ISCEDluokituksen

The ISCED classification, commonly referred to in Finnish as ISCED-luokituksen, is an international framework for classifying educational programs to enable comparability across countries. Developed and maintained by UNESCO, it provides a common structure for describing the level and type of education completed, the content of study, and the qualifications awarded.

ISCED 2011 defines eight levels: 0 Pre-primary education; 1 Primary education; 2 Lower secondary education; 3 Upper secondary education; 4 Post-secondary non-tertiary education; 5 Short-cycle tertiary education; 6 Bachelor's or equivalent; 7 Master's or equivalent; 8 Doctoral or equivalent. These levels are intended to reflect typical duration and expected outcomes of study within different education systems, while allowing cross-national comparisons.

In addition to levels, ISCED includes ISCED-F fields of education and training, a separate coding scheme that groups study programs by field such as Education, Engineering, Health, and Business. These frameworks are used together to classify both the attainment of individuals and the programs they complete, supporting more detailed international analysis.

Core uses include international statistics on educational attainment and enrollment, comparison of education systems, and policy analysis. National statistical offices and international agencies (notably the UNESCO Institute for Statistics) apply ISCED to harmonize data and monitor progress toward education targets.

The ISCED system has undergone revisions, with ISCED 1997 and ISCED 2011 providing updated level definitions and mappings to national curricula. While widely adopted, some programs do not fit perfectly into a single level, and cross-border qualifications may require careful interpretation. In Finland and other countries, ISCEDluokituksen is used in official statistics to align with international reporting standards, even as national classifications reflect local structures.