposal to limit the eligibility for school transport subsidy only to students who are entitled to free upper secondary level education. Students entitled to free education are students who have completed their comprehensive school education in 2021 or thereafter. In addition, the student must be born in 2004 or later.

Up till now, other students than those entitled to free education have been able to get school transport subsidy if their one-way trip from home to school is at least ten kilometres.

The student does not have to do anything about the change in school transport subsidy. The change will enter into force for the academic year 2025–2026. If the student is entitled to free education, they will be able to apply for school transport subsidy as before. If the student is not entitled to free education, they will not be able to get school transport subsidy any more after 1 August 2025.

The change mainly affects adult students

Since, after the change, school transport subsidy is only available to students entitled to free education, those who will no longer be entitled to school transport subsidy are mainly adult students. The change is estimated to affect approximately 12,000 students. Most of them study at institutes of vocational education.

 “In practice the change will mostly affect students who live out of reach of urban traffic and arrange their school transport themselves, for instance using their own car. In areas with urban traffic, students can often choose public transport, where the costs are also reasonable,” says Irene Hiljanen, coordinator for school transport subsidy.

In academic year 2023-2024, about 87,000 students received school transport subsidy.

Additional information for customers

• Government proposal to amend the Act on School Transport Subsidy (eduskunta.fi, in Finnish)
• School transport subsidy
• Changes to social security benefits