The Ministry of Education and Research (HTM) has drafted a new proposal. With this, schools can take into account students' preferences when applying to upper secondary schools. This means that a school can invite only those students who have chosen it as their first preference.
HTM announced that three major changes will be made. Firstly, upper secondary schools can consider students' preferences. Secondly, exclusion rules will be written into the law. Thirdly, support measures in schools will become faster.
Education Minister Kristina Kallas said the aim is to make the application to upper secondary schools clearer and faster. "Students should know when and how they can secure a place," she said.
Students must submit a school preference application. If a school has written in its rules that it considers preferences, it can first invite those who have chosen it as their first preference. This reduces situations where a student has to attend multiple interviews.
Schools that want to use this rule must change their rules by March 1, 2026. Some schools may still invite more people than there are places available.
Students can choose multiple schools and study paths. Schools now have the opportunity to consider students' preferences according to their own rules. This helps highly competitive schools select students.
Tallinn state upper secondary schools accepted thousands of students last spring. Now they can first interview those who have chosen their school as their first preference.
The law will also change regarding exclusion. Upper secondary schools can no longer make their own rules that are stricter than the law. All rules must be written in the law.
This change gives students a sense of security. They know that the rules are the same in all schools. For students under 18, the school must find a way to help them.
The school director now decides what measures are needed. The previous rule, where the school council decided, no longer applies.
The new changes will take effect in the spring of 2026. The rules for exclusion and support measures will change immediately when the law comes into force.