Application period for basic education in the arts 1-30 April 2026

APPLICATION FOR NEW STUDENTS TO THE ART SCHOOL FOR THE 2026-2027 ACADEMIC YEAR

Early childhood art studies can be pursued by children born in 2020, while children born in 2018 and 2019 can apply for the first grade of basic education in visual arts. The application period is 1–30 April 2026. Late applications are not considered.

You can apply to either a Finnish-speaking or Swedish-speaking group. If there are not enough Swedish-speaking applicants, a bilingual group is formed if necessary. If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available student places, the places will be allocated by lottery. All applicants will be informed of the admission decision.

We recommend that applicants (children born between 2018 and 2020) and their guardians attend Kokkola Art School visitor’s day on Saturday, 16 April. More information below (green box).

Links to apply to the Art School:

• for children born in 2020 (in Finnish)
• for children born in 2018 and 2019 (in Finnish)  

Join us for a fun and creative visual arts hobby!

We recommend that applicants (children born between 2018 and 2020) and their guardians attend Kokkola Art School visitor’s day on Saturday, 16 April. The child will attend a 60-minute lesson and in the meantime, guardians are welcome to attend an information event in the painting class at the Art School. The information event is shared with the literary art school.

The visitor’s day is held at Kokkola Art School, in the stone part of Taidetalo Renlund, the address is Kansakoulukatu 6b. Due to the limited number of seats, you need to sign up for the visitor’s day. The registration period is from April 1 to April 13, 2026. You can sign your child up either to the group starting at 12.00 or the one starting at 13.30.

REGISTRATION LINK:

• Visitor Day on 16 April (in Finnish or Swedish)

Please note, that signing up for the visitor’s day is not an application to the Art School. An application must be completed separately during the application period 1–30 April 2026.

Didn’t you get a place in the Art School earlier? No worries – you can also start your studies with us at a later stage!

The supplementary application for children and young people born in 2013–2017 is open from 1 to 30 April 2026. The application is submitted through the link below. Please read the text that opens via the link carefully. You can apply to either a Finnish-speaking or Swedish-speaking group. Available places are filled in the order of registration, so we cannot guarantee a place for all applicants. We will contact all applicants.

Application links:

• for children born in 2015–2017 (in Finnish) 
• for children and young people born in 2013–2015 (in Finnish) 

You can register for Kälviä’s art courses and other open art courses in August and/or in January. Information on enrolment is available on the Art School’s website and in the study guide of Kokkolan seudun opisto (Kokkola Adult Education Center).