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An early study program: What is it and how does it work?

Students in upper secondary school can enroll in free-of-charge early study programs offered by many universities. For this purpose, standard courses and seminars are opened to include these young students, and a separate office is responsible for advising, admitting, and accompanying the concurrently enrolled secondary school/university students. They are usually also assigned tutors (specially trained students) to assist them. For their studies, the students may be excused from school for certain classes, and they are required to make up the subjects they missed at school independently. Therefore, early study is generally recommended only for rather high-achieving and well-organized young people. Successful completion of university examinations can be credited toward students’ regular degree programs at a later date. However, taking exams is not compulsory, and many students choose not to take them and instead use their time (e.g., one or two semesters) at the university as an intellectual stimulus and an opportunity to explore what it is like to attend university. The support provided by the school is sometimes less than ideal, which is why the students participating in early studies need to be independent and communicate well with their teachers.