News 
The Opin.fi service, which was launched one year ago, was developed to make it easier for learners to find and compare open studies at higher education institutions in one place. During the first year of operation, the service already received more than 576,000 visits.
Thousands of learning opportunities in one place
Opin.fi is a joint service of Finnish higher education institutions that allows learners to search, compare and find open studies that may be suitable for them. The service is designed for anyone interested in learning, such as those developing their competence in working life, those considering a change of field, or those interested in higher education studies.
During the first year, the service has offered thousands of different open studies from a total of 36 Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences. In addition to courses and paid studies, there are also other ways to learn new things, as the service also contains, for example, a large number of podcasts, webinars and publications from higher education institutions.
The search function and filters in the service allow users to narrow down the selection according to their needs. You can search for studies based on, for example, the topic, study method or implementation form, and limit the search results to online studies or content completed accord to your own schedule.
Learners are interested in AI studies
The service analytics show what kind of studies learners are currently interested in. During the first year of operation, studies related to, for example, artificial intelligence have been among the most popular searches.
The most popular searches have been:
- artificial intelligence
- Master’s programme studies in universities of applied sciences
- languages, such as English and Swedish
- management studies
- studies related to psychology
Development of the service is guided by feedback
The first year of operation has demonstrated that there is a need for a service that brings together open studies at higher education institutions. This is reflected in both the growing number of visitors and user feedback, where the service has been praised as welcome and necessary.
In addition to praise, during the past year, users have also shared plenty of development wishes and ideas, which can be used to develop the service further. For example, the development of the search function and the possibility of filtering studies based on the fee or level of education have been highlighted in the wishes. In addition, language and communication studies have been requested as a separate theme to make it easier to find them.
The feedback is regularly monitored and utilised in the prioritisation of the further development of the service.
The study voucher will be launched in August 2026
A new Opin.fi feature will be launched in August: the Ministry of Education and Culture’s open study voucher, which will be worth 30 credits and can be used to pay for open studies at higher education institutions. The purpose of the study voucher is to offer young people who are not admitted to a study place the opportunity to complete free studies in open higher education before starting their degree studies.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Digivisio project office launched the preparation of the study voucher solution for the Opin.fi service in autumn 2025. The goal is that after the joint application process for higher education institutions is completed in August 2026, the voucher can be used as a payment method in the Opin.fi service. A young person would normally pay cash via their online bank when registering for open university studies. If they are entitled to a study voucher, they will now be able to use the study voucher for payment. Read more about the study voucher in the Opin.fi service.