Upper secondary education

Upper secondary education caters for young people aged between 15 and 19 years of age. It is divided into general upper secondary education, technical upper secondary education and vocational upper secondary education.

General upper secondary schools offer students four years of general education in preparation for continuation of their education at university level. Upon completion students undertake state wide external examinations (matura), which allow them to enroll in any type of tertiary education course.

Upper secondary vocational and technical education is divided into seven broad technical/vocational fields within which several types of courses are available. Courses differ in their length (including their credit point values), admission criteria, options for the continuation of education, level of vocational standards for a specific profession, and levels of qualification.