General upper secondary education is course-based and ends in a national matriculation examination. The upper secondary school does not provide any spe¬cific qualifications but gives eligibility for studies in universities, polytechnics or vocational institutions.
The admission requirement for general upper secondary education is a school-leaving certificate from basic educa¬tion. Students apply to general and vocational education in a joint application system. If the number of applicants exceeds the places available, the selection is based on stu-dents’ school reports. The drop-out rate is low.
Some upper secondary schools specialise in a certain subject, such as sports, art or music. In addition, some upper secondary schools provide education for and end in an international examination.